The Church’s Provision
Sermon notes for April 29, 2007 at the Marbury Church of God.
John 10:22-30 [+/-]
10:22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter,
10:23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon.
10:24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
10:25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me;
10:26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.
10:27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.
10:28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.
10:29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand.
10:30 The Father and I are one.”
Psalm 23 [+/-]
23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
23:3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff– they comfort me.
23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.
The source of the church’s provision is Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. The church is unlike any other organization in the world, in that it lives under supernatural protection and guidance.
In our passage in John 10:30 [+/-], specifically when speaking of his role as shepherd, Jesus identifies himself with God the Father in the strongest possible terms. His questioners, the Jews (actually the leaders: Pharisees, teachers of the law, chief priests and elders) have challenged him to say plainly whether he is the Messiah. His difficulty is a simple one, though. He is the Messiah, but he is not the kind of Messiah they are looking for: they want a nationalistic leader who will unite their people politically, organize them militarily, resolve their disputes judicially, enforce right behavior autocratically, purify the occupancy of the land ethnically, and restore the kingdom of Israel to the prominent place it had under David and Solomon as the wonder of the world.
But none of those things are on his agenda. Today we still have those who look for a messiah to do all of those things, and are in danger of failing to see that God does not provide the followers of Jesus a role greater than or different from what we saw in him the first time.
If Jesus simply were to announce “yes, I am the Messiah,” without radically redefining for their understanding what the Messiah is and what the Messiah’s purpose is to be, they would remain deceived and would expect many things of him which he had no intention to deliver. He has already refused a popular call to take him by force and make him king. So he has used other words to describe himself and the way in which he has received God’s anointing as David’s heir: he is the light of the world, the good shepherd, the bread of life, the source of living water.
Some things about the way the shepherd provides for his sheep:
First, he provides a calling: My sheep hear my voice. Not just a calling but a response: they follow. And here’s an important point: I know them, he says. Jesus knows his sheep. He can tell when one is missing or gone astray. We know from the parable of the lost sheep that he will go to extraordinary lengths to get one stray back into the fold. We could spend quite a bit of time talking about his care for the individual sheep, and how precious and important each one is to Jesus, but here I want to notice something that almost could go unnoticed, because it almost goes without saying: the sheep belong in a flock, they are called together, they follow together. The individual, personal relationship each of us as sheep has with Jesus does not eliminate our need to move together, under his calling, with others who are called; indeed, it intensifies it.
Next he provides a gift better than all other gifts: I give them eternal life. Eternal life is, in John’s gospel, a shorthand for all that Jesus gives. John uses it the way the other evangelists use “Kingdom of Heaven” or “Kingdom of God.” This is contrasted with the kingdoms of this world, which was offered to Jesus by the Devil in his temptation.
Looking through Psalm 23 [+/-], we can see some more about God’s provision for his people: I shall not want = I have everything I need. Whether it be our daily bread, strength for the day, or the spiritual riches we are talking about, those who respond in obedience to Jesus will lack nothing. Next is a picture of shalom: green pastures, still waters; peace and plenty without strife.
He restores my soul. Like the prodigal, the one who hears the voice of of the Good shepherd “comes to himself.” How easy it is to forget who we are! We know who we are when we know whose we are and act accordingly. Look at what James says (James 1:23-25 [+/-]): Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it” he will be blessed in what he does. It is important to remember ourselves, which we do by hearing and heeding his voice. Then he truly leads us in right paths for his name’s sake. All of this is true not just for us as individuals but for the church as church. If we let ourselves be just another gathering of people with no purpose and no power, listening to our own anxious voices and the voices that clamor around us, without focusing constantly on the word of God and especially the voice of Jesus, we will easily lose our way; but if remember that this church is God’s church, that Christ himself is our chief pastor, and that when he leads us into a new place it is going to be a place of blessing and peace, we’ll not be like that fellow who forgets what he looks like; we’ll move forward with confidence.
But what if we follow him as he leads and instead of seeing ourselves in a place of peace and contentment, it looks like the path is a dangerous one? What if it looks like doing what he says could spell death for the church as we know it? The psalmist keys in on this possibility, that the path on which he leads us may look deadly: Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; Isn’t that the key? When we follow him, his presence stays close with us. His correction and direction become sources of comfort; we can feast in the place where our circumstances say we should fear: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. So we become victors in all things. Our Shepherd will supply our needs.
April 29th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
[...] 15John 20:19-31 [+/-]John 20:19-31
“The Church’s Purpose”April 22John 21:1-19 [+/-]John 21:1-19
“The Church’s Provision”April 29John 10:22-30 [+/-]John 10:22-30
“The Church’s Promise”May 6Revelation 21:1-6 [+/-]Revelation 21:1-6
[...]
[19]On the evening of that day, the first day of the
week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for
fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said
to them, "Peace be with you." [20]When he had said this, he
showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were
glad when they saw the Lord. [21]Jesus said to them again,
"Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am
sending you." [22]And when he had said this, he breathed on
them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. [23]If you
forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you
withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld."
[24]Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was
not with them when Jesus came. [25]So the other disciples
told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them,
"Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place
my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand
into his side, I will never believe."
[26]Eight days later, his disciples were inside again,
and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked,
Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with
you." [27]Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here,
and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my
side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." [28]Thomas answered
him, "My Lord and my God!" [29]Jesus said to him, "Have you
believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who
have not seen and yet have believed."
[30]Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of
the disciples, which are not written in this book; [31]but
these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have
life in his name. (ESV)
[21:1]After this Jesus revealed himself again to the
disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself
in this way. [2]Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin),
Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two
others of his disciples were together. [3]Simon Peter said
to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will
go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that
night they caught nothing.
[4]Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore;
yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. [5]Jesus
said to them, "Children, do you have any fish?" They
answered him, "No." [6]He said to them, "Cast the net on
the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So
they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in,
because of the quantity of fish. [7]That disciple whom
Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When
Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer
garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself
into the sea. [8]The other disciples came in the boat,
dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from
the land, but about a hundred yards off.
[9]When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire
in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. [10]Jesus
said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just
caught." [11]So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net
ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there
were so many, the net was not torn. [12]Jesus said to them,
"Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared
ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.
[13]Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and
so with the fish. [14]This was now the third time that
Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised
from the dead.
[15]When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to
Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than
these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love
you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." [16]He said to him a
second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said
to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to
him, "Tend my sheep." [17]He said to him the third time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved
because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?"
and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know
that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
[18]Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you
used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but
when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and
another will dress you and carry you where you do not want
to go." [19](This he said to show by what kind of death he
was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him,
"Follow me." (ESV)
[22]At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at
Jerusalem. It was winter, [23]and Jesus was walking in the
temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. [24]So the Jews
gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you
keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us
plainly." [25]Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do
not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear
witness about me, [26]but you do not believe because you
are not part of my flock. [27]My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me. [28]I give them eternal
life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch
them out of my hand. [29]My Father, who has given them to
me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them
out of the Father's hand. [30]I and the Father are one."
(ESV)
[21:1]Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the
sea was no more. [2]And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband. [3]And I heard a loud voice from
the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is
with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his
people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
[4]He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death
shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor
crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed
away."
[5]And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I
am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down,
for these words are trustworthy and true." [6]And he said
to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the
spring of the water of life without payment. (ESV)
April 29th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
[...] 29th, 2007 by therevr Marbury Church of God » Blog Archive » The Church’s Provision Sermon notes from April 29, 2007 at the Marbury Church of God. Excerpt: • The source of the [...]