New Things
Commentary
To hear some people talk, one might conclude it is the task of the church to call people back to some golden age, to seek to bring about a situation in which things were once here --in a time of greater simplicity, a time of purer innocence, --a time when people were closer to God.
There are those who speak wistfully of the rural scene in America and wish for the days of the little country church on the corner again. We send our children off on summer camping experiences so they can find God in nature. We extol the greats of the past and hold them up for admiration and emulation. We aren't the first. A good example can be found in the writings of the prophet Micah, who saw the days of the wilderness as the perfect time when Israel was like a child in her obedience to God. (Find the passage yourself.) Others looked back to the time of David, etc.
Of course, we would never suggest that the past should be cast off and forgotten. There are lessons to be learned, things to be gained from an understanding of the past.
But ...
Never let us imagine that the past is where God dwells.
Our God dwells in the future and is always walking ahead of us, beckoning to us to make new discoveries and accept his new gifts.
The psalm for this Sunday furnishes a helpful perspective. See Psalm 145. In the psalm, God's past deeds are recounted; he is seen as present and faithful in the present, and the psalm ends with a phrase pointing to the future. That is where God will be found when we arrive. There he will offer us his new world, new covenant, and new life.
See Isaiah 42:9; 65:17; 66:22.
OUTLINE I
Who Do You Trust?
Acts 14:8-18
Introduction: It may be helpful to review the events in today's Scripture and then turn to Acts --and retell the story of Paul's experience at Athens. The world in which Paul taught was a world seeking meaning and direction. Everyone was looking for and searching for a god who could meet their deepest needs.
A. This is a good place to remind the people of some biblical history. The history of God's people has always been the history of apostasy. There is some good material in the Elijah story. Wander in the Old Testament a bit and do some study on their fascination with the Baals. Turn to Hosea and see the heartbreak which came to God because of Israel's infidelity. Also, I would recommend the book, Old Testament Theology, by Von Rad, Harper and Row, 1960-65.
B. Do some thinking about other nations and their fascination for a panoply of gods. You can have some fun chasing down the stories behind Bacchus, Mars, Venus, Eros, Mercury, etc. and seeing how these were proposed as being helpful. And be sure to include Zeus and Hermes.
C. Now to the point. What about us? What do we trust? Where do we turn? What do we look for? Could it be that our own gods also have some interesting names --or letters, at least: ICBM, SDI, GNP, USA, USSR and you can add others.
Conclusion: There used to be a radio or TV show called "Who Do You Trust?" That is a good question since the answer to it reveals who our god is.
OUTLINE II
How To Give Glory To God
John 13:31-35
Introduction: It will be helpful to set the context of this Scripture. Never should one grab a verse and let it stand alone. Tell the story first and then note three things. (The Scripture provides the outline.)
A. Verses 31-32. John reminds his people where the glory belongs. It is easy to become "Jesusolaters "if we are not careful. Here is an appropriate corrective; the writer of the Gospel of John has already put John the Baptizer in his appropriate place and now he marks out the fact that all is done by God and is to the glory of God.
B. Verse 33. It is about A.D. 110. Many persons must have been talking and wondering where Jesus had gone and whether they would even see him again. Here is part of the answer. The rest is in John 14.
C. Verses 34, 35. In the meantime! There is a lot of that in the New Testament. It means there are some things that are not our concern. What is of our concern is that, in the light of all he has done (A) and what he has promised (B), we are called to be faithful and to respond by loving one another as he has loved us (C).
Conclusion: Note that this selection begins with a declaration of the glory of God in his relationship to his son, and it ends with the glory of God related to is and how we respond. Call the hearers to give glory to God by loving one another.
OUTLINE III
The God of New Things
Revelation 21:1-6
Introduction: In the midst of all the apocalyptic themes of Revelation, which worry so many, one finds repeated echoes of the Old Testament. Here one hears strains of 3 Isaiah 65:17 in the vision of a new heaven and a new earth; and there is the coming of the new Jerusalem (Zion) hoped for in 1 Isaiah 35. Also, check out Isaiah 43:9 and especially Isaiah 55:1. The prophetic hope is seen as being fulfilled in John's visions.
A. A New Heaven and Earth. So often such terms are reduced to heaven and left at that. It is an interesting thing that in the Scriptures there is no prophetic vision of an end of things earthly, and then only heavenly things remaining. What is envisioned is a redeemed earth. Check out Romans 8:19-23 for strong evidence of a Pauline understanding.
B. A New Jerusalem. While Micah thought Jerusalem would be destroyed, Isaiah was sure of its survival. Perhaps here one has a choice. Some are convinced there will always be a Jerusalem, because God wants it that way. Others think here we ought to think of the word "Jerusalem" in connection with the dwelling place of God. Therefore, it can be taken to mean that God will always dwell with his creation. In view of verse three, I agree with the latter.
C. All Things New. No wonder creation and salvation are scriptural go-togethers. They are the same. What God saves, he makes new. What he makes new is saved.
