Kempsey Baptist - Enduring the Present, Looking to the Future. Aug 14, 2016

Mark 14:12-26

Good morning, today I am continuing in Gospel of Mark account and is a continuation of Pastor Pete message about communion that we celebrated last Sunday. We are still in that phrase of Jesus foretelling his death to his disciples but it is being played out. Before we head to the Scriptures, I will be walking you through by looking at the belief of our church as laid down in the constitution and then look at some of the understanding about the presence of Jesus Christ. Then we will look at the Scripture passage and note what was going on, the Passover, the new covenant and the future.

2.10 The Communion

The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus Christ, instituted by Him to be celebrated with the elements of bread and wine by believers in Him until the end of the age. It commemorates and declares our thanks for the Lord’s substitutionary death. The celebration of the ordinance expresses our fellowship with each other and with the Lord Jesus Christ as members of the Body of which He is the Head, and reminds us that He is coming again. (Constitution – Kempsey Baptist Church)

The faith of the people here at Kempsey expresses the Lord’s Supper as the communion and that it is an ordinance and instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ as we will be looking at in more detail. Also the people said it was a celebration to give thanks for his death and that He is coming again where we share in fellowship with each other and with the Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing mystical or special about the elements of bread and wine as I will share with you next.

Each of the four views that I will be presenting are the understanding of the church or theologians and I will endeavour briefly describe what composes those views.

The Roman Catholic view called transubstantiation maintains that mass can only be delivered by a duly consecrated ordain priest, set apart by the church to perform the service. The tradition has been that the priest is the only one who partakes of the wine but the bread is given to the communicant. However recently the wine is given our in special circumstances to communicants. The church conceives the presence of Christ in the physical sense and thus the bread and wine becomes the physical body and blood of Jesus.

The Lutheran view rejects the Roman Catholic view of changing but accompanies with the actual body and blood in a manner of in, under and along with as they are received by the believer.

The Zwinglian view or the memorial feast clearly rejects the notion of the physical bodily of Jesus at communion, while admitting that He is spiritually present in the believers. The Supper is merely symbolic, they are only a remembrance for the believer of what Christ has done on the cross and calls for rededication of life to God. You might say that this is what is implied in the communion of our church, the Lord’s substitutionary death and our fellowship with each other and with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Calvin or the Reformed view maintain the physical presence of Christ in the communion and the deeper significance of the sacrament. Calvin saw in it a seal and pledge of what God does for the believer rather than a pledge of consecration to God. The virtues and effects of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross are present and actually conveyed to the believer by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We will not fully understand the Lord’s Supper if we do not understand the event it was associated with. V.12 says “On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb…” Likewise, vv. 14 & 16 also mention the Passover. We will turn our attention to the Passover. The first century Jews understood the Passover relationship to the events (Deut 16:1-8) and by celebrating “the past events were made to come alive again in the present.” (Milne, 2009, Know The Truth, p. 116)

The account of Mark begins with the requirement of preparation for the celebration of the Passover. One of the problems Jesus and his disciples had was no central meeting place, they were always mobile going from one place to another. To celebrate the Passover, they need a room with facility for preparation of the feast. The disciples ask the question about the celebration of the feast and to make preparations The Lord issued direction to the place that would be required. All we are given is where to go and who to find, was this organised ahead of time, Mark does not tell us. Jesus sent two of his disciples to go. make preparation and everything they were told to do came true.

The 2 disciples made preparations. In the parallel account in Luke 22.8, we are told that Peter and John had to take the Passover Lamb to the temple for it to be sacrificed that afternoon. They also had to purchase unleavened bread, bitter herbs, wine etc. Then the lamb had to be cooked as per customary practice for the Passover meal.

