Family Matters

Text:   Hebrews 10:19-25

Charles Lowery tells of a pastor who received a call from a woman on a Tuesday who asked if he could marry her and her fiancé that Friday. 

The pastor declined saying he didn’t like “spur-of-the-moment weddings” because he preferred to do some premarital counseling.

The woman said, “That’s okay, I can find someone else to do the ceremony.  And, by the way, I disagree with you about spur-of-the-moment weddings.  Some of  my best marriages have been spur-of-the-moment.”

I appreciate that pastor because he was taking a stand for the importance of the family. The church has always felt that way about marriage and the family.  It has tried to be both supportive and protective.  Think back to high school for a moment.  Do you remember Friar Lawrence?  He’s the priest who helped Romeo and Juliet.  While his motives for helping them may have been mixed and he may have contributed to the tragedy that end’s the play, his helping the young couple has historic precedent.  Generally speaking, the medieval church did not favor forced marriages; the church favored situations where the couple actually wanted to get married.  The church believed it would lead to a more stable marriage.

The church has long been the friend of marriage.

The church recognizes that the Christian family often becomes the place where children meet Christ and see Christian ideals expressed in daily living.

This is consistent with the Scripture.  In fact, the Biblical materials envision a partnership between the church and the family.  It is a partnership of mutual support.

The writer of Hebrews gives us some insights into keeping that partnership healthy.  

I

A HEALTHY PARTNERSHIP OF CHURCH AND FAMILY

CAN INSTILL ASSURANCE IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

(19-22)

The believer’s assurance of God’s acceptance is an important theme to the writer of Hebrews.  Some of the readers seem to have believed that Christ’s sacrifice was not sufficient for their salvation.  The writer strove to correct that notion.

In the church the way of gracious access through Jesus Christ is declared in the pulpit, in the hymns, and through the instruction given to young and old alike.  The promise of a special relationship with God is at the heart of what the church has to say about the work of Christ.  The cross is at the center of that teaching.

If the church declares the possibility of this relationship with God, the reality of that relationship is demonstrated in the family.  As parents live out their faith before their children, allowing their children to see them pray, see them live with Christian joy and peace in the face of life’s challenges, the truth of the church’s message is confirmed.

II

A HEALTHY PARTNERSHIP OF CHURCH AND FAMILY

CAN PROVIDE A WELL-FOUNDED HOPE.

(23)

We want our children to have a firm foundation for their faith.  We do not want them to simply parrot our convictions, we want those convictions to be their own.

The church offers the family an understanding of God’s purpose in and for the world.  More than any other generation our children are exposed to the explosive events of the larger world.   Famines, wars, plagues, and natural disasters are brought into our family rooms every night through the television.  

When our children come to us with their fears, their concerns about the future we can point to the hope we have in Christ, a hope which transcends circumstances, a hope which affirms that in his own time God will bring about his complete will in the world.

III

A HEALTHY PARTNERSHIP OF CHURCH AND FAMILY

CAN INSPIRE LIVES OF USEFULNESS.

(24)

When left to themselves, families can become self-centered.  The family’s goals and desires become its highest priority.  

The church teaches family members to look beyond themselves.  Each church is to be a gathering of encouragers, where each believer encourages the others to live out Christ’s love in a cold world.   Within the family, as children watch their parents give money to the church,  money which could be used to buy more CDs, a faster computer, a larger car, or fund a grander vacation, they learn that sacrifice is a mark of real love.

IV

A HEALTHY PARTNERSHIP OF CHURCH AND FAMILY

CAN OPEN THE WAY TO A LIFE-CHANGING FELLOWSHIP.

(24)

The writer of Hebrews was concerned because Christians were leaving the church. The church historian Adolf Harnack believes there were several reasons.  Some had apparently come to believe Christ was no different than any other god, so there was no reason to become part of a group which worshipped him exclusively.  Some were simply too lazy to sustain a relationship with the church.  Some embraced an attitude which said they didn’t need the spiritual aid the church offered.  Some were afraid of being identified as Christians in a hostile society.

The image of individuals and families leaving those early churches looks somehow familiar.  We know people who have left the church for the same reasons.  They fail to see their loss and their peril.

They not only lose the blessings of a healthy relationship with the church, they also imperil their spiritual health.  

Then, too, they lose touch with a community that wants them to grow as individuals.  A few years ago, following an election, a woman said to me, “I voted for So and So because Dad has always voted for that party’s candidate.  I wanted to vote for the other guy but I couldn’t go against Dad.”  When it’s at its best, the church helps mothers and fathers learn that there is a time when their children must be considered as adults, with their own minds.

