The root of courage
Commentary
There are those in our midst who are quite threatened by many things in life and cannot seem to muster the courage to face the challenge. Sometimes their response is to put on an act of piety and humility which is a screen for cowardliness and the inability to be strong.
The problem is that such persons rely on their own strength. They have no other place from which to gain strength.
The lessons for this Sunday show us a people needing strength and knowing where to get it, and they remind us of the source of strength.
Those in the Acts passage were very much aware of the Sovereignty of God, knowing that they knew that there was no power on earth that could threaten them. Read all of Psalm 2 and listen to those words which show God in contempt of those who pretend to power.
The 1 John passage reveals the meaning believing in the name of Jesus. To accept all that that means reveals that one is aware of the great truth. of the ages, that God cares for us and that he will go to any length to save us from ourselves.
The John passage reminds us that there is one who is always present on our behalf. We are not left alone and even when we think we are alone we are not. That is the meaning of the phrase "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." The key is in the next line, "For thou art with me." The Psalmist means that even in those moments and hours when we feel most abandoned, when we wonder if God has withdrawn from us, even in those dark days of his seeming absence, God is there and we can count on him. That is the source of our strength.
OUTLINE I
Linking with the past
Acts 4:23-33
Introduction: Chapter 4 of Acts alone ought to convince most of us that the early church had no easy beginning. Theirs was a difficult task. Not only did this small group face a command to go to all the world, and the Roman world was big enough, but they also had to deal with the mystery religions of the empire, the rather lively gnostic element within and without the church, and as we learn here their own kin, the leaders of the Jewish temple. Their prayer should teach us something about praying.
A. The right beginning. Here we discover no whimpering, begging church, but one which affirms the sovereignty of their God. If they believe that then all is well. What a rebuke to many of us who beg rather than pray.
B. Linking with the past. Remember, these are Jews for the most part and Psalm 2 would be quite familiar with the fact that Psalm 2 was regarded as messianic. Here they link heart and spirit with the past and affirm that this sovereign God has indeed fulfilled the Psalms in Jesus the Christ. By the way, check out the last chapter in Luke and see where Jesus tells his disciples that all was to be fulfilled that was in the prophets, the law and the Psalms (Luke 24:44).
>Ask and receive. They did not ask to be protected, or to be delivered, only that they be faithful and bold. How much escapism is in our prayers? How often do we hope to avoid distress and conflict? Not these!
Conclusion: Use this passage as instructive for the church today. Let it reveal the true praying that ought to be done when things get tough. If I hear what is going on in our nation and world these days the likelihood is that we are going to have to learn to pray as did the early church.
OUTLINE II
Believing in the name
1 John 3:18-24
Introduction: It is clear from the text of 1 John that there are conflicting views about Jesus vying for acceptance in the early church. Like most of the other authors in the New Testament the writer here seeks to make certain that there is no misunderstanding about who Jesus is and what that is to mean to them. The writer knows that one can be mistaken.
A. There are ideas about Jesus that are unscriptural. They are as alive in the church today as they ever were. There are those, unknowingly and without malice, who cast his resurrection in symbols that have more to do with mystery religions and fertility cults than with the resurrection. For instance, some consider butterflies as symbols of the resurrection. Not so. The chrysalis is not dead, it is only changing. Consider all our spring symbols. They speak more of immortality than resurrection. It is important to know that resurrection means "from the dead." The three day period was significant because it meant the person was really dead, not just asleep. Careful with the nature symbols.
B. Believing on the name. For these people the name meant character, person, essential being. The name was sacred because it summed up all that one stood for. To speak of the name of Jesus is to say that Jesus came to reveal the heart of God to us and that when that was done the revelation was rejected and Jesus crucified. The sovereign God, however, defeated the power of death and Jesus was resurrected. We too can share in that power of the resurrection by accepting this good news about God.
Conclusion: Remind your congregation that believing on the name of Jesus means more than just believing that he lived, or believing some heretical thing about him. It means accepting what he revealed about God in his life, death and resurrection and making that faith the controlling element in our lives.
OUTLINE III
The great reversal
John 10:11-18
Introduction: Two things ought to be in our minds as we consider this passage, 1. Sheep were used as sacrifices, and 2. Shepherds were generally not highly regarded. That makes this text even more meaningful.
A. The sacrificed shepherd. Here we see the shepherd at his best, giving his life for the sheep. The true shepherd is the one who goes all the way on behalf of his charge. The true shepherd is not coerced to give his life but gives it willingly and of his own accord. Contrast that with those who just care for the sheep as a job, or to make a living. Check out what the prophet Ezekiel had to say about bad shepherds. See Ezekiel 34.
B. Good shepherds. Some say that shepherds were regarded as incapable of salvation because their sheep had done so many bad things that they knew nothing about and therefore could not make right. Here is one who knows his sheep and knows what they do. He is good because he knows each of them by name and cares for them as individuals. His caring extends even beyond his own responsibility. He cares for the sheep lost from other folds and treats them as his own. This is the good shepherd.
Conclusion: Do some further study on the role of shepherds. Perhaps you can link this sermon with Psalm 23. There the shepherd is pictured as caring for all of life, body, mind and spirit, and for past, present and future. Remind your congregation who feels uncared for that there is one who cares and who yearns to be their shepherd.