The Passover had meaning – Exodus 12:24-28, a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. The children ask their parents, “what does this ceremony mean for you?” The parents replied, it is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spare our homes when the Lord struck down the Egyptians. To remember that the blood of the slain lamb was used on the doorposts to keep the angel of death from slaying their first-born. The unleavened bread was to remind them of their haste in leaving Egypt and the bitter herbs was the remembrance of their time in Egypt as slaves under Pharaoh. The Jews added to the ceremony 4 cups to symbolize the four distinct redemptions promised by God in Exodus 6:6. They represent 2 cups for the past and 2 for the future and this what they represent. (1) “I will take you out of Egypt”, (2) “I will deliver you from Egyptian slavery”, (3) “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgement”, and (4) “I will acquire as a nation”.

We have look at the brief remembrance of the Passover and the preparation involved. Now we come to the celebration of the Passover, the feast of unleavened bread. Jesus and the disciples are gather together to remember the Passover and while celebrating Jesus warns them of the impending activity that will take place that evening. This led to the disciples to start self-questioning and Paul instructing the church at Corinth remind them to examine themselves before partaking in the feast. Jesus reminds the disciples of what he has been telling them previously and was foretold will happen that night.

In Matthew 5:23-24 is about being in right relationship with each other and to have a right relationship with God, one need to in right relationship with each other. The disciples came together in fellowship to share in remembrance and self-questioning to ensure our motives are correct in partaking in the celebration.

Mark moves on in telling the story while they were celebrating the Passover, Jesus begins by taking the bread, give thanks and broke it to share and likewise with the cup also. These are part of the elements used in the Passover and now we find as the elements of the Lord’s Supper. Moving from the old remembrance to the new remembrance of which is to happen. Both of these pictures speaks of the blood that was shed for redemption of life, one was temporary and the other permanent.

When we think of the Lord’s Supper, there are different names that it is referred to, Holy Communion, The Eucharist and the Mass. Some churches refer the communion as a sacrament and according to Baptist theologian Nigel Wright, he states that sacrament means “to be used to signify this kind of divine action of the Spirit through consecrated earthly means” and “the primary sacramental action of God in making the cross and resurrection the means of human salvations.” (Wright, 2005, Free Church, Free State: The Positive Baptist View, p. 96 & p. 99)

These verses represent the elements of the Lord’s Supper, the bread and the wine. We find the Lord introduces the bread as his body and then the cup as his blood of the covenant. What observation can we make from this when he says, “This is my body” and “this is my blood”? Firstly, Jesus was still physically among them and so the disciples were not feasting of his physical body and blood. Secondly, the Lord used symbolic language where he was referring that the bread represents his body being broken on the cross and the cup remind us of our Lord’s blood being shed. In the Aramaic language that Jesus spoke, these phrases would simply be render as “This my body broken for you” and “This my blood” and reduces the notion of the body and the cup becoming the physical body of our Lord.

Christ’s sacrifice for us – is reminded by the elements of the Lord’s Supper. The bread reminds us of the “body” of Christ. Isaiah 53, the prophet predicted that the Messiah would be “wounded for our transgressions. And by His stripes we are healed.” The Cup is to remind us of the “blood” of Christ, which was shed to save us from sin and death.

A New Covenant – this is represented by the Cup where Jesus said in v. 24, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.” The word ‘covenant’ in Hebrew means ‘to cut’ and therefore all biblical covenant was ratified with blood. What is this new covenant that Jesus instituted at that meal with the Cup? It is a reminded that we have been forgiven of our sins by the blood of Jesus being shed on the cross.

Our dependence upon Christ – What do we do at the Lord’s Supper, we eat the bread and drink from the cup. The natural objective of eating and drinking is to be refreshed and nourished and in the same manner with our souls. We hold onto Galatians 2:20 where Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in my body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

The Proper Reception of the Elements

The elements of the bread and the cup have no mystical or supernatural powers in themselves. We are totally dependent entirely on the spirit and frame of mind in which we receive it. We go to the table as partakers with remembrance of our Lord and we ought to partake with gratitude and love. “The early Anabaptists also often attained this note of joyful anticipation through their stress on the Supper as an occasion of fellowship and celebration” noted by Bruce Milne (Milne, 2009, Know The Truth, p. 318)

All the way through this Passover meal and the institution of the Lord’s Supper of remembering the past, the present and now he adds something very future that he will not partake again “until that day that drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Paul writing to the church at Corinth alluded when celebrating the Lord’s Supper, “you proclaim the Lord’s death till he comes.” (1 Cor 11:26)

In closing my message, it is the Lord’s promises that he made and which apostles bear witness to “a coming kingdom” and “to come again.” This is the expectancy we have when celebrating the Lord’s Supper. Right through the Gospel’s account we hear Jesus describing the kingdom of God and that it was near to the Israelites.

