Bible Study – Luke 16.19-31
Background
Q1 What can you remember about the reasons for the growing tension between Jesus and the Pharisees in Luke chapters 13-15?
The tension continues to build in chapter 16. After Jesus’s warning about the dangers of loving money (16.13, cf 1Tim 6.10), Luke comments that the Pharisees ridiculed Jesus because they were lovers of money.
One more piece of background. Most scholars now agree that the parable is based on a well-known folk tale, popular amongst the poor, which was circulating at the time.
As Jesus tells the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, he is probably still addressing a mixed audience made up of ‘tax-collectors and sinners’ on the one hand and an increasingly angry group of ‘self-righteous Pharisees’ on the other.
Q2 How does the parable fit into the context of Jesus’s conflict with the Pharisees? How did His ideas of goodness and perfection compare with theirs (compare Matt 5.46-48 with Luke 15.2)?
Q3 Looking at verses 19 to 21. Who do you think the rich man and Lazarus represent, in Jesus’s version of the story? What about the dogs… (see Mark 7.26-28)?
For the next few questions we focus on verses 22 to 26.
Q4 In the story, on what basis is the fate after death of the rich man and that of Lazarus decided? (a) their faith, (b) their deeds, (c) something else, (d) don’t know?
Q5 What is the tone of the description of Heaven and Hades and of the conversation which takes place? Do you think that reality is being described? How does the story relate to Pharisee expectations about resurrection and the afterlife?
Q6 What conclusions can we draw from this parable about the geography and mechanics of Heaven and Hell and about Jesus’s own beliefs concerning the afterlife?
Q7 Is it possible to be rich and to live a life which is pleasing to God? What does the parable tell us on this subject (compare also 1Timothy 6.17-19).
Q8 Is there a Lazarus outside your gate? What are you doing about it? WWJD?
Finally we look at verses 27 to 31.
Q9 What had the Pharisees missed in the books of Moses and the Prophets? In what ways was their use of the Bible wrong?
Q10 Is verse 31 intended as a prophecy? How do you think Jesus said these words and what result was he looking for?
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Lesson from a Banking Crisis Luke 16.1-13
Luke 16.1-13
The Dishonest Manager
If you find this parable difficult to understand, you are in good company! I’ve spent a good deal of time over the last few days reading textbooks and commentaries. There are different ways of understanding the parable, but what I think we have here is the Bible’s version of a BANKING CRISIS.
As an ex Banker myself, I am allowed to remind you that the definition of a Banker is somebody who will happily lend you an umbrella, but will demand it back when it starts raining! My favourite Bible verse for Bankers is Psalm 112.5 “Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely.” BUT believe me, if a Bank Auditor evaluated your lending in those words, anything but good would be coming to you!
Background
Under the Old Testament Law, Jews were forbidden from taking interest from fellow-Jews when they lent them money (Exodus 22.25, Leviticus 25.36, Deuteronomy 23.19). Those who wanted to make money from loans reasoned that this Law was there to stop the poor being exploited, it was not meant to stop ordinary deals between honest businessmen, where the payment of interest amounted to a sharing of profits. So they found a way around God’s Law, a ‘legal fiction’:-
The amount borrowed would be given a value in a common item like oil or wheat (say 80 measures of wheat) , the interest would be added on (say 20 measures of wheat) and a bond, like an “IOU”, a promise to pay back, would be written out for the total amount in wheat (in this case 100 measures). Interest was effectively being charged on the loan, but the Bond gave no indication of this. Commonly , such deals were handled by a steward or manager, supposedly without the bank owner’s knowledge.
With this background in mind, the parable is telling the story of a “bank manager” who, faced with the loss of his job, protected his future by calling in the bonds owed to his master and getting the debtors, those who owed money, to rewrite their bonds so they no longer carried interest. He hoped these debtors would then be generous to him in their gratitude, after he had lost his job.
This put the owner of the “bank” in a difficult position. He would have difficulty proving the original debts, now that the first bonds had been destroyed. In any case he could not complain about the manager’s action without proving himself guilty of breaking God’s law by charging interest.
SO he put the best face possible on the situation by pretending that he hadn’t known interest had originally been charged and by thanking the manager for putting things right. The manager would now be seen as belatedly complying with God’s law, and the pious and godly owner as applauding this! Today we might refer to this as a “win/win situation,” although the owner didn’t get his interest of course.
Lessons
As the worldwide banking crisis unfolded in 2007, we saw the banks’ senior management, seeing that they were heading for a crisis, taking decisive action in approaching their national central banks in their role as “lender of last resort” in order to balance their books. We also saw millions of investors, believing their savings to be at risk, queuing for hours, all night in some cases, and passionately demanding the withdrawal of their money, so they could put it somewhere safer.
There are similarities with the behaviour of the dishonest bank manager in the parable, because he also took decisive action when faced with a crisis. This is what he was praised for, NOT for being dishonest.
