Fearless Servants

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, yet I wonder how many times the fear of things other than God is what moves us to take action or procrastinate endlessly.  Fear in us is as prevalent of consciousness as the aftermath of Adam and Eve's sin reveals.  After they sinned they hurriedly covered their nakedness under fig leaves because they were afraid to be exposed before God.  It seems they were not afraid of death at that stage because it was foreign to them, but their failure prompted them to cave to fear.

Last night I read the parable of the talents and the servants Jesus shared in Matthew 25.  Before going on a long journey, a master gave a significant sum to his servants each according to their ability.  Upon his return the good and faithful servants were pleased to reveal they had doubled the money provided them through trading.  There was one servant, however, who chose to dig a hole and bury the talent in the ground instead of utilising it for profit.

Upon examination by his master Matthew 25:24-25 reads, "Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.'"  What struck me as I read this is it was fear which prompted the servant to bury the talent in the ground.  Then I wondered about what exactly he was afraid of?  It could have been a number of things I can identify with:  fear of failure, fear of not being as successful as the other servants, fear of making mistakes, fear of having to give away what he worked for, fear of responsibility, fear of wasted effort, and on the potential list goes.

What was the basis of the servant's fear?  One of the root causes was a lack of faith in the wisdom of his master.  The master gave to each servant according to his ability, and it seems the servant who received a talent (a Roman talent was about 32 kilos in weight - that's a lot of gold or silver!) did not trust his master's estimation of his abilities.  In his mind it was better to hand back to his master what was already his than risking failure and displeasing his master.  But his disobedience through inaction due to fear led to him doing exactly that. Matthew 25:26-27 says, "But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. ²⁷ So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest."  It was a lot of work to dig a hole and bury the talent in the ground, but it was the wrong sort of work:  the wicked servant dug a hole for himself out of fear from which he would never be free.

It is confronting to consider the riches God has given us through Christ Jesus and the meagre amount of increase due to my poor efforts.  God has filled us with the Holy Spirit and gifted each of us according to God's perfect will.  We must choose if we will let fear of failure due to unbelief or fear in God direct our steps as we seek God's glory.  Instead of being afraid we won't measure up, consider how God knows us and has promised to help us live a life that pleases God.  We trust God for our eternal salvation, so shouldn't we trust him to guide and empower us today?  All the servants in the parable had something in common:  without the talents given them by the master they had nothing, yet through his gracious provision they could make fruitful choices.  May the love of Jesus Christ for us dissolve all fears and doubts so we might live as God's good and faithful servants who are without fear.

The Dream of Redemption

I have a confession to make:  I'm not a big Elvis fan.  I have nothing against the late-great entertainer, but as a kid his music was played primarily on the "oldies" radio stations, the music my aunts and uncles blasted at family gatherings.  I appreciate his musical and singing talent, but admittedly I was never into his music.  Because I never owned one of his countless albums, there are a lot of songs I am unfamiliar with - like his famous "If I Can Dream."

I was driving and listening to ABC Radio recently and "If I Can Dream" was performed by Elvis with great passion and conviction.  I listened to the lyrics and was surprised by the shocking theology (or lack thereof):  "We're lost in a cloud with too much rain; we're trapped in a world that's troubled with pain. But as long as a man has the strength to dream he can redeem his soul and fly..."  What?  I was incredulous at the suggestion.  After arriving home I checked out the lyrics online to ensure I indeed heard correctly - that a man's strength to dream enables him to redeem his soul?  Where did that idea come from?  Not from the Bible - which is the only authority on the redemption of souls.

Man is no more capable of redeeming himself than he is able to conceive himself without mother or father.  Then there is the problem of sin as Proverbs 20:9 says:  "Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin"?"  If we cannot wash ourselves from the guilt of sin, how can we redeem ourselves from it?  God redeemed the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt with His mighty power as a gaal or kinsman redeemer.  Moses sang of the LORD's deliverance in Exodus 15:13: "You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation."  Men talk of "redeeming themselves" but it is a broken cliche, for the redemption of souls is solely God's sovereign work by His grace.

Peter spoke to disciples of Jesus and explained how they were redeemed by the blood of Jesus in 1 Peter 1:18-21:  "...knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ²⁰ He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you ²¹ who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God."  The right of redemption was reserved for a near-kinsman as Boaz was to Ruth, and Jesus Christ is the only One worthy among men whose blood is acceptable as the Lamb of God without blemish.  No amount of money, gold, silver, good works, or dreaming is able to redeem our souls from death:  redeeming us from the curse of the Law and granting us all the blessings of God.  Jesus alone can redeem, and to say anyone or anything else can is abominable blasphemy.