Beyond the cross Jesus looked forward to a day of fulfilment in the kingdom of God when once more he would eat and drink with the disciples. (Matt 26:29; Luke 22:14-18)

References

Berkhof, L (1938) A Summary of Christian Doctrine (7^th Impression) Edinburgh: W. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co

Felker, S. (2010) The Last Supper. Sermon: Swift Creek Baptist Church. Colonial Heights, VA http://www.swiftcreekbaptistchurch.com/Sermons/Mark14_12-26.pdf

Milne, B (2009) Know The Truth: A handbook of Christian Belief. (3^rd Ed) Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press

Wright, N. G. (2005). Free Church, Free State: The Positive Baptist Vision. Eugene, Oregon: Paternoster.

Kempsey Baptist - Encouragement and Opposition: Mark_1-11 (Jun 26, 2016)

Read: Mark 14:1-11.

 

Encouragement and Opposition (26 Jun 2016)

 

Let us pray, Heavenly Father, we have participated with our hearts and mind before you in praise and adoration. Now as we hear your Word through Jesus, I asked that you steady our minds and open our ears, encourage us by your Spirit to receive the Word today. Amen

Today, we will take the journey that leads to the betrayal of our Lord Jesus Christ into the hands of the religious leaders, the Chief Priests of the Sanhedrin. While thousands of Passover pilgrims were preparing for the joys of the feast, Jesus was preparing for the ordeal of His trial and crucifixion. What has just occurred in Chapter 13 about the end times, Mark now traces Jesus immediate present events as an eyewitness. Mark gives a specific event that are about to take place in two days’ time, the Passover and the Festival of the Unleavened Bread (v1). It is a time of celebration of remembering God’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Passover is an event recorded in Exodus 12 when the first-born males in Egypt died where there was no blood the door-frames and those of the Israelites were ‘passed over’, literally ‘to spare’ because of the blood. A special meal was instituted that night and held annual by Jews ever since as a memorial to the Exodus. The act of the ‘pass over’ is ‘to save from death’ and the blood was from an unblemished lamb. In Exodus 12, we hear the decrees of Moses from the Lord, a perpetual ordinance for the Israelites to observe and practice. The ‘Passover’ was a festival to the Lord, where wine is used to represent the blood of the sacrifice and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, held over seven days to remember the deliverance from Egypt. We are two days out of the most important celebration that we observed in worshiping God and it is also an important time for the Chief Priests of the Sanhedrin, where they make the special sacrifice in the temple to God. We are not privilege to what the Chief Priests were conspiring, they were determined to get rid of our teacher Jesus, they were envy of him but they did not to do anything while the festival was on because of the people. The Chief Priests and the scribes were the opposition to Jesus’ teaching and ministry. After all, they were the established church authority and they say how God to be worship. Jesus was seen as encroaching upon their space, crossed the boundary line of society and teaching a new way to live, to worship God. The people were being healing, restored and made whole. “The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to take Jesus into custody “by trickery,” that is, “by surprise” and away from the crowds “....and kill him.” The plan to kill Jesus was not new. But we may well believe, however, that the leaders were now more determined than ever to destroy Jesus.” (Felker (2010), “Do What You Can for Jesus”) However, they had a problem. Though they passionately desired to destroy Jesus, they did not know how to do this without creating more trouble for themselves, as v.2 indicates.