Jesus implies in verse 8 that he’d like to see more of that PASSION, that URGENCY and that DECISIVENESS in his followers with regard to their discipleship.
• When was the last time you queued up impatiently to get into a church service or prayer meeting?
• When was the last time you argued passionately about your faith in Christ?
• And bearing in mind that the human race seems to be living on borrowed time, how urgently are you sharing the Good News of God’s love and mercy with your neighbours?
Do we challenge the use of blasphemous language? Racist sentiments? Exploitation of old people and minorities?
...Or do we just let these things slide by?
Perhaps we are too casual and laid back about our Christian commitment, so that it doesn’t seem all that important to others and maybe starts to become less important to us... This is NOT what Jesus wants for his followers!
Secondly, in verse 9 Jesus indicates that believers should use what wealth they have wisely, to build friendships for eternity. This is a difficult verse in a difficult passage, but it links with other teachings of Jesus about sharing what we have with those in need, regardless of their ability to repay (turning the basic rules of banking upside down again!) Money is not evil in itself , however the love of money is a great temptation. Jesus often warns that money is capable of destroying our relationships and our integrity and he urges us to spend it while we can for the benefit of others.
Finally, in verses 10-12, Jesus points us beyond our relatively unimportant earthly Bank Account to our account in Heaven. This is where true and lasting riches are stored by living humble and unselfish lives for Christ. This is where our debts have been wiped out by the victorious sacrifice of His life on the cross. This is where our Lord reigns, not as a “lender of last resort”, not as a divine umbrella snatcher, but as our merciful saviour, deserving of total loyalty, faith and commitment. The ‘deposit guarantee scheme’ He freely gives is safer than anything the Government could ever provide!
May God find us trustworthy with our money and possessions, in all our dealings with other people, and even more in our handling of his truth and his mercy, which we have a responsibility to share with all people.
The Dishonest Manager
If you find this parable difficult to understand, you are in good company! I’ve spent a good deal of time over the last few days reading textbooks and commentaries. There are different ways of understanding the parable, but what I think we have here is the Bible’s version of a BANKING CRISIS.
As an ex Banker myself, I am allowed to remind you that the definition of a Banker is somebody who will happily lend you an umbrella, but will demand it back when it starts raining! My favourite Bible verse for Bankers is Psalm 112.5 “Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely.” BUT believe me, if a Bank Auditor evaluated your lending in those words, anything but good would be coming to you!
Background
Under the Old Testament Law, Jews were forbidden from taking interest from fellow-Jews when they lent them money (Exodus 22.25, Leviticus 25.36, Deuteronomy 23.19). Those who wanted to make money from loans reasoned that this Law was there to stop the poor being exploited, it was not meant to stop ordinary deals between honest businessmen, where the payment of interest amounted to a sharing of profits. So they found a way around God’s Law, a ‘legal fiction’:-
The amount borrowed would be given a value in a common item like oil or wheat (say 80 measures of wheat) , the interest would be added on (say 20 measures of wheat) and a bond, like an “IOU”, a promise to pay back, would be written out for the total amount in wheat (in this case 100 measures). Interest was effectively being charged on the loan, but the Bond gave no indication of this. Commonly , such deals were handled by a steward or manager, supposedly without the bank owner’s knowledge.
With this background in mind, the parable is telling the story of a “bank manager” who, faced with the loss of his job, protected his future by calling in the bonds owed to his master and getting the debtors, those who owed money, to rewrite their bonds so they no longer carried interest. He hoped these debtors would then be generous to him in their gratitude, after he had lost his job.
This put the owner of the “bank” in a difficult position. He would have difficulty proving the original debts, now that the first bonds had been destroyed. In any case he could not complain about the manager’s action without proving himself guilty of breaking God’s law by charging interest.
SO he put the best face possible on the situation by pretending that he hadn’t known interest had originally been charged and by thanking the manager for putting things right. The manager would now be seen as belatedly complying with God’s law, and the pious and godly owner as applauding this! Today we might refer to this as a “win/win situation,” although the owner didn’t get his interest of course.
Lessons
As the worldwide banking crisis unfolded in 2007, we saw the banks’ senior management, seeing that they were heading for a crisis, taking decisive action in approaching their national central banks in their role as “lender of last resort” in order to balance their books. We also saw millions of investors, believing their savings to be at risk, queuing for hours, all night in some cases, and passionately demanding the withdrawal of their money, so they could put it somewhere safer.
There are similarities with the behaviour of the dishonest bank manager in the parable, because he also took decisive action when faced with a crisis. This is what he was praised for, NOT for being dishonest.
Jesus implies in verse 8 that he’d like to see more of that PASSION, that URGENCY and that DECISIVENESS in his followers with regard to their discipleship.
• When was the last time you queued up impatiently to get into a church service or prayer meeting?