Of course, when families abandon the church, the church loses something as well.  It loses the potential each family member brings to the church.

When that partnership is maintained there is mutual benefit.   Consider these specific ways the family and the church are blessed when both work together.

  The church can provide a safe harbor from the raging storms of life.

   The church can provide the keys for establishing lasting relationships.

   The church can help us find direction in a world of moral confusion.

   The church can be a neutral ground in times of family stress and conflict.

   The informal witness of the family provides an essential support for the formal       witness of the church.

   The family provides the ‘raw materials’ out of which Christian leaders are built.

   The church can be the place where our children hear the clearest statement of the Gospel.

The author of this tribute to the partnership of the church and the family is unknown.  It could have been written by millions of men or women.  And, although it was written more than half-a-century ago, it still is a beautiful portrait of that partnership.

Before I was born my church gave to my parents ideals of life and love that made my home a place of strength and beauty.

My church enriched my childhood with the romance of Bible and the lessons of life that were woven into the texture of my soul.  Sometimes I seem to have forgotten and then, when else I might surrender to foolish and futile ideals of life, the truths my church taught become radiant, insistent, and inescapable.

In the stress and storm of adolescence my church heard the surge of my soul and she guided my footsteps by lifting my eyes toward the stars.

When first my heart knew the strange awakenings of love my church taught me to chasten and spiritualize my affections;  she sanctified my marriage and blessed my home.

When my heart was seamed with sorrow, and I thought the sun could never shine again, my church drew me to the Friend of all the weary and whispered to me the hope of another morning, eternal and tearless.

Now have come the children dearer to me than life itself and my church is helping me to train them for all joyous and clean and Christly living.

My church calls me to her heart.  She asks my service and my loyalty.  She has a right to ask it!  I will help her to do for others what she had done for me.  In this place in which I live, I will help her keep aflame and aloft the torch of a living faith.

CONCLUSION

On this day when we think about family, I hope we all realize how important a healthy partnership of church and family is.

We are thankful for those couples who have refused to let the busyness of life diminish the place of the church in their lives, even when children arrive on the scene.  Those families will be blessed

We are thankful for the mothers who have brought their children to church while the husband and father remained at home.  That mother and those children will be blessed.

We’re thankful for that single parent who faithfully brings his or her children to church.  That parent and those children will be blessed.

We’re thankful for those grandparents who are willing to embrace the responsibility which ought to belong to another to make sure their grandchildren are touched by the church’s ministry.  That grandparent and those grandchildren will be blessed.

We’re thankful for the fathers and mothers who labor together in creating a partnership of family and church.  That husband and wife will see their family blessed.

We are surely thankful to Jesus Christ who blesses all those who yearn to keep the partnership of church and family healthy.

Back in the Day

Galatians: A Study of Christian Freedom

Lesson 12:    Back in the Day!  Galatians 4:13-20

Once again Paul adds an autobiographical note.  He is reminding the Galatians that he and they have a history that shouldn’t be ignored.

¹³ You know that it was because of a physical infirmity that I first announced the gospel to you; 

Once again, this section introduces a note of mystery.  Paul first came to the Galatians because of “physical infirmity.”  The words sarx astheneia refer to feebleness, weakness, or frailty of the body.  The condition was such that the dynamic evangelist had to stop traveling and stay in Galatia.  

Just what this condition was is not entirely clear.  Often, Bible students have assumed the ailment to have been an eye-ailment; to which Paul refers when he says, “you would have torn out your own eyes and have given them to me [to replace mine], if that were possible.”   In the Middle East, many people suffered from serious eye problems, often from birth.  Paul may have been among those.  Then, again, the reference to tearing out their eyes may have been a way of saying they would have done anything for him.  Others believe Paul may have had a particularly bad bout of malaria, which was a problem in the region.  A few have suggested Paul may have had epilepsy, though that claim is usually made by those (often atheists) who wish to dispute Paul’s spiritual experiences such as the Damascus Road vision.  In truth, the text doesn’t give enough information to resolve the matter.  

Whatever the situation, Paul’s condition seems to have made it necessary for him to stay for a while among the Galatians.  This, of course, begs the question: Did Paul intend to bypass the Galatians and only his sickness caused him to spend time with them?        To answer either “Yes” or “No” is to pretend to know more than we can know.  But Acts 16 seems to picture Paul as eager to move on to larger population centers. The Jerusalem  Council having recognized his special call to the Gentiles, he intended to move on, either to the west into Asia Minor or north into Bithynia.  Each time the Spirit prompted Paul to stop. 