“The plotters realized that Jesus had many friends and adherents, especially among the thousands of Galileans attending the Passover. So they decide to wait patiently until the people had returned to their homes. Then, when it was all safe, they would kill Jesus! Or so they thought. “Not at the Festival,” said the plotters. “At the Festival,” said the Almighty. Later we shall see that the plan of God overruled the plans of man.” (Felker (2010), “Do What You Can for Jesus”)

As we traveled with Jesus, we arrived at Bethany, a town outside of Jerusalem and on the outskirt at the house of Simon. Where was Jesus and it has an important lesson for us today in being an authentic and relevant church? Jesus was outside the city limits because they were at the home of Simon the Leper and according to Jewish rules, he was unclean. Since we are associating with Jesus, we are also unclean as we recline at the table along with the disciples. A woman comes in with no advance notice or warning, invades the space without an invitation to attend.

Who was this woman? Both our reading in Mark and Matthew’s Gospel does not indicate who this woman is but the Gospel of John chapter 12 contains an account of Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus anointing Jesus with a costly perfume of pure nard. Judas objects to the use of the perfume. The basic teaching in John’s Gospel is the same being unfolded in our journey with Mark. Should we afford her the name of Mary or leave her with an unknown name? All I know is that John is retelling his testimony about Jesus from his engagement as a disciple for people to get to know who Jesus was and is. The woman comes in to where Jesus was reclining, break open the alabaster jar containing pure nard. Nard is a perfume oil from India via the trade routes and very expensive – a year wages. We are astonished at the expensive perfume used and suddenly one of the disciple Judas was angry over the waste. The product could have sold and the money could have help the poor. His fellow disciples also felt indignation over the event but Jesus defended her.

This is what he said to us. “Leave her alone, why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.” (Mark 14: 6-9 NRSV)

In this woman’s action Jesus saw a preparation for his death: an anointing of his body for burial. He said she has performed a good service. We were reminded that the poor would always be there for help but not so with Jesus. His final words this woman’s action would be told in remembrance of her as part of the good news being proclaimed. This is unfolding before our eyes and ears in the now but Jesus is inferring the future.

I am totally struck by verse 9, "Truly I tell you, wherever the good news (gospel) is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her." We so often portrayed Judas betraying Jesus as the first act in the suffering and death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that we glimpse or pass over the preparation for His burial by the woman. Here Jesus instruct that this act of sacrifice by this woman is to become a tradition by remembering her in of our faith. In my association with the church, I am not aware of remembering her importance in the Easter story. We celebrate the triumphal entry upon the donkey, the last supper, the betrayal, the sentencing, the death on the cross and his resurrection. Yet her preparation of Jesus burial is significant according to Jesus that he defended her action and counsel his disciples accordingly. What are your thoughts from this verse and how does it play out in practice when remembering the Easter event? How often do we engage with her in our witnessing of the gospel proclamation - the preparation of Jesus' burial? We immediately relive the economic cost greater than the burial preparation of Jesus and that was the objection of the disciples - the economic use of the product.

While we are still with Jesus, one of his disciple Judas Iscariot leaves in disgust, he is angry over the waste of the perfume. He goes and visit the Chief Priests to betray Jesus to them. The chief priests rejoiced and promise Judas financial incentive upon execution in delivering Jesus to them. What is going on in Jesus’ life at this particular point in time? He has come to Jerusalem at the time of the Passover to die in fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose, and in fulfillment of all the predictive rituals and prophecies of this saving death on our behalf. To save us from death, the wages of sin is death as Romans 6:23 declares. In two days’ time he will deliberately bring to completion in time and space that which was planned before the beginning of time and space.

 

Let us pray, Heavenly Father, following you can be tough especially ministering to the outsiders of societies, sitting and fellowship with them. We are sometime afraid of being friends with outsiders of the community. Even with those that are different in lifestyles, the marginalised and the destitute in our community. Help us Lord.

Kempsey Baptist - Service and Sacrifice: Romans 12_1-8 (April 24, 2016)

Bible Reading: Romans 12:1-8

Introduction

It will be Australia’s most sacred religious day coming up tomorrow. All around the country will pause and celebrate not the victory but service and sacrifice.