• When was the last time you argued passionately about your faith in Christ?
• And bearing in mind that the human race seems to be living on borrowed time, how urgently are you sharing the Good News of God’s love and mercy with your neighbours?
Do we challenge the use of blasphemous language? Racist sentiments? Exploitation of old people and minorities?
...Or do we just let these things slide by?
Perhaps we are too casual and laid back about our Christian commitment, so that it doesn’t seem all that important to others and maybe starts to become less important to us... This is NOT what Jesus wants for his followers!
Secondly, in verse 9 Jesus indicates that believers should use what wealth they have wisely, to build friendships for eternity. This is a difficult verse in a difficult passage, but it links with other teachings of Jesus about sharing what we have with those in need, regardless of their ability to repay (turning the basic rules of banking upside down again!) Money is not evil in itself , however the love of money is a great temptation. Jesus often warns that money is capable of destroying our relationships and our integrity and he urges us to spend it while we can for the benefit of others.
Finally, in verses 10-12, Jesus points us beyond our relatively unimportant earthly Bank Account to our account in Heaven. This is where true and lasting riches are stored by living humble and unselfish lives for Christ. This is where our debts have been wiped out by the victorious sacrifice of His life on the cross. This is where our Lord reigns, not as a “lender of last resort”, not as a divine umbrella snatcher, but as our merciful saviour, deserving of total loyalty, faith and commitment. The ‘deposit guarantee scheme’ He freely gives is safer than anything the Government could ever provide!
May God find us trustworthy with our money and possessions, in all our dealings with other people, and even more in our handling of his truth and his mercy, which we have a responsibility to share with all people.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Luke 15.1-10 Bible Study
Bible Study – Luke 15.1-10
Context
Let’s begin today’s study by looking back into chapters 13 and 14.
13.31-33 The Pharisees, threatened by J’s growing popularity and his challenge to the status quo, try to scare him away. He refuses to be diverted from his mission, even though he is sure that he will be killed in Jerusalem.
13.34-35 Notice the compassion and commitment of Jesus to Jerusalem.
QUESTION 1: What does Jerusalem represent here? How should we understand Jesus’ words in verses 34-35?
14.1-6 Luke then records an incident which took place at the house of a Pharisee ‘one Sabbath’
QUESTION 2: What signs are there of growing tension between Jesus and the Pharisees? What difference of attitude is at the root of this tension?
14.7-24 Jesus’ observations at the meal further increase the tension. When one of the Pharisees seeks reassurance (15), Jesus tells the parable of the Great Banquet, predicting a surprising reversal in fortunes.
14.25-35 Jesus speaks of the cost and the challenges of discipleship, emphasizing the importance of ‘salt’ remaining salty and ending with the challenge ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’
QUESTION 3: Why might the Pharisees be offended by what Jesus said about salt?
Now read Luke 15.1-3
QUESTION 4: What would a crowd of ‘tax collectors and sinners’ normally expect to hear from a religious leader in New Testament times? What about today? Why is the teaching of Jesus so different?
QUESTION 5: Could the Pharisees’ complaint about Jesus ‘This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them’ equally be said of you or of the Church you attend? Or why not?
Now let’s read the first parable, 15.4-7
QUESTION 6: What is the main point of this parable? How does it fit into the story of the growing conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees (compare 14.5-6)?
QUESTION 7: Should we draw any conclusions from the treatment of the 99 in this parable?
QUESTION 8: In what ways are our attitudes and priorities challenged by Jesus here? How are we going to respond?
Jesus continues with another parable, 15.8-10
QUESTION 9: What new perspective does this parable add?
QUESTION 10: How would you respond if you were challenged in the way Jesus challenged the Pharisees through these parables? What would help us to respond in the way God wants us to?
Further reading
The rest of Luke 15 is taken up by the parable of the lost son, which could also be called the parable of the Father’s love. This deserves a separate study, but it may be good to end today’s session by reading it slowly and prayerfully.
Context
Let’s begin today’s study by looking back into chapters 13 and 14.
13.31-33 The Pharisees, threatened by J’s growing popularity and his challenge to the status quo, try to scare him away. He refuses to be diverted from his mission, even though he is sure that he will be killed in Jerusalem.
13.34-35 Notice the compassion and commitment of Jesus to Jerusalem.
QUESTION 1: What does Jerusalem represent here? How should we understand Jesus’ words in verses 34-35?
14.1-6 Luke then records an incident which took place at the house of a Pharisee ‘one Sabbath’
QUESTION 2: What signs are there of growing tension between Jesus and the Pharisees? What difference of attitude is at the root of this tension?
14.7-24 Jesus’ observations at the meal further increase the tension. When one of the Pharisees seeks reassurance (15), Jesus tells the parable of the Great Banquet, predicting a surprising reversal in fortunes.