The problem is that such persons rely on their own strength. They have no other place from which to gain strength.
The lessons for this Sunday show us a people needing strength and knowing where to get it, and they remind us of the source of strength.
Those in the Acts passage were very much aware of the Sovereignty of God, knowing that they knew that there was no power on earth that could threaten them. Read all of Psalm 2 and listen to those words which show God in contempt of those who pretend to power.
The 1 John passage reveals the meaning believing in the name of Jesus. To accept all that that means reveals that one is aware of the great truth. of the ages, that God cares for us and that he will go to any length to save us from ourselves.
The John passage reminds us that there is one who is always present on our behalf. We are not left alone and even when we think we are alone we are not. That is the meaning of the phrase "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." The key is in the next line, "For thou art with me." The Psalmist means that even in those moments and hours when we feel most abandoned, when we wonder if God has withdrawn from us, even in those dark days of his seeming absence, God is there and we can count on him. That is the source of our strength.
OUTLINE I
Linking with the past
Acts 4:23-33
Introduction: Chapter 4 of Acts alone ought to convince most of us that the early church had no easy beginning. Theirs was a difficult task. Not only did this small group face a command to go to all the world, and the Roman world was big enough, but they also had to deal with the mystery religions of the empire, the rather lively gnostic element within and without the church, and as we learn here their own kin, the leaders of the Jewish temple. Their prayer should teach us something about praying.
A. The right beginning. Here we discover no whimpering, begging church, but one which affirms the sovereignty of their God. If they believe that then all is well. What a rebuke to many of us who beg rather than pray.
B. Linking with the past. Remember, these are Jews for the most part and Psalm 2 would be quite familiar with the fact that Psalm 2 was regarded as messianic. Here they link heart and spirit with the past and affirm that this sovereign God has indeed fulfilled the Psalms in Jesus the Christ. By the way, check out the last chapter in Luke and see where Jesus tells his disciples that all was to be fulfilled that was in the prophets, the law and the Psalms (Luke 24:44).
>Ask and receive. They did not ask to be protected, or to be delivered, only that they be faithful and bold. How much escapism is in our prayers? How often do we hope to avoid distress and conflict? Not these!
Conclusion: Use this passage as instructive for the church today. Let it reveal the true praying that ought to be done when things get tough. If I hear what is going on in our nation and world these days the likelihood is that we are going to have to learn to pray as did the early church.
OUTLINE II
Believing in the name
1 John 3:18-24
Introduction: It is clear from the text of 1 John that there are conflicting views about Jesus vying for acceptance in the early church. Like most of the other authors in the New Testament the writer here seeks to make certain that there is no misunderstanding about who Jesus is and what that is to mean to them. The writer knows that one can be mistaken.
A. There are ideas about Jesus that are unscriptural. They are as alive in the church today as they ever were. There are those, unknowingly and without malice, who cast his resurrection in symbols that have more to do with mystery religions and fertility cults than with the resurrection. For instance, some consider butterflies as symbols of the resurrection. Not so. The chrysalis is not dead, it is only changing. Consider all our spring symbols. They speak more of immortality than resurrection. It is important to know that resurrection means "from the dead." The three day period was significant because it meant the person was really dead, not just asleep. Careful with the nature symbols.
B. Believing on the name. For these people the name meant character, person, essential being. The name was sacred because it summed up all that one stood for. To speak of the name of Jesus is to say that Jesus came to reveal the heart of God to us and that when that was done the revelation was rejected and Jesus crucified. The sovereign God, however, defeated the power of death and Jesus was resurrected. We too can share in that power of the resurrection by accepting this good news about God.
Conclusion: Remind your congregation that believing on the name of Jesus means more than just believing that he lived, or believing some heretical thing about him. It means accepting what he revealed about God in his life, death and resurrection and making that faith the controlling element in our lives.
OUTLINE III
The great reversal
John 10:11-18
Introduction: Two things ought to be in our minds as we consider this passage, 1. Sheep were used as sacrifices, and 2. Shepherds were generally not highly regarded. That makes this text even more meaningful.
A. The sacrificed shepherd. Here we see the shepherd at his best, giving his life for the sheep. The true shepherd is the one who goes all the way on behalf of his charge. The true shepherd is not coerced to give his life but gives it willingly and of his own accord. Contrast that with those who just care for the sheep as a job, or to make a living. Check out what the prophet Ezekiel had to say about bad shepherds. See Ezekiel 34.
B. Good shepherds. Some say that shepherds were regarded as incapable of salvation because their sheep had done so many bad things that they knew nothing about and therefore could not make right. Here is one who knows his sheep and knows what they do. He is good because he knows each of them by name and cares for them as individuals. His caring extends even beyond his own responsibility. He cares for the sheep lost from other folds and treats them as his own. This is the good shepherd.
Conclusion: Do some further study on the role of shepherds. Perhaps you can link this sermon with Psalm 23. There the shepherd is pictured as caring for all of life, body, mind and spirit, and for past, present and future. Remind your congregation who feels uncared for that there is one who cares and who yearns to be their shepherd.