The story I am sharing has interconnection with my family heritage, one from the A.I. F (Australian Imperial Forces) of my grandfather Hollingsworth McCarthy in WW1

As the title of my message is ‘Service and Sacrifice’, I believe is it fitting to refresh ourselves on Paul’s teaching on the Christian way of life in Romans 12. Upon initial glance, Paul might sound like is demanding an esoteric or mystical kind of devotion but a nearer look reveals a full-bodied worship or service.

The book of Romans can be divided into two parts:

·         A theological explanation of the gospel (chapters 1-11)

·         A series of ethical exhortation (chapters 12-15)

We will be focusing of the second section.

Paul introduces for our part of inquiry, the story of Christ’s redemption, the life of the believer in tangible and practical ways. We are to respond in a living testimony and not are doxology which is good; toward God’s great mercies. The focus is on transformation of character to be citizens of God’s kingdom.

Memories

My grandfather Hollingsworth McCarthy joined the Australian Imperial Force on 20 September 1916 a young 23 years old from Wellingrove near Glen Innes. He was attached to 5/35^th Battalion at Rutherford just west of Maitland for training then attach to 7/46^th Battalion. He left Rutherford and bounded for Devonport, Tasmania via Sydney then onto Plymouth, England. At Codford, England saw further training and then Folkestone near Sandgate for trip to France. While at Etaples, France he suffered Broncho Pneumonia a few times and was wounded in action twice 8 June 1917 and 28 August 1918 with telegrams sent home advising of the incidents and in hospital in England. Grandfather returned to Australia 19 April 1919 from the front-line.

The Christian Way of Life

I.                  The Living Sacrifice (12:1-2)

I have just highlighted an example of personal service and sacrifice for service to our country Australian to prevent the advancement of an injustice regime in Europe where our Australia Imperial Forces served. Tomorrow we will formally remembering those that served our nation on various war-fronts since WW1.

In America, there a billboards scattered along the highway and so did we in the late seventy’s and early eighty’s, we saw them everywhere to remind – those signs from God on the highway. The ones with white lettering on black background that either day or night the message is clear. There’s one which read: “We need to talk.” –God

Just like those signs, Paul is telling the Romans what God has in mind for us and the God’s will is – “good, pleasing and perfect” in verse 2.

There is something that is required by me and you; we need to be consecrated to God by worship which is rendered by obedient hearts. How do we do? The Apostle draws our attention to two standards which are in conflict with each other.

1.      The standard of the world which is in discord with God.

2.      The standard of God’s Kingdom which is achieved through the renewing of our mind and causes our lives to be transformed. By doing this we will be conforming to the will of God.

For a good foundation and surrendering ourselves to God is the mark of to be godly.

Verse 1

a.       To offer your bodies – in the Greek, the verb is render “to yield” and is continuous active, not once but all time. For example when going to work or university etc. submitting daily to your employment or studies routine. It has a starting point but not a finishing point, never-ending on Earth. It is in thankful obedience of the individual to God by free surrender including everyday life.  The body must be surrender to God daily. We must not be going around doing what pleases ourselves but God must be focus in our daily sacrifice. Christian makes their bodies’ sacrifices to God. Our bodies must not be instrument of sin and immorality, but set apart for God and put to holy uses.  There are three arguments for offering our bodies; the mercies of God, acceptable to God and our reasonable service.

b.      A living sacrifice:

a.       Holy to God

b.      Well-pleasing

c.       Reasonable service

          I.            Holy has a number of meaning but here it is one, thing as in the ethical nature of holiness, in the sense of the Old Testament in belonging to God as 1 Samuel 2:2 picks the idea of “one”, “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one beside you; there is no Rock like our God.” It is in this relation as “one” where moral perfection and out-shining of that entire God is achieved. Holy is the supreme goal of Christian living and echo in Revelation 22:11, “Let those who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does what is right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

       II.            Pleasing as in pleasing God. An essential aspect of the life of believers that is more than a matter of external observation, but a total and heartfelt commitment to God.