Going through Galatia seems to have been an unexpected journey, certainly staying there because of sickness was unexpected.  Yet, during that time Paul was able to establish a relationship that allowed him to present the gospel to the largely gentile population there.  [By the way, just in case it’s crossed your  mind, I’m not ready to say the Spirit made Paul sick in order to get him to stay in Galatia.  There are some Christians who believe God behaves that way but I’m not one of them.  Besides, Paul seems to have been fully pliable enough to respond when he heard the Spirit’s voice.]  

The relationship with the Galatians had a remarkable character.

¹⁴ though my condition put you to the test, you did not scorn or despise me, but welcomed me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 

The responsibility of caring for Paul during this time was demanding and apparently the sickness “…was repulsive.  [So]…it would have been understandable if the Galatians had turned away from him in disgust. But even though his illness was a trial for them to bear, they did not treat him with contempt or scorn.”  Paul was probably thinking of this when he said, “You were very good to me before.” (vs. 12)

Paul’s experience should remind us that in presenting the truth that “all have sinned” we need to avoid suggesting that no one outside the Christian community is capable of performing a benevolent, charitable act.  This good behavior has no more saving merit than our good behavior, but it is still commendable in a world where there is so much selfishness and cruelty.  

Then, too, Paul’s experience reminds us that sometimes winning the right to share the gospel may involve allowing another to do something for us.  When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink, he was treating her as no other Jewish male would have treated her.  He not only piqued her curiosity, he affirmed her as a human being with worth.  It’s something to keep in mind.

While their care for this ailing Jewish evangelist was remarkable, how they saw his ministry was even more remarkable.  They welcomed him “as an angel of God,” as a heavenly messenger.  In fact, Paul reminds the Galatians “you treated me…as if I were Christ Jesus himself!”

Now that had changed.  In describing the new situation, Paul’s distress is almost tangible.  Once again, the situation in the Galatian churches reveals a pattern of behavior that will be repeated by false teachers and cultists again and again in Christian history.

 The strategy is simple:  Undermine the message of the orthodox teacher by claiming that the message is somehow corrupt or incomplete.  Historically, this has been the strategy of all the quasi-Christian cults from gnosticism to Mormonism and the Jehovah’s Witnesses.  Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saints, claimed God had told him that every denomination was corrupt and had departed from the true teaching of Jesus.  Openly condemning Christian orthodoxy, Mormonism advanced, in part, by appealing to those who had little knowledge of the Bible or history.

After condemning the message, it is easy to begin condemning the messenger.  Apparently the Judaizers were able to persuade at least some of the Galatians to question the motives and character of Paul.  That seems to be behind his complaint in the next verses.

¹⁵ What has become of the goodwill you felt? For I testify that, had it been possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? 

The strategy seemed to have worked.  Once they had treated Paul as a friend but now they saw him as an enemy.  

Of course, in disparaging Paul these false teachers were also attempting to build themselves up.

¹⁷ They make much of you, but for no good purpose; they want to exclude you, so that you may make much of them. 

Of course, the false teachers did “make much” of the Galatians but their motives were wrong.  Whatever flattery they may have heaped onto the Galatians was ultimately intended to bring the Galatians under their control and simultaneously alienate them from Paul and the other apostles.  The Contemporary English Version captures the meaning:  “Those people may be paying you a lot of attention, but it isn’t for your good. They only want to keep you away from me, so you will pay them a lot of attention.”

This is also the strategy of the cultists.  Once an unsuspecting inquirers fall under the cult’s influence, they are warned against having anything to do with their former churches or friends who haven't discovered the “truth” they have now found.  The cultists don’t want the old friends asking the tough questions or throwing the light of Scripture on the cult’s teachings.

In the end, the novice cult members come to see the false teachers as more intuitive, more spiritual, and more caring than their old teachers.  

But Paul isn’t complaining about the Galatians’ change of attitude because he wants to be the center of their world.  

¹⁸ It is good to be made much of for a good purpose at all times, and not only when I am present with you. 

[Translations vary in their approach to this verse.  Some suggest the zealous attention is given to the Galatians themselves while others suggest that attention is given to a cause or purpose that is more impersonal.  Given the context, I think the first is the more likely intent.]

