Shifting the Focus
Commentary
One of the problems we have as humans is the fact that we are bound by time, live in the finite, are limited by our physical nature and its demands, and spend most of our time trying to deal with this. We have to eat, sleep, rest, make a living, etc. Our own concerns almost overwhelm us. In fact, they do consume us to the point where we can begin to conclude this is the whole of life, that meeting those needs associated with our physical and mental lives is all that is important.
It is not easy for us to shift gears and to think spiritually -- to be concerned with matters of relationship to God, spiritual growth, sustenance for the inner person, ethical considerations, unselfish responses to life and to others, and to think of life on any plane other than what confronts us daily.
So, we need help.
Surely one of the roles and responsibilities of the church is to keep us sensitive to and guide us in directions which assist us in shifting the focus of our lives away from being totally consumed by daily need and circumstance. We need to remind our people that they need to expose themselves to that which can tear them away from these concerns and enable them to focus on things spiritual. Alas, some of them tell us that they come to church so they can have a few hours of quiet in which to think about their daily lives. Maybe this is the point, however. At least they are now thinking of the present in the presence of things eternal.
Of course, daily devotions, prayer, meditation -- all these serve as pathways and disciplines which can assist us in changing our focus from the temporary to the eternal.
I am not suggesting, as some may suppose, that we are to jump from worldly things to spiritual things, going back and forth in an effort to be religious sometimes. What I am suggesting is we need the discipline and the practice of focusing on things spiritual so that all of life begins to take on a different dimension, so that all of life is seen lived in the context of the eternal, so that all of life is lived in the presence of God.
OUTLINE I
Ritual and Righteousness
Zechariah 7:1-10
Introduction: In the Scripture for today we find the people sending messengers to find out what they have to do to ensure that God's blessings will continue to be theirs. Shall we keep on fasting? When will it gill pay off?
A. The Rebuke: The answer which comes is God knows why they fast and keep the rituals. They are more interested in gaining benefits for themselves than they are in praising God. If it pays off then they want to be sure to do it. God lets them know he sees through them and knows their selfish hearts.
B. The Demand: God is more interested in the conduct of their daily lives than he is their behavior at the holy places. He has had enough of their piety spilled out before him at the altar. He has seen them leave the altar to live lives and work deeds which are contrary to his will. The time has come for them to square their lives with their confession.
Conclusion: So, what else is new? The prophet addresses a problem that is eternally present in the faith community. Present this problem to your hearers in terms which are relevant to their lives in the present, and let the chips fall where they may. Then you will be speaking in prophetic terms and you will be warning against partial faithfulness.
OUTLINE II
Response to Being Chosen
2 Thessalonians 2:13--3:5
Introduction: Begin the sermon with some discussion of the meaning of being chosen. Does it mean being chosen for special benefit and blessing, or is there something more? Does it mean being chosen alone and exclusively, or might it include others? Will it remain yours no matter what, is it irresistible, or can it be forfeited and lost? Review Israel's misunderstanding of her chosenness and how that misunderstanding led her to act toward others and toward God.
A. The Wonder of Being Chosen: Note here the words "from the beginning." Further note that this letter is to the Thessalonians and includes people who are not Jews. It surely is Paul's conviction that God has marked all -- note that -- all of us for his own. This is what is eternal about his love. It always has been his intention and still is -- toward all.
B. The Appropriate Response:
1. Stand Firm: It is not easy to remain steady when all around you seems to be against you -- when you are in the minority, when ridiculing fingers are being pointed, when pressure is brought to bear, when the costs mount. Remember, when you recommend this to your congregation, that you do it with understanding and kindness. It is not to be taken lightly.
2. Hold to the Tradition. There were in that world many other attractive alternatives being presented -- mystery religions, philosophies, ethical systems, rituals -- exciting possibilities. It was not easy to stand in the midst of all that and defend something which seemed foreign to the hearers. Check out Paul's encounter with the Athenians for example. It still is not easy and, while we will recommend it to our hearers, we must remain aware of the difficulty of the task.
3. Pray for Us. It always helps to be concerned for someone else when we are having a difficult time. Remind the people that when they focus all their attention on their own problems they simply make them seem worse. Better to be concerned for others and to be supportive of them. That helps both them and us.
Conclusion: Too many of us fall victim to the imaginings set out in the introduction. Paul gives better alternatives. Remind your hearers that their response is to be faithful, to stand firm, to hold to the tradition they have received, and to be aware that they are not alone in their need. Then they will discover the true wonder of being chosen.
OUTLINE III
The God of the Living
Luke 20:27-38
Introduction: One must begin by understanding that one of the favorite pastimes of many in Jesus' day was to pursue all the possibilities raised by every kind of question. There is a great verse at this point in Acts 17. You will remember that Paul is in Athens. When Luke tells of his encounter there he observes: "Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new." Well, all such persons were not located in Athens. What follows is an illustration of how far apart Jesus and his questioners were. They always thought of the kingdom in terms of the present world and its rules. Jesus had his mind elsewhere.
A. Verses 27-33: Do some research to inform your people on the matter of Levirate marriage and the responsibilities of males in such instances. For these people this was a real problem because of their vision of what was to take place in the kingdom.
B. Verses 34-37: Note the words "this age" and "that age." Do some work on the Jewish concept of time in Jesus' day and you will find it informative. They did not think, as we do, of past, present, and future, but of the present age and the age to come. Jesus was a product of his day, of course. The present age was considered evil and under the thrall of Satan. The age to come would be a time during which God would reign, having defeated Satan and his retinue. Here the age to come focuses on a whole new time in which relationships which are corruptible in this life are replaced by incorruptible relationships under the rule and reign of God's will.