14.25-35 Jesus speaks of the cost and the challenges of discipleship, emphasizing the importance of ‘salt’ remaining salty and ending with the challenge ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’
QUESTION 3: Why might the Pharisees be offended by what Jesus said about salt?
Now read Luke 15.1-3
QUESTION 4: What would a crowd of ‘tax collectors and sinners’ normally expect to hear from a religious leader in New Testament times? What about today? Why is the teaching of Jesus so different?
QUESTION 5: Could the Pharisees’ complaint about Jesus ‘This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them’ equally be said of you or of the Church you attend? Or why not?
Now let’s read the first parable, 15.4-7
QUESTION 6: What is the main point of this parable? How does it fit into the story of the growing conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees (compare 14.5-6)?
QUESTION 7: Should we draw any conclusions from the treatment of the 99 in this parable?
QUESTION 8: In what ways are our attitudes and priorities challenged by Jesus here? How are we going to respond?
Jesus continues with another parable, 15.8-10
QUESTION 9: What new perspective does this parable add?
QUESTION 10: How would you respond if you were challenged in the way Jesus challenged the Pharisees through these parables? What would help us to respond in the way God wants us to?
Further reading
The rest of Luke 15 is taken up by the parable of the lost son, which could also be called the parable of the Father’s love. This deserves a separate study, but it may be good to end today’s session by reading it slowly and prayerfully.
Lost Sheep talk (All Age)
Luke 15.4-7
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, `Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:4-7, NIV)
When I was young, I used to collect stamps. A lot of people still do that. I know that because last week Bevan gave Billie a whole load of stamps for ICS. ICS sell all the stamps to stamp collectors. Now I’m older, I don’t collect stamps, but, since marrying Billie I’ve noticed that we seem to be collecting teddies and other furry animals! (Hold up a few)
... but now we’ve managed, sorry, I’ve managed to lose one and I’m really hoping that some of you guys can help me find it... it’s a sheep and I’m really worried, because if Billie realises, she’ll as angry as a very cross thing ... and believe me, you DO NOT want to get Billie angry!!! Please find our sheep! .... thank you!!!
Right, now, what were we going to talk about today – anyone got any ideas? Yes, the parable of the lost sheep! Well, I guess you all know the parable anyway, it’s something you will have looked at in Sunday School and I think George has even painted pictures of it... who can tell me what happens in the story?
Who gets lost?
What happens?
That’s right, and what does the story mean? Who is the shepherd? Who is the sheep? That’s right, the story shows how God loves us. If one of us turns our back on God and stops believing in Him and loving Him, he doesn’t stand there telling us off, or punishing us, he goes out there to try and find us and bring us back to him. JC tells this story because the Pharisees, (you remember the Pharisees? They’re the ones who hang around the temple and they’re miserable and they go round saying ‘we’re the good guys, we follow all the rules, you’re no good, you’re SINNERS!!’) Well, anyway, the Pharisees were being completely self-satisfied and saying ‘look at him! He’s hanging out with homeless people, criminals, the losers! Who does he think he is?!’
You see, the Pharisees thought God was like them, busy watching everyone else to see if they did anything wrong so they could go ‘Ha! Gotcher! You’re a SINNER! Not like us good guys!’ they thought God was just watching and waiting so He could point a finger and say SINNER too. So JC is telling them the story to try and show them that they’ve got God wrong. God doesn’t judge, he is so concerned, he will leave the 99 sheep and go after the one who is wandering off away from God, the sinner, and bring him back.
OK, we could leave it there. As I said, we all know this story, we could just move on to coffee hour now. The thing is, I think we miss something if we do. You see, the thing that bothers me, is what about the 99 sheep? If I was the shepherd, I wouldn’t have left the 99 sheep unprotected where wolves or other wild animals could catch them, where they too could have wandered off.
I wonder how you would have felt if I had started today’s service by walking out of the door shouting ‘you lot stay here – I´m going out to look for someone who is lost!’
(It made me remember a time when I was on holiday with my eldest 2 children.... The point is, I wouldn’t have dumped one child alone and vulnerable, in a place he didn’t know, while I went off to look for the other...)
So, what about these 99 sheep then? In the story, the sheep represent people, so all 100 sheep were representing humanity. They are ALL in the wilderness, living in a world where Christian values don’t seem important anymore but the 99 sheep don’t realise they are lost, they think they’re doing OK. The one sheep does know he’s lost and he needs help, he needs a Saviour. The 99 sheep are trying to exist on their own, they don’t want to be saved. God can't do anything for the 99 who walk past the Church, who think they are perfectly fine, and simply have no use for God. But God can and will search for the person who knows he needs God, and wants to be rescued. That's the kind of God we have, but it’s also showing the kind of people we are, people who are proud and think we can manage on our own.