Whether he is there or not, Paul seems to hope that there will always be those who will expend energy on the churches, helping them grow and develop.  But he wants that energy expended “for a good purpose.” That good purpose would certainly involve growing deeper in their faith in Christ and their understanding of the life of grace.

The false teachers were doing the very opposite:  They were leading the Galatians away from faith in Christ toward a life based on works not grace.

This verse reminds us that Paul understood he was not the only person capable of ministering competently or faithfully to the Galatians.  Obviously the Judaizers weren’t, but others clearly could.  The apostle knew he had certain skill-sets and while others had other skill-sets.  Later, when he wrote to the divided Corinthians, he would explain this in gardening terms:  “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”

¹⁹ My little children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, ²⁰ I wish I were present with you now and could change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. 

These verses continue to reveal Paul’s strong concern for these Christians who are on the brink of spiritual disaster.  Herbert Nygren hears “agony” in Paul’s voice as he writes these words.  He say, “Paul sees them reverting to a state of immaturity in which their faith in Christ is not strong enough to enable them to reject the false gospel that has been preached to them.”

He saw the Galatians as his “little children.”  Though he had expressed his anger at their folly, it was a parent’s anger rooted in love.  He feared his ambition for them would be sidetracked, that he would not see “Christ formed in them.”  He wanted Christ’s character to be reflected in their lives.  Following the way set out by the false teachers would keep that from happening; the love and graciousness that marked Christ’s character would be replaced with a harsh, judgmental approach to others.  

Paul uses the image of childbirth to describe his feelings; it is as if he were feeling the pains of childbirth all over again in his distress over the situation.  He says he is “perplexed.”  The word means he is both fearful about their future and confused about why they are flirting with error.  Remember, this is the Apostle Paul admitting to feelings almost any parent might have when a beloved child seems on the brink of taking a disastrous step.  Like most parents in such a situation, he wishes he might somehow be there to deal with the  situation; be there and take an approach that allows for calm discussion, be there so they could hear the concern in his voice.  

But that was not to be; so he had to continue to try to persuade them through his letter, however sharp his words might sound.  But he hoped they knew that very sharpness was rooted in his parental love for them.  

Yet that sharpness was accompanied by an effort to seek out as many lines of evidence proving is case as he could find.  That evidence which would conclude his argument would come from a strange and tragic incident in Israel’s earliest history.

OBSERVATIONS

Let’s look at two facts that are clear from this passage and the opening verses of Acts 16.

First, Paul possessed a powerful passion to serve God through the preaching of the gospel. That passion drove him to go further and further from Jerusalem and led him to become more and more involved in the lives of those he might have once held in contempt.

Second, Paul, the man driven by that passion, became ill.  Whatever the illness may have been, it was serious enough to stop him.

Now, think about how these two facts are related.

The first (a passion to serve God) did not rule out the second (his sickness).  Some Christians still find it amazing that God does not protect those committed to him from crises and troubles.  Yet, the records of history’s most committed saints reveal he does not.  Their commitment does not protect them from trouble.        

The second (his sickness) did not prevent him from pursuing the first (his passion to serve God).  Paul may not have intended to evangelize the Galatians, but when the opportunity presented itself, he would not squander it. 

It’s not hard to imagine Paul lying in a sickbed in some kind person’s home, regaining his strength while strangers cared for him.  It’s also not hard to imagine him saying a good word about Jesus to that woman bringing his meals or to any visitors who might have come to keep him company.  Then, as he strength increased, we can imagine him sitting outside the home, speaking of Christ to any who might pass by.  Then, we can imagine him, his health regained, preaching in the local synagogue or at some other gathering place.  Finally, we can imagine him saying farewell to a band of new Christians who were grounded in the faith and growing in grace.

Now, imagine if Paul had said to himself, “I’m sick. I’m going to focus on getting well and then, when I’m back on the road, I’ll start evangelizing again.”  

Yes, there are times when we should focus attention on our own needs, but it’s a rare circumstance that completely prevents us from being salt and light.

Backsliding

   Sorry, I was delayed in posting this new sermon due to weather and other matters.

Galatians: A Study of Christian Freedom

Lesson 11:    Backsliding!  Galatians 4:8-12

This is a brief passage that contains some interesting insights into both the dynamics of legalism and the commitment the evangelist makes to the evangelized.