Conclusion: Verse 38. This is the key remark. God is not bound by time, as we tire. Life is life. All life is lived in his presence. What is not in his presence has the mark of death on it. To be alive is to be with him. To be dead is not to be with him. Jesus not only changes the concept of the kingdom in this passage but the concept of life and death as well.
It is not easy for us to shift gears and to think spiritually -- to be concerned with matters of relationship to God, spiritual growth, sustenance for the inner person, ethical considerations, unselfish responses to life and to others, and to think of life on any plane other than what confronts us daily.
So, we need help.
Surely one of the roles and responsibilities of the church is to keep us sensitive to and guide us in directions which assist us in shifting the focus of our lives away from being totally consumed by daily need and circumstance. We need to remind our people that they need to expose themselves to that which can tear them away from these concerns and enable them to focus on things spiritual. Alas, some of them tell us that they come to church so they can have a few hours of quiet in which to think about their daily lives. Maybe this is the point, however. At least they are now thinking of the present in the presence of things eternal.
Of course, daily devotions, prayer, meditation -- all these serve as pathways and disciplines which can assist us in changing our focus from the temporary to the eternal.
I am not suggesting, as some may suppose, that we are to jump from worldly things to spiritual things, going back and forth in an effort to be religious sometimes. What I am suggesting is we need the discipline and the practice of focusing on things spiritual so that all of life begins to take on a different dimension, so that all of life is seen lived in the context of the eternal, so that all of life is lived in the presence of God.
OUTLINE I
Ritual and Righteousness
Zechariah 7:1-10
Introduction: In the Scripture for today we find the people sending messengers to find out what they have to do to ensure that God's blessings will continue to be theirs. Shall we keep on fasting? When will it gill pay off?
A. The Rebuke: The answer which comes is God knows why they fast and keep the rituals. They are more interested in gaining benefits for themselves than they are in praising God. If it pays off then they want to be sure to do it. God lets them know he sees through them and knows their selfish hearts.
B. The Demand: God is more interested in the conduct of their daily lives than he is their behavior at the holy places. He has had enough of their piety spilled out before him at the altar. He has seen them leave the altar to live lives and work deeds which are contrary to his will. The time has come for them to square their lives with their confession.
Conclusion: So, what else is new? The prophet addresses a problem that is eternally present in the faith community. Present this problem to your hearers in terms which are relevant to their lives in the present, and let the chips fall where they may. Then you will be speaking in prophetic terms and you will be warning against partial faithfulness.
OUTLINE II
Response to Being Chosen
2 Thessalonians 2:13--3:5
Introduction: Begin the sermon with some discussion of the meaning of being chosen. Does it mean being chosen for special benefit and blessing, or is there something more? Does it mean being chosen alone and exclusively, or might it include others? Will it remain yours no matter what, is it irresistible, or can it be forfeited and lost? Review Israel's misunderstanding of her chosenness and how that misunderstanding led her to act toward others and toward God.
A. The Wonder of Being Chosen: Note here the words "from the beginning." Further note that this letter is to the Thessalonians and includes people who are not Jews. It surely is Paul's conviction that God has marked all -- note that -- all of us for his own. This is what is eternal about his love. It always has been his intention and still is -- toward all.
B. The Appropriate Response:
1. Stand Firm: It is not easy to remain steady when all around you seems to be against you -- when you are in the minority, when ridiculing fingers are being pointed, when pressure is brought to bear, when the costs mount. Remember, when you recommend this to your congregation, that you do it with understanding and kindness. It is not to be taken lightly.
2. Hold to the Tradition. There were in that world many other attractive alternatives being presented -- mystery religions, philosophies, ethical systems, rituals -- exciting possibilities. It was not easy to stand in the midst of all that and defend something which seemed foreign to the hearers. Check out Paul's encounter with the Athenians for example. It still is not easy and, while we will recommend it to our hearers, we must remain aware of the difficulty of the task.
3. Pray for Us. It always helps to be concerned for someone else when we are having a difficult time. Remind the people that when they focus all their attention on their own problems they simply make them seem worse. Better to be concerned for others and to be supportive of them. That helps both them and us.
Conclusion: Too many of us fall victim to the imaginings set out in the introduction. Paul gives better alternatives. Remind your hearers that their response is to be faithful, to stand firm, to hold to the tradition they have received, and to be aware that they are not alone in their need. Then they will discover the true wonder of being chosen.
OUTLINE III
The God of the Living
Luke 20:27-38
Introduction: One must begin by understanding that one of the favorite pastimes of many in Jesus' day was to pursue all the possibilities raised by every kind of question. There is a great verse at this point in Acts 17. You will remember that Paul is in Athens. When Luke tells of his encounter there he observes: "Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new." Well, all such persons were not located in Athens. What follows is an illustration of how far apart Jesus and his questioners were. They always thought of the kingdom in terms of the present world and its rules. Jesus had his mind elsewhere.
A. Verses 27-33: Do some research to inform your people on the matter of Levirate marriage and the responsibilities of males in such instances. For these people this was a real problem because of their vision of what was to take place in the kingdom.
B. Verses 34-37: Note the words "this age" and "that age." Do some work on the Jewish concept of time in Jesus' day and you will find it informative. They did not think, as we do, of past, present, and future, but of the present age and the age to come. Jesus was a product of his day, of course. The present age was considered evil and under the thrall of Satan. The age to come would be a time during which God would reign, having defeated Satan and his retinue. Here the age to come focuses on a whole new time in which relationships which are corruptible in this life are replaced by incorruptible relationships under the rule and reign of God's will.
Conclusion: Verse 38. This is the key remark. God is not bound by time, as we tire. Life is life. All life is lived in his presence. What is not in his presence has the mark of death on it. To be alive is to be with him. To be dead is not to be with him. Jesus not only changes the concept of the kingdom in this passage but the concept of life and death as well.