But God can, and will, do something about the one person who knows he needs God in his life. He will pick him up, take him home and have a party! Two points to notice here: first, God isn’t judging, like the Pharisees, he’s just loving and accepting someone who has turned to him. Second, the shepherd takes the sheep home, not back to the other sheep. God takes Christians into his own family and then celebrates. As Christians, we are part of God’s family. ‘In the world, but not of the world’ Find quote.
So, now, how does this work for us today? Well first of all, let’s look at the numbers. In the story it was one person who knew he was lost and 99 who thought they were OK as they were. I would say that it’s pretty much the same now. All of us here today, are realising that we can’t live life to the full without God - we need God in our lives to make sense of our lives and give our lives meaning. For every one of us here today, there are probably 99 – or 999 - out there who think they can manage without God, they don’t realise how alone they really are. So perhaps the church should be doing more to reach out to them? I’ll come back to that.
Well ...Secondly, do you remember why JC was telling the story in the first place? It was because the Pharisees were grumbling about JC eating with the ‘bad guys’, he was breaking the rules, he wasn’t ‘behaving’.
Instead of using their ears to hear the gracious words of the Son of God, they used their lips to condemn him... ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them!’ they grumbled. And they were right!! That’s EXACTLY what Jesus does – so who do we want to be? Followers of Jesus or followers of the Pharisees?
Jesus answered his critics with these three parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son, and I often wonder how Jesus told these parables? Was he shouting and confronting the people who didn’t like him? Actually I think he told them with warmth and gentleness, aiming to melt the hearts of some of his opponents and turn them back to God.
You see, the point of the parables is that God cares passionately about lost people – whether they’ve ignored or rejected him, whether or not they even know they are lost – and God seeks them with the urgency, the skill and the bravery of a shepherd looking for a sheep, with the patience and persistence of a woman searching for a missing coin.
There is nothing grudging or half-hearted about this search. God is wholehearted, committed, reckless, driven by a love stronger than we can imagine.
Application
We are not told how the grumblers responded to Jesus that day, but how should we respond? What is the challenge for us?
1. The priorities of the Church (all of us!) should be the same as the priorities of God (we are after all the Body of Christ). If God’s priority is to bring home the we lost, that’s what our priority should be.
2. We might expect the shepherd to stay with the 99 sheep who didn’t stray, counting them, stroking them, feeding them, making little jackets for them – but no! He’s out looking for the silly strays who keep wandering off. And he keeps on looking until he finds them.
3. Perhaps we aren’t mixing with the right people. Perhaps we should be devoting more of our energy to reaching out, without judging, and showing God’s love to people who we find difficult, who might not even realise they are lost? Who do you know who this could apply to and what could you do to reach out to them with God’s love?
I like to remind people (including myself) that the Church is not a hotel for saints, it is a hospital for sinners. My hope is that people will have the same complaint about St George’s that they had about Jesus:-
That Church welcomes sinners and eats with them!’
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, `Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:4-7, NIV)
When I was young, I used to collect stamps. A lot of people still do that. I know that because last week Bevan gave Billie a whole load of stamps for ICS. ICS sell all the stamps to stamp collectors. Now I’m older, I don’t collect stamps, but, since marrying Billie I’ve noticed that we seem to be collecting teddies and other furry animals! (Hold up a few)
... but now we’ve managed, sorry, I’ve managed to lose one and I’m really hoping that some of you guys can help me find it... it’s a sheep and I’m really worried, because if Billie realises, she’ll as angry as a very cross thing ... and believe me, you DO NOT want to get Billie angry!!! Please find our sheep! .... thank you!!!
Right, now, what were we going to talk about today – anyone got any ideas? Yes, the parable of the lost sheep! Well, I guess you all know the parable anyway, it’s something you will have looked at in Sunday School and I think George has even painted pictures of it... who can tell me what happens in the story?
Who gets lost?
What happens?
That’s right, and what does the story mean? Who is the shepherd? Who is the sheep? That’s right, the story shows how God loves us. If one of us turns our back on God and stops believing in Him and loving Him, he doesn’t stand there telling us off, or punishing us, he goes out there to try and find us and bring us back to him. JC tells this story because the Pharisees, (you remember the Pharisees? They’re the ones who hang around the temple and they’re miserable and they go round saying ‘we’re the good guys, we follow all the rules, you’re no good, you’re SINNERS!!’) Well, anyway, the Pharisees were being completely self-satisfied and saying ‘look at him! He’s hanging out with homeless people, criminals, the losers! Who does he think he is?!’
You see, the Pharisees thought God was like them, busy watching everyone else to see if they did anything wrong so they could go ‘Ha! Gotcher! You’re a SINNER! Not like us good guys!’ they thought God was just watching and waiting so He could point a finger and say SINNER too. So JC is telling them the story to try and show them that they’ve got God wrong. God doesn’t judge, he is so concerned, he will leave the 99 sheep and go after the one who is wandering off away from God, the sinner, and bring him back.