    III.            Reasonable service – logical/rational – having a sound judgement, fair and sensible. It is interesting that we need to be reasonable people and in using reasons to make just decision in our spiritual worship. I have heard in many Christian quarters that one doesn’t need reason if you have the word of God but Apostle Paul is encouraging us to use reason for service to God. In the NIV the verse is read as “this is your true and proper worship” whereas in the Greek “a sacrifice living holy to God well-pleasing which is the reasonable service of you”.  From “reasonable service” (NKJV) has been interpretates to mean as “true and proper worship” (NIV).  Reasonable service can be translated as “spiritual service” that involves the presentation of the body, accomplished by the renewal of the mind. “Spiritual worship” does not refer to a mystical experience; it is an actual physical experience that Paul is eluding as the outworking of the renewal of the mind.

Verse 2

       I.            Do not conform to the patterns of the world by adopting an outward shape that looks similar to the world.

    II.            But be transformed – a metamorphosis, a change from into another form. We are to allow ourselves and are our responsibility as believers to be transformed.

 III.            The renewing of your mind – a change of heart and life which make fresh, new, a process from old to  new. The mind must be renewed for God because conformity to this world is the enemy before God and the great effect in transforming will help us to understand his revealed will about our duty.  Through knowledge we will be able to know the good, acceptable and perfect will of God and also to test and approve the will of God.

II.              Humble Service in the Body of Christ (12:3-8)

I have adopted the name for verses 3-8 as “Humble Service in the Body of Christ” and not only bounded by the gathering on Sunday for worship or sharing but in agencies attach to the institution. One of the key ingredients is diversity of people and not uniformity like that of police, fire brigade, SES unit or military unit needs to be for effective service to community. Diversity is the hallmark of God’s handiwork when he created humanity. As F Bruce say in his commentary, “All can co-operate for the good of the whole” and “each part has its own and distinctive work to do” (Bruce, 1963. P. 227).

Verse 3

       I.            The grace given me – the Greek word can be translated to mean of manner or act and can be either (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life, including gratitude):- acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace, joy, liberality, pleasure or thank-worthy.  F Bruce suggests that it is more to the idea of “gift” and in accordance with the faith God has distributed.  It is the spiritual power for the discharge in thinking yourself with “sober judgement”.

    II.            Verse 3 is an extension of the preceding verses and Paul gives two clues that he need to conclude what he had started – first he introduce a reason and second, continues the themes. It calls for a new way of thinking, instead of self but others first.

Verses 4-8

       I.            What is listed here is in response to the reason that benefits others in building up the body of Christ as presentation of the living bodies of sacrifice. These gifts are representatives for service to God for other members of the body; prophesying, serving, teaching, encouragement, giving, leading and to show mercy. Notice these are active participation of gifts that God has bestows on us individually for the body. As believers we are to use these gifts for the sake of others.

    II.            When we read “in accordance with the faith” is not talking about a personal commitment, a better sense to view as “the faith” – the Christian faith. The Christian faith is the measuring stick that has been given to every believer and this is what we “test and approve” in verse 2.

Verse 5

       I.            So in Christ we (NIV) – one body in Christ (NKJV). The Greek portrays the image, while the body has many members – it is one and likewise we are many individuals in Christ and with other members. Christ is the head and we are the rest of the body working individually as one body under Christ.

Conclusion

       I.            If we conclude that worship is sole the exercise on Sunday performed through our corporate liturgy, preaching, and music. This view is wrong; worship is full-bodied according to Apostle Paul. As one commentator some up this portion of scripture as, “the quality of our worship is not measured by what happens on only Sunday mornings, but by what happens when we are together Monday through Saturday.” (Elizabeth Shively in the Working Preacher)

    II.            The transformation process that causes radial inward change and don’t we hate change, we want everything to stay as the way we are used to but as Christian we don’t live a static life. God choose us to be his light and salt, to be dynamic believers, always changing to meet new situation that communities challenges the body.

III.            Let us pray.

Dear Lord, give us you grace and power so that what you want for us is what we want. The answer is yes, Lord. Whatever your will is, we will do it. Amen.