There’s a term that one was popular in the Baptist vocabulary:  Backsliding.  It referred to the actions of one who had embarked on following Christ or perhaps “got religion” but had retreated, returned to old ways of living.  The term isn’t popular anymore.  There are probably several reasons for that.  Since those who believe in the possibility of “losing” one’s salvation also use the term, some may want to avoid any confusion on the issue.  Then, too, some may feel it’s too judgmental a term.  And, perhaps, we’ve come to a point were the term is meaningless since we’ll put up with just about any behavior from church members so we won’t risk offending them.

Paul didn’t worry about that.  Some of the Galatian Christians were sliding back, sliding back into slavery.  

It was a betrayal of their new identity.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. 

Paul now seems to be speaking directly to the Galatians, the church members from a non-Christian background.  He is not being politically correct.  He says bluntly that before they trusted Christ they “did not know God.”  Of course, Paul knew that Gentiles believed in many gods but, as a Jew, he did not acknowledge that any of these gods were real:

1 Like Isaiah, Paul may have been thinking of how these “gods” were carved of wood or stone, the creations of some artisan with no reality behind them; 

2  Like many Jews, he may have believed there were evil spirits behind these “gods.”   The Bible’s view of these evil spirits or daemons is not that of the average Hollywood film; in the Biblical view, their behavior is more subtle and crafty, though their intent is just as destructive.

In any case, it was the nature of these “gods” to be enslaving, not liberating.  The very idea that these Christians might return to that life was shocking. 

Of course, the Judaizers would protest that the Galatians were not returning to their pagan religions, they were embracing a Jewish lifestyle.  Paul would have understood this.  I think his point is the stunning one that returning to a rule-based, law-way to salvation (whether Jewish or pagan) would have the same result—spiritual slavery.

⁹ Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again? 

In their new life, the Galatians now knew the real God.  More significantly, they were known by God.  Paul is not playing word games, he is hinting at an intimacy with God that just did not exist in the Galatians’ former life.  The relationship was not one-sided.

With this in mind, Paul wonders how they could possibly turn back to what they had before, even if it was in another form.  Their old gods were “the weak and beggarly elemental spirits.”  They were inherently weak and possessed no spiritual resources to change the Galatians’ lives.  They were weak, bankrupt, and poor.  Again, Paul isn’t suggesting these gods exist; he is discussing their contribution to the lives of the Galatians.

In the same way, the Judaizers’ rules and taboos were powerless to liberate them or bring them closer to God. Yet, the Galatians seemed willing to go back to a way of life that offered only bondage and slavery. Their outward manner of life would have changed but the effect would be the same.

¹⁰ You are observing special days, and months, and seasons, and years. 

Their backsliding was manifested in several ways but Paul picks one way in particular.  They were assigning special value to certain days above others.  The idea is probably that they were observing the Jewish Sabbath and other holy days, adding to their observance the notion that doing so was necessary for their salvation.

That context needs to be remembered because this is not a condemnation of observing  “special” days.  In Christian history some strict sects have forbidden their members to observe Christmas and Easter; others forbid even the observance of birthdays.  During the Commonwealth period in seventeenth-century England you could be arrested for wishing someone a “Merry Christmas.”  That was not Paul’s intent here.  He was addressing a specific problem in a specific situation.  It’s a reminder that Bible study requires us to examine the full context of the passage—which includes the historical and cultural context.

If we look at the entire body of Paul’s writings, it would be safe to say he was indifferent to certain practices or observances.  If some believers abstained from eating meat, that was fine; if some believers enjoyed a good steak, that was fine.  The same principle applied to observing special days.  All Paul cared about was that no one became entrapped by these activities or ran roughshod over a fellow believer’s sensibilities and that no one became divisive or judgmental over things like diet or holidays.

Very likely, the Galatians who were observing these “special days, and months, and seasons, and years”  were judging those who did not follow their example.  They would have pointed to their practices as evidence of their spiritual superiority over others.  On the one hand, this would have created division in the churches and, on the other, it would have caused those who hadn’t embraced such practices either to feel resentful about being judged or question the security of their salvation.

In Galatians, Paul deals with tactics sometimes used by the cults—though some of these tactics are occasionally used by more orthodox groups.  The tactic here is to micromanage the lives of their converts; in so doing they extend their control over the converts and reinforce the notion that members of the group are just a little better than non-members.

At the beginning of this series I said legalism is alive and well.  Legalism not only weighs down believers with rules, it generates discord and alienation.  You’ve probably seen it at work.

[Discuss among yourselves.] 

No wonder Paul admitted…

¹¹ I am afraid that my work for you may have been wasted. 