OK, we could leave it there. As I said, we all know this story, we could just move on to coffee hour now. The thing is, I think we miss something if we do. You see, the thing that bothers me, is what about the 99 sheep? If I was the shepherd, I wouldn’t have left the 99 sheep unprotected where wolves or other wild animals could catch them, where they too could have wandered off.
I wonder how you would have felt if I had started today’s service by walking out of the door shouting ‘you lot stay here – I´m going out to look for someone who is lost!’
(It made me remember a time when I was on holiday with my eldest 2 children.... The point is, I wouldn’t have dumped one child alone and vulnerable, in a place he didn’t know, while I went off to look for the other...)
So, what about these 99 sheep then? In the story, the sheep represent people, so all 100 sheep were representing humanity. They are ALL in the wilderness, living in a world where Christian values don’t seem important anymore but the 99 sheep don’t realise they are lost, they think they’re doing OK. The one sheep does know he’s lost and he needs help, he needs a Saviour. The 99 sheep are trying to exist on their own, they don’t want to be saved. God can't do anything for the 99 who walk past the Church, who think they are perfectly fine, and simply have no use for God. But God can and will search for the person who knows he needs God, and wants to be rescued. That's the kind of God we have, but it’s also showing the kind of people we are, people who are proud and think we can manage on our own.
But God can, and will, do something about the one person who knows he needs God in his life. He will pick him up, take him home and have a party! Two points to notice here: first, God isn’t judging, like the Pharisees, he’s just loving and accepting someone who has turned to him. Second, the shepherd takes the sheep home, not back to the other sheep. God takes Christians into his own family and then celebrates. As Christians, we are part of God’s family. ‘In the world, but not of the world’ Find quote.
So, now, how does this work for us today? Well first of all, let’s look at the numbers. In the story it was one person who knew he was lost and 99 who thought they were OK as they were. I would say that it’s pretty much the same now. All of us here today, are realising that we can’t live life to the full without God - we need God in our lives to make sense of our lives and give our lives meaning. For every one of us here today, there are probably 99 – or 999 - out there who think they can manage without God, they don’t realise how alone they really are. So perhaps the church should be doing more to reach out to them? I’ll come back to that.
Well ...Secondly, do you remember why JC was telling the story in the first place? It was because the Pharisees were grumbling about JC eating with the ‘bad guys’, he was breaking the rules, he wasn’t ‘behaving’.
Instead of using their ears to hear the gracious words of the Son of God, they used their lips to condemn him... ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them!’ they grumbled. And they were right!! That’s EXACTLY what Jesus does – so who do we want to be? Followers of Jesus or followers of the Pharisees?
Jesus answered his critics with these three parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son, and I often wonder how Jesus told these parables? Was he shouting and confronting the people who didn’t like him? Actually I think he told them with warmth and gentleness, aiming to melt the hearts of some of his opponents and turn them back to God.
You see, the point of the parables is that God cares passionately about lost people – whether they’ve ignored or rejected him, whether or not they even know they are lost – and God seeks them with the urgency, the skill and the bravery of a shepherd looking for a sheep, with the patience and persistence of a woman searching for a missing coin.
There is nothing grudging or half-hearted about this search. God is wholehearted, committed, reckless, driven by a love stronger than we can imagine.
Application
We are not told how the grumblers responded to Jesus that day, but how should we respond? What is the challenge for us?
1. The priorities of the Church (all of us!) should be the same as the priorities of God (we are after all the Body of Christ). If God’s priority is to bring home the we lost, that’s what our priority should be.
2. We might expect the shepherd to stay with the 99 sheep who didn’t stray, counting them, stroking them, feeding them, making little jackets for them – but no! He’s out looking for the silly strays who keep wandering off. And he keeps on looking until he finds them.
3. Perhaps we aren’t mixing with the right people. Perhaps we should be devoting more of our energy to reaching out, without judging, and showing God’s love to people who we find difficult, who might not even realise they are lost? Who do you know who this could apply to and what could you do to reach out to them with God’s love?
I like to remind people (including myself) that the Church is not a hotel for saints, it is a hospital for sinners. My hope is that people will have the same complaint about St George’s that they had about Jesus:-
That Church welcomes sinners and eats with them!’
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Philemon Bible Study
Bible Study – Philemon
It may seem strange that such a short and personal letter is included in the Bible however Philemon can be very useful for us (see verse 11)!
Paul probably wrote it at the same time as Colossians, about AD60, while he was in prison in Rome or Ephesus, and delivered it with the same travelers, Onesimus and Tychicus. The recipient of the letter, Philemon, was a member of the Colossian Church and a slave owner. One of his slaves, Onesimus, had apparently stolen from him and run away. Whilst on the run, met Paul and become a Christian.
Verses 1-3 Greetings
Q1 What does the greeting reveal about the kind of relationship Paul has with Philemon and his church?