Conclusion: In light of the above, read Psalm 145 aloud. It is the proper response.
There are those who speak wistfully of the rural scene in America and wish for the days of the little country church on the corner again. We send our children off on summer camping experiences so they can find God in nature. We extol the greats of the past and hold them up for admiration and emulation. We aren't the first. A good example can be found in the writings of the prophet Micah, who saw the days of the wilderness as the perfect time when Israel was like a child in her obedience to God. (Find the passage yourself.) Others looked back to the time of David, etc.
Of course, we would never suggest that the past should be cast off and forgotten. There are lessons to be learned, things to be gained from an understanding of the past.
But ...
Never let us imagine that the past is where God dwells.
Our God dwells in the future and is always walking ahead of us, beckoning to us to make new discoveries and accept his new gifts.
The psalm for this Sunday furnishes a helpful perspective. See Psalm 145. In the psalm, God's past deeds are recounted; he is seen as present and faithful in the present, and the psalm ends with a phrase pointing to the future. That is where God will be found when we arrive. There he will offer us his new world, new covenant, and new life.
See Isaiah 42:9; 65:17; 66:22.
OUTLINE I
Who Do You Trust?
Acts 14:8-18
Introduction: It may be helpful to review the events in today's Scripture and then turn to Acts --and retell the story of Paul's experience at Athens. The world in which Paul taught was a world seeking meaning and direction. Everyone was looking for and searching for a god who could meet their deepest needs.
A. This is a good place to remind the people of some biblical history. The history of God's people has always been the history of apostasy. There is some good material in the Elijah story. Wander in the Old Testament a bit and do some study on their fascination with the Baals. Turn to Hosea and see the heartbreak which came to God because of Israel's infidelity. Also, I would recommend the book, Old Testament Theology, by Von Rad, Harper and Row, 1960-65.
B. Do some thinking about other nations and their fascination for a panoply of gods. You can have some fun chasing down the stories behind Bacchus, Mars, Venus, Eros, Mercury, etc. and seeing how these were proposed as being helpful. And be sure to include Zeus and Hermes.
C. Now to the point. What about us? What do we trust? Where do we turn? What do we look for? Could it be that our own gods also have some interesting names --or letters, at least: ICBM, SDI, GNP, USA, USSR and you can add others.
Conclusion: There used to be a radio or TV show called "Who Do You Trust?" That is a good question since the answer to it reveals who our god is.
OUTLINE II
How To Give Glory To God
John 13:31-35
Introduction: It will be helpful to set the context of this Scripture. Never should one grab a verse and let it stand alone. Tell the story first and then note three things. (The Scripture provides the outline.)
A. Verses 31-32. John reminds his people where the glory belongs. It is easy to become "Jesusolaters "if we are not careful. Here is an appropriate corrective; the writer of the Gospel of John has already put John the Baptizer in his appropriate place and now he marks out the fact that all is done by God and is to the glory of God.
B. Verse 33. It is about A.D. 110. Many persons must have been talking and wondering where Jesus had gone and whether they would even see him again. Here is part of the answer. The rest is in John 14.
C. Verses 34, 35. In the meantime! There is a lot of that in the New Testament. It means there are some things that are not our concern. What is of our concern is that, in the light of all he has done (A) and what he has promised (B), we are called to be faithful and to respond by loving one another as he has loved us (C).
Conclusion: Note that this selection begins with a declaration of the glory of God in his relationship to his son, and it ends with the glory of God related to is and how we respond. Call the hearers to give glory to God by loving one another.
OUTLINE III
The God of New Things
Revelation 21:1-6
Introduction: In the midst of all the apocalyptic themes of Revelation, which worry so many, one finds repeated echoes of the Old Testament. Here one hears strains of 3 Isaiah 65:17 in the vision of a new heaven and a new earth; and there is the coming of the new Jerusalem (Zion) hoped for in 1 Isaiah 35. Also, check out Isaiah 43:9 and especially Isaiah 55:1. The prophetic hope is seen as being fulfilled in John's visions.
A. A New Heaven and Earth. So often such terms are reduced to heaven and left at that. It is an interesting thing that in the Scriptures there is no prophetic vision of an end of things earthly, and then only heavenly things remaining. What is envisioned is a redeemed earth. Check out Romans 8:19-23 for strong evidence of a Pauline understanding.
B. A New Jerusalem. While Micah thought Jerusalem would be destroyed, Isaiah was sure of its survival. Perhaps here one has a choice. Some are convinced there will always be a Jerusalem, because God wants it that way. Others think here we ought to think of the word "Jerusalem" in connection with the dwelling place of God. Therefore, it can be taken to mean that God will always dwell with his creation. In view of verse three, I agree with the latter.
C. All Things New. No wonder creation and salvation are scriptural go-togethers. They are the same. What God saves, he makes new. What he makes new is saved.
Conclusion: In light of the above, read Psalm 145 aloud. It is the proper response.