Remember Paul’s earlier question (3:1):  How could you forget the crucified Christ who was so clearly proclaimed to you?  Paul was thinking of the Christ-centered focus of his preaching.  He had worked hard to make clear what the crucified Christ had accomplished. Now, he is daring to ask if that work was fruitless.  This shows the level of his frustration.  

But he didn’t simply fear that his work might have been wasted; he feared for the spiritual welfare of the Galatian Christians.  

I’ve heard conference speakers say something like to pastors: “You shouldn’t worry about your people.  They’re not yours.  Just do what you’re supposed to do and let God handle things.”  Paul was no model of that attitude.  He surely did what he was supposed to do but he still feared for the Galatian’s welfare.

You can hear that passion in the plea he makes.

¹² Friends, I beg you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong. 

Some translations put this verse with the next paragraph which makes sense considering the last part of the verse but I think the thought of the first half of the verse fits better with what Paul has just said.  So, we will consider that part of the verse now.  

Paul addresses them as “Friends” when only a short time before he had called them “Stupid Galatians.”  He is pleading with them.  What did he want?  He yearned for them to renew their relationship him.  Apparently, he sensed the Judaizers had been somewhat successful in driving a wedge between Paul and the Galatian converts. He wants  things back the way they were.  He wants them to understand that what he had thus far said reflected no hostility toward them for they had done nothing to harm him. In any case, the immediate anger had subsided and now he approached them on the basis of their common spiritual status.  

The words “become as I am, for I also have become as you are” have a twofold implication, one relating to the past and the other to the present.

In sharing the gospel with the Galatians and other gentiles, Paul had, virtually, become a gentile himself—eating with them, traveling with them, and worshipping with them.  Now, he wanted them to become like himself, enjoying the full benefits of the gospel.  The Expanded Bible captures the meaning of the verse:  “12 Brothers and sisters, I became like you [living like a Gentile to win them to Christ], so I beg you to become like me [depending on God’s grace, not the Jewish law, for salvation]. You ·were very good to me before.”

Paul would write to the Corinthians to explain his fundamental approach to sharing the gospel:  “When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.” (I Cor 9:21)  

For Paul, evangelism included an identification with those to be evangelized.  Of course, this would be genuine, not merely a matter of show.  Nor would it deny obvious cultural differences.  Paul would never be able to deny his upbringing but his commitment to the Galatians was such that he had table-fellowship with them even though the authorities from Jerusalem might find fault.  

This is a significant point so we need to understand it.  Paul’s living in a gentile-mode was no mere strategy.  He was modeling real Christian freedom.  Had he preached grace to the Galatians, all the while believing they would eventually need to embrace the Jewish lifestyle in order to be true Christians, he would have been deceiving them.  And his fundamental integrity would not have allowed that. 

Even as one born a Jew, he was no longer obliged to keep the dietary rules and observe the high holy days; if he did, that was his choice.  Of course, the false teachers who had invaded the Galatian churches wouldn’t have seen Paul that way.  They would have claimed Paul had presented only part of the Christian message, that he had omitted the obligation to embrace the lifestyle of rules and observances they were promoting.  Paul had to respond to this and not simply to defend himself.  

For Paul, evangelism also meant more than merely getting a person into the baptismal waters.  In his novel The Princes of Ireland,which begins in the fifth century, Edward Rutherford depicts the missionary Patrick coming to a farm at Dubh Linn and persuading the family there to be baptized in the  nearby river, at the “dark pool” that gives Dublin its name.  Then, Patrick and his band of priests simply move on.  No church was organized, no mature Christian was left at the farm to teach the new converts.  They were on their own.  As much as we don’t know about the man whose feast day is tomorrow, we are pretty sure the real Patrick would not have done that.  Neither would Paul.

He was concerned about the quality of his converts’ lives as Christians.  He wanted them to know all the riches that could be theirs as Christ’s People.  He would put it this way when he wrote the Colossians:  “We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ.”  (Col 1:28 NASB)  If that was his goal, he would not have forgotten to give them a new diet if that had been necessary.  It wasn’t.  Instead, he wanted them “encouraged by all the riches that come from a complete understanding of Christ.”  He wanted the Galatians and everyone else who heard him to know just how much Christ had done for them and was doing in them.

That goal drove Paul as he began to reminisce about his earliest encounter with the Galatians.

********

If you read this with friends or in a group, you may wish to use the following exercises.