Verses 4-7 Thanksgiving and Prayer
Q2 What two personal qualities of Philemon does Paul draw attention to, and why?
Verses 8-22 Paul´s plea for Onesimus
Q3 Why does Paul believe he has the right to order Philemon to do the right thing? Why does he choose not to exercise this right?
Q4 Why do you think the name of Onesimus is not even mentioned until verse 10?
Q5 What change in Onesimus’s life had enabled him to start living up to his name (which means ‘Useful’ or ‘Profitable’?
Q6 In what ways has our acceptance of the Christian faith made us useful (a) to those who helped us come to believe or (b) our employers and neighbours?
Q7 What do you make of Paul’s appeal in verses 12 to 16? Is he being manipulative or does he have a purer motive?
Q8 In what ways does Paul pile on the pressure in verses 17 to 22? How do you think you would feel if you received a letter like this?
Verses 23-25 Final Greetings and blessing
Q9 So how did Philemon respond? Does the fact that the letter was included in the Bible prove anything?
Q10 How can Christians challenge, correct and bring out the best in each other? Can this kind of activity only begin to take place in a mature Christian community, or is it the way to build one?
It may seem strange that such a short and personal letter is included in the Bible however Philemon can be very useful for us (see verse 11)!
Paul probably wrote it at the same time as Colossians, about AD60, while he was in prison in Rome or Ephesus, and delivered it with the same travelers, Onesimus and Tychicus. The recipient of the letter, Philemon, was a member of the Colossian Church and a slave owner. One of his slaves, Onesimus, had apparently stolen from him and run away. Whilst on the run, met Paul and become a Christian.
Verses 1-3 Greetings
Q1 What does the greeting reveal about the kind of relationship Paul has with Philemon and his church?
Verses 4-7 Thanksgiving and Prayer
Q2 What two personal qualities of Philemon does Paul draw attention to, and why?
Verses 8-22 Paul´s plea for Onesimus
Q3 Why does Paul believe he has the right to order Philemon to do the right thing? Why does he choose not to exercise this right?
Q4 Why do you think the name of Onesimus is not even mentioned until verse 10?
Q5 What change in Onesimus’s life had enabled him to start living up to his name (which means ‘Useful’ or ‘Profitable’?
Q6 In what ways has our acceptance of the Christian faith made us useful (a) to those who helped us come to believe or (b) our employers and neighbours?
Q7 What do you make of Paul’s appeal in verses 12 to 16? Is he being manipulative or does he have a purer motive?
Q8 In what ways does Paul pile on the pressure in verses 17 to 22? How do you think you would feel if you received a letter like this?
Verses 23-25 Final Greetings and blessing
Q9 So how did Philemon respond? Does the fact that the letter was included in the Bible prove anything?
Q10 How can Christians challenge, correct and bring out the best in each other? Can this kind of activity only begin to take place in a mature Christian community, or is it the way to build one?
Philemon sermon
Philemon 1-21
Introduction
• Paul a thoughtful and prayerful leader & a good example
• Philemon = shortest of his letters in Biblel’
• A warm, personal letter which reveals his leadership style & priorities
• Full of faith, love and wisdom
• Paul tactfully deals with a sensitive situation
• He provides appropriate leadership which is both bold and humble
Background
• Addressed to Philemon, a ‘dear friend and co-worker’ with Paul, also to Apphia (Phil’s wife), Archippus (their son), & the church which met at their house.
• Written same time as Colossians, Paul in prison at Rome or Ephesus
• Situation: a slave called Onesimus has run away from his master Philemon, probably robbing him (18), or just failing to return from an errand, so ‘robbing’ P in sense of depriving him of his services
• Law: Anyone finding a stray slave was obliged to return him to his master or sell him and send the money instead.
• A returning slave would be severely punished, perhaps killed
• BUT while on the run O met Paul, became a Christian and a valued friend.
• Paul is obliged to return O to Phil but he sends WITH him this tactful and tender letter, appealing to Phil to receive him as he would P himself and to treat him AS A BROTHER.
• Paul also promises to pay anything O owes Phil and asks for continued prayer for his own release, so he can visit them.
Giving a dog a bad name…
• Onesimus means ‘profitable’ or ‘useful’ however he had proved to be anything but! Paul plays on this meaning in (11):-
Formerly he was USELESS to you, but now he has become USEFUL both to you and to me.
• Names are important in the Bible and for us today – we take great care naming our children and even pets, boats, churches. We give them A GOOD NAME TO LIVE UP TO.
• A baby girl born in Switzerland to ambitious parents was given the same name as a champion tennis player … and sure enough Martina Hingis followed in the footsteps of Martina Navratilova.
• Of course it doesn’t always work out! Not ALL of the current crop of babies called Leo will become great professional footballers!!
• I was born the year after Prince Andrew and look how I turned out!
• On the other hand you wouldn’t name your ship ‘Titanic2’.