Man cannot fly unassisted, and he also cannot redeem his own soul - despite his grandest dreams.  The hope of redemption will remain a dream, a fantasy forever elusive without placing faith in Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour.  This world remains in darkness and is inhabited by countless people who are lost, but Jesus is the Redeemer.  God can use being lost, trouble, and pain to draw us near to Himself.  Jesus went through excruciating pain to redeem our souls and grant us eternal life.  The prophet spoke the truth concerning the Messiah Jesus Christ in Isaiah 53:4-5:  "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."

We're All Gonna Die! :)

Los Angeles Rams lineman Andrew Whitworth raised some eyebrows when he spoke candidly with reporters after his team lost the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots:  "At the end of the day, you're all gonna die."  Death has a way of re-centring our perspective on what matters most.  It is a rare accomplishment to be part of a team which has earned the right to compete on a global stage, but win or lose no one can shed or wisely ignore their own mortality.  This is the natural conclusion King Solomon came to in Ecclesiastes 3:18-20:  "I said in my heart, "Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals." ¹⁹ For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. ²⁰ All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust."

Men are not animals - even if we choose to live like them - because God has created man in His own image.  God has put eternity in our hearts and also the ability to reason and communicate verbally as Andrew Whitworth did.  Knowing death is inevitable is one thing, but facing it with joy and peace is another thing.  I am grateful Jesus has conquered death and all who trust in Him need never fear death:  for disciples of Jesus it is not only an end but a glorious new beginning.  I am having a minor surgery Friday, and I am glad to say I am prepared to God-willing preach this coming Sunday or I have (unknown to me!) already delivered my final sermon.  It was a gnawing fear of death which convinced John Wesley he was not actually born again - despite his travelling to America as a missionary and his clean living.  What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

At the end of the day - and at a time we likely will not expect or predict - we're all going to die.  This knowledge will impact the way we live and is a healthy perspective to maintain.  Believers in Jesus have already died, and our life is hid in Christ because He is our life.  Colossians 3:1-4 says, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. ³ For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."  Praise the LORD for eternal life and the glorious future which is ours in Christ!

Nevertheless Obedience

"When He [Jesus] had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." ⁵ But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."

Luke 5:4-5

Peter and his fellow fisherman had toiled all night long for a catch and caught nothing.  These men were not casual fishermen who knew little but were seasoned professionals who knew the best times, the location of secret spots, and owned quality equipment to ensure success.  Over and over they cast out their nets only to pull them in completely empty.  Under the cover of darkness they moved the boat and tried again.  Empty.  Finally after fishing all night, they called it quits and headed back to shore to clean up.  They worked to wash the nets of debris and weeds which were caught in the net.  Then Jesus arrived at the water's edge and taught the people from Peter's boat.

After Jesus preached, He bid Peter to launch out and lower the nets for a catch.  Under normal circumstances, Peter wouldn't have bothered.  If he had been unsuccessful all night, how could the bright and hot conditions improve his chances?  Simon Peter reluctantly (but wisely!) answered after toiling all night and catching nothing, "Nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."  Luke 5:6-7 describes what happened after Peter and his fishing buddies obeyed:  "And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. ⁷ So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink."  The primary lesson from this portion is not to make fishing in the heat of the day the pattern for success and fruitfulness, but to obey Jesus because He is the LORD.

A lot of what passes for Christian ministry consists of following programs and patterns which have been successful in the past.  How important it is to be led by Jesus as we minister unto Him!  Sometimes Jesus will have us do something which seems unlikely to be practical, effective, or fruitful, but because He directed us obedience to Him makes all the difference.  The children of Israel were commanded to daily circle Jericho silently, and on the seventh day make seven circuits around the city and shout:  it was not until they were completely obedient God wrought a great victory.  Naaman the Syrian was directed to dip seven times in the Jordan, and it was not until he rose the seventh time from the water he was healed of his leprosy.  Doing what Jesus asked seemed an exercise in futility, but it was an opportunity to exercise faith in Jesus - and for Jesus to prove His divine power and grace.

Are you willing to exercise "nevertheless" obedience - to do something where there seems little to no chance of success based on past experience - just because Jesus told you to?  When we obey God's Word as led by the Holy Spirit, God graciously moves in wonderful and miraculous ways.  We are not called to "hope for the best" or to "try and try again" but to trust and obey Jesus.  Wine was needed, and when Jesus directed the servants to fill large pots with water his mother Mary wisely said, "Whatever He says, do it."  That water was miraculously changed into the finest wine.  Those servants had likely filled plenty of pots in their day, but being directed by Jesus made the difference.  What would He have you do today?