Discuss among yourselves:  Whether you have been a believer a long time or a short time, you have probably met those who insist on observing certain rules or rituals that you just don’t see stressed in the Bible.  Give some examples and discuss how being around these Christians makes you feel.  Finally, discuss how you respond to these fellow believers.

Something to think about at home and discuss with others: How can you better identify with those you know who need to hear the gospel?  How far should you go?  Once you’ve reached someone, how can you help them toward a solid footing as a believer?  Consider raising these questions with other believers.

Peace for Troubled Hearts

John 14:27

In a few months we will be facing a significant anniversary.  July will mark the 100^th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War.   It was a war fought on several fronts and involved the newest technology, including chemical weapons and airplanes.  When it ended in 1918 it had been the sixth deadliest war in history, some 10 million had been killed and more than 8 million were missing and presumed dead.  But it was not the deadliest war of the twentieth century.  Of course, it wasn’t the last.  Since 1918 dozens of wars have erupted around the world. 

I mention this because at its outset the Great War, as it was called until the 1939, was sometimes called “the war that will end war." Although that phrase is sometimes associated with President Woodrow Wilson, it originated with H G Wells.  He actually believed defeating Germany would end war.  It didn’t.

It’s easy to be cynical when a politician begins talking about peace.  But, when someone like Jesus talks about peace, it’s worth paying attention.  We pay attention because the peace Jesus talks about is a peace that calms the deepest recesses of our souls.  

Even though Christians, including Evangelicals, have often worked for world peace and the end of war, they have always remembered that peace of heart may be the road to that peace.

The night before the crucifixion Jesus introduced the subject of peace.  He told his disciples:

“I am leaving peace with you. I am giving you my peace. This peace that I am giving you is not like the world gives. Don't let your heart be troubled or afraid.”  

Earlier in the evening he had said, “Don’t let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.”  The troubled heart is distressed, agitated, worried, fretful, fearful.  Some of the modern paraphrases get at the meaning.  The Voice translation puts the command this way:  “Don’t get lost in despair.” The Message says, “Don’t let this throw you.”  Why would they be lost in despair? What would throw them?

Keep in mind the situation the disciples faced.  Jesus had been making cryptic references to “going away,” and, lest we forget, he had been making less-veiled references to being put to death in Jerusalem.  With hindsight, we can say the references were pointing to the same event—the crucifixion.  But, hindsight wasn’t something the disciples possessed.  After all, the crucifixion and the resurrection weren’t behind them.

Still, they realized something momentous was going to happen and they their hearts overflowed with uncertainty.  Those troubled hearts needed a word to calm them.  That word came from the One whom they had seen calm the raging seas with a word.  The word he gave them was the same word he had used then, “Peace.”

As Jesus makes this promise of peace he provides an important clarification, his peace is not like the peace the world gives.

What can we say about the “peace” the world gives?

The peace the world gives is so often temporary.  I’ve already suggested that.  Think of what you know about recent history, just since WWII, the war that made it necessary to call “the Great War” something else.  Think of names like Korea, Vietnam, Algeria, Ireland, the Falklands, the Congo, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places where war is a way of life.  As soon as peace emerges in one place, war breaks out in another.

It’s often the same when we speak of our own inner peace, the peace of our hearts and minds.  What peace we find is soon shattered and we begin our quest again.

The peace the world gives rests on circumstances.  When things are going well, we are at peace.  When our security is threatened, we become restless.  

The peace the world gives is given by frail humans.  These men and women mean well but they lack the power to fulfill their promises.

The peace the world gives is often superficial.    When the former Soviet Union collapsed several nations were reborn, nations which most of us had never heard of, but nations which existed before the Soviet Union.  It wasn’t long before civil war broke out in those nations;   actually, in some of those nations the factions in those wars simply picked up where they’d left off when the Soviets took control.  While the Soviets were in charge there was an enforced peace but war was still going on in the hearts of the people.

We’ve all known people who outwardly seem to have things together but after you’ve gotten to know them, you realize there is a seething unrest within them.  Maybe you’ve even been there when the façade has fallen away to reveal the turmoil.

The peace Jesus gives is in contrast to this worldly peace.

Remember Jesus is the Source of Our Peace.

Jesus said, “My peace I leave with you.”  Of course, he had already made clear that the antidote to a troubled heart was faith, faith in God which was faith in him.  It’s as if he were saying, “Trust in God, trust in me, same difference.”  Later he would actually say, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”  Once again, Jesus was making the bold claim to divine.  To put it another way, to know what God is like look at Jesus.