• Giving someone a bad name can be dispiriting and self-fulfilling.
• How many people have been written off as Stupid, as a Failure, an Underachiever, a Liability, Useless… and how many of us have unthinkingly attached these labels to others?
• PAUL gives the people he sends AND the people he writes to a good name to live up to.
• Not flattery or manipulation – he just longs to see people fulfil the potential God has put in them.
• Nobody is Useless, everyone is created for a purpose and every life submitted to Jesus will be transformed by His Spirit and made useful and profitable.
Responding to grace
• Why is such a short, personal letter in the Bible? See verses 6 & 7:-
I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
• Paul gives the highest priority to sharing the faith with others, and he knows this is best achieved NOT by telling people what to believe but by DEMONSTRATING Christian love.
• His appeal to Phil & his Church echoes words of Jesus in Jn 17
• Paul prays that the love at work amongst Christians will make their social status, slave or free, irrelevant, and will attract others to commit their lives to become followers of Jesus.
• Phil and co must have accepted Paul’s challenge, or the letter wouldn’t be in the Bible! We should also accept it:-
• By loving , serving and taking responsibility for each other in a way that demonstrates the life of Jesus
• By praying for the church and the world with thankfulness and hope
• By taking special care of the vulnerable and underprivileged
• By actively seeking reconciliation of any break in fellowship
• By helping each other to grow in godliness and Christian maturity.
I pray that this will be our story and that God will bless, transform and unite us as we journey together.
Introduction
• Paul a thoughtful and prayerful leader & a good example
• Philemon = shortest of his letters in Biblel’
• A warm, personal letter which reveals his leadership style & priorities
• Full of faith, love and wisdom
• Paul tactfully deals with a sensitive situation
• He provides appropriate leadership which is both bold and humble
Background
• Addressed to Philemon, a ‘dear friend and co-worker’ with Paul, also to Apphia (Phil’s wife), Archippus (their son), & the church which met at their house.
• Written same time as Colossians, Paul in prison at Rome or Ephesus
• Situation: a slave called Onesimus has run away from his master Philemon, probably robbing him (18), or just failing to return from an errand, so ‘robbing’ P in sense of depriving him of his services
• Law: Anyone finding a stray slave was obliged to return him to his master or sell him and send the money instead.
• A returning slave would be severely punished, perhaps killed
• BUT while on the run O met Paul, became a Christian and a valued friend.
• Paul is obliged to return O to Phil but he sends WITH him this tactful and tender letter, appealing to Phil to receive him as he would P himself and to treat him AS A BROTHER.
• Paul also promises to pay anything O owes Phil and asks for continued prayer for his own release, so he can visit them.
Giving a dog a bad name…
• Onesimus means ‘profitable’ or ‘useful’ however he had proved to be anything but! Paul plays on this meaning in (11):-
Formerly he was USELESS to you, but now he has become USEFUL both to you and to me.
• Names are important in the Bible and for us today – we take great care naming our children and even pets, boats, churches. We give them A GOOD NAME TO LIVE UP TO.
• A baby girl born in Switzerland to ambitious parents was given the same name as a champion tennis player … and sure enough Martina Hingis followed in the footsteps of Martina Navratilova.
• Of course it doesn’t always work out! Not ALL of the current crop of babies called Leo will become great professional footballers!!
• I was born the year after Prince Andrew and look how I turned out!
• On the other hand you wouldn’t name your ship ‘Titanic2’.
• Giving someone a bad name can be dispiriting and self-fulfilling.
• How many people have been written off as Stupid, as a Failure, an Underachiever, a Liability, Useless… and how many of us have unthinkingly attached these labels to others?
• PAUL gives the people he sends AND the people he writes to a good name to live up to.
• Not flattery or manipulation – he just longs to see people fulfil the potential God has put in them.
• Nobody is Useless, everyone is created for a purpose and every life submitted to Jesus will be transformed by His Spirit and made useful and profitable.
Responding to grace
• Why is such a short, personal letter in the Bible? See verses 6 & 7:-
I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
• Paul gives the highest priority to sharing the faith with others, and he knows this is best achieved NOT by telling people what to believe but by DEMONSTRATING Christian love.
• His appeal to Phil & his Church echoes words of Jesus in Jn 17
• Paul prays that the love at work amongst Christians will make their social status, slave or free, irrelevant, and will attract others to commit their lives to become followers of Jesus.
• Phil and co must have accepted Paul’s challenge, or the letter wouldn’t be in the Bible! We should also accept it:-
• By loving , serving and taking responsibility for each other in a way that demonstrates the life of Jesus
• By praying for the church and the world with thankfulness and hope
• By taking special care of the vulnerable and underprivileged
• By actively seeking reconciliation of any break in fellowship
• By helping each other to grow in godliness and Christian maturity.
I pray that this will be our story and that God will bless, transform and unite us as we journey together.
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