To the disciples Jesus was saying, “The next few hours will have the potential to shake you, don’t let them.”  Of course, they would be shaken.  Their failure is both a comfort and a warning.  

It is a comfort because it reminds us that those who are closest to Jesus may sometimes waver in their faith.  It is a warning that we all must stay focused on him to enjoy that peace he promises.

At the same time Jesus promised this peace he also made another promise.  He promised to send the Holy Spirit.  The Amplified Bible renders verse 16 this way, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever—.”   Robert Mounce says the Greek word translated as “Comforter,” “paraclete,” refers to “one present to render various beneficial service.”  After the resurrection, the Spirit emboldened Christians in the face of persecution, the Spirit enabled simple disciples to confound the wisest opponents, and the Spirit gave them the words to reach across cultures to change the world.  When speaking of the Spirit, J B Phillips said, “Ever time we say ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit’ we mean that we believe there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it.”

Ultimately, Jesus is the source of our peace, a peace mediated through the Spirit.  Paul would tell the Galatians that the “fruit of the Spirit is…peace.”  This is important.  The peace which Jesus promised was linked to the promise of the Comforter.  

This is why Jesus emphasizes his return to the Father.  They should have been glad he was returning.  When he returned to the Father he would reclaim the glory which he had temporarily laid aside or suppressed during his earthly ministry.  From his place of authority with the Father he would send the Spirit.

The peace the Spirit gives us is always ours because the Spirit always abides with the believer.

This means our peace isn’t tied to our circumstances.  No matter how dark the night, we can know peace.  

Consider the Substance of the Peace Jesus Gives.

The peace which Jesus gives addresses the greatest problems we have.

The peace which Jesus gives addresses our alienation from God.  Sin separated us from God.  In his death and resurrection, Jesus provided reconciliation.  He opened the way for us to come back to God.  Because of him, as Paul would write, we may have “peace with God.”  

At the heart of this peace is calmness of soul.  Greek scholar Joseph Thayer knew this calmness of soul was at the heart of our peace.  Peace, Thayer says, is "...a conception peculiar to Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot."  Such is the peace Christ gives us.

Many of the world’s ancient religions know nothing of this peace.  A drought or a flood sent people into a panic as they struggled to find how they may have offended the gods who are punishing them.  The peace Jesus gives reminds us that the tough thing we may be facing does not mean God has stopped loving us.

The peace which Jesus gives addresses our alienation from each other.  We live in a divided world, divided not simply by political boundaries but by ethnic, economic, and other boundaries.  In Christ there is an unprecedented unity.  Those who truly follow Christ can live as brothers and sisters in a broken world.

The peace which Jesus gives addresses the alienation we sometimes sense in ourselves.  This alienation may be seen in a sense of worthlessness, aimlessness, or despair.  Jesus’ peace allows us to rest patiently in the knowledge that God’s grace is at work in us.  Instead of being stressed about our condition, we can relax.   

Recently I’ve become intrigued by the practice of “snake-handling” in some American churches.  No, not intrigued as in “I’m intrigued by what kangaroo steak might taste like; I’ll have to try it.”  I’m intrigued because I think Christian behavior—even odd behavior—is interesting.

Anyway, the practice goes back to the beginning of the last century when an nearly illiterate Holiness preacher named George Hensley became convinced from his study of Mark 16 that Christians are supposed to show their faith by handling snakes.  So, during a service in 1910 he preached on the passage and then concluded the sermon by picking up a rattlesnake and holding it.  Ted Olsen says, “He handled it for several minutes, then ordered his congregation to handle it too or else be ‘doomed to eternal hell.’”   Hensley had a checkered career in the following years which included time on an Ohio chain gang for moon-shining.  He escaped and went back to preaching, spreading the word about snake-handling as a test of faith.  He died in July 1955—from a rattlesnake bite.

I didn’t share that with you so you’ll have something to share around the coffee pot at work.  I want to remind you that the peace we have through Christ means we don’t have to prove ourselves to God by being stupid.  God has proven himself to us.

He has given us his Son.  Years later Paul would pick up this theme when he wrote the Romans.

 If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 

Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 

If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 

Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 

No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Conclusion 

Jesus brings peace.  Through the violence of the cross, Jesus made it possible for us to enjoy peace in the darkest hour.

O God, from whom all holy desires,

all just works do proceed:

Give unto thy servants that peace which 

the world cannot give.

(Book of Common Prayer)