The Persistent Disciple
Sermon for
October 17, 2004
1. Good morning. Let’s pray: O Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to You O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
2. Opening Comments: Last Sunday our Lord had us reflect on the great Christian virtue of Thankfulness – of being thankful in all things because we know that our gracious and loving God is working in all things for our good and the good of His Kingdom.
Thankfulness combined with a humble spirit are truly among the cardinal – defining, virtues of the truly great Christian disciple. And so, it seems, our Lord is continuing encouragements with today’s encouragement. I wonder if anybody picked up on a theme that seemed to cut through all of our readings this morning.
Let me give us a hint. I’ll read select passages from each of our readings to give you some hints:
Our first reading was from Exodus and gave us a glimpse at a great battle between the Israelites and the army of Amalek. Moses instructed his General Joshua to lead the battle and that he, Moses, would then call upon the Lord to give them victory. As long as Moses kept his arms raised the battle went well for the Israelites but as soon as he lowered his arms through tiredness the battle went badly for the Israelites. Aaron and Hur resolved this problem by seating Abraham and themselves held his arms aloft. What virtue was God drawing on in Moses and Aaron and Hur – don’t answer – hold your answer. Let’s move on to the Psalm for today.
Now please listen as I read from our reading from the Psalms today: Psalm 121 verses 1-8. Let me read it again:
Psa. 121:1 I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come
from? 2 My help comes from the
LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3
He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he
who watches over
What’s going on here? There’s a watchfulness – “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth!” This is a call to trust in this watchful God who watches even where you put your foot and will not let it slip – He doesn’t even slumber – He’s always there – we must persist in trusting ourselves to Him!
Let’s turn now to the Epistle reading but this time we’ll read from the Message translation:
2Tim.
Ah!
Are you beginning to pick up on a single theme in all of this?
Now let’s look finally at the Gospel. Again we’ll be drawing from the Message
translation:
Luke 18:1 Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for
them to pray consistently and never quit. Then
he proceeded to tell them the story about the unjust judge who finally caved in
to the persistence of a determined woman supplicant. Listen to the closing verses:
Luke 18:6 Then the Master said, “Do you hear what that judge,
corrupt as he is, is saying? 7 So
what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people,
who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? 8 I assure you, he will. He will not
drag his feet. But how much of that kind
of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”
Ah! Have you got it yet? Can you hear the strong whisper of our
sovereign Lord exhorting us all to something?
Remember, our Lord is calling us all out of a safe “social club”
Christianity or out of a stimulating “always studying” Christianity or out of a
“give‘em the gospel and move on” Christianity TO A “MAKE DISCIPLES” Christianity that
focuses on the PERSISTENT LOVE OF THE TRUE DISCIPLE.
O how persistent our God has been in forming us – in bringing us to this point. How we have kicked at the goads and fought against His wooings.
You, not one of you, including me, are here by accident!
We’re people who want the real thing. No more pabulum! No more endless teaching titivations! No more form without substance! But we want to be at the front lines – leaning in to the battle. It’s here that Christ can be found – found in the fellowship of His sufferings!
3.
Focusing
in: So the cardinal virtue of the great
disciple for our reflection this morning is “Persistence!” Now it’s to the Epistle reading that we turn
for a more indepth look at what our Lord is
challenging us with this morning.
Please turn with me to 2 Timothy 3 beginning at verse 14:
2Tim.
So . . . stick
with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you
have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus. 16
All Scripture is God-breathed i.e., inspired by God, influenced by God and
guided by God. . . .
and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, - Notice here that
we’re not talking about a ‘heady’ faith that’s in the head only but never quite
fully in the heart. ‘Righteousness’ is
something that describes a way of life not only an internal attitude – God is
calling us to incarnate – enflesh – our faith. Let’s
read on: We must enflesh
our faith our teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness . .
.
17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for
every good work.
2Tim. 4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge
the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give
you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season;
correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.
The New Jerusalem Bible put verse 2 this way:
“2 proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on
it. Refute falsehood, correct error, give encouragement —
but do all with patience and with care to instruct.”
Again The Message puts it this way:
“2 so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your
watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it
simple.”
This last verse is translated by the Message as: “2 so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your
watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it
simple.”
Persistence!!!
Please turn with me now again to our Epistle reading: 2 Timothy chapter 3 beginning at chapter 2 verse 1 – this is God’s CHARGE to us this morning:
“I give you this charge: 2 Preach the
Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage —
with great patience and careful instruction.”
This is really a
meditation on how to be lovingly persistent.
We are to “preach” the Word of God – that means we have to
know the Bible and always seek to receive God’s revelation in it. Remember God is much more interested in “revelation” than He is in “information.”
What does it mean though “to preach” the Word. I’m the preacher and you’re not so that’s my
job right? Wrong! Paul is talking to all of us – all of us are
to be prepared to “preach” the Word. Now
what does that mean?
Preaching is not teaching – teaching is not preaching. Preaching at it’s
best is provoking – provoking to change to action. It’s provocative! It can stir to great action and it can stir
to great reprisal. Preaching is
ultimately “most dangerous.”
Preaching “stirs” – so Paul is
encouraging all of us to have something “stirring” to say to people. Something
that will stir them to come into relationship with Jesus Christ.
What else is it?
When Jesus gave His parables He was preaching. He told stories that carried the sharp edge
of life changing messages hidden is meek and mild
pastoral tales. Those
parable – meek and simple and homely though they were had real stings to
them. They caught you unawares and
brought you to the point of making a life changing decision!
So you and I are
charged to preach – do you have any preaching in you?
Now
let’s go back to our foundational verse:
: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season
and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful
instruction.”
“Be prepared in
season and out of season.” Ah! We’ve got to be
ready to spring forth in provocative preaching at all times – when it feels
right and when it perhaps feels very much out of sync with what’s happening
around us!
In season and out of season. When we preach
God’s Word out of season it’s probably going to be received with some
acrimony. Do you have courage enough though
to preach it anyway?
Now think about that statement for a while. The current thinking on counseling is to
offer counsel “when the counselee is ‘ready to receive it.” That means “in season.” But Paul is charging us to be ready to preach
to such a person both in season and out of season. In other words, God can use our willingness to
preach even out of season to the end that the hearer may very well be
converted.
Think a little bit further about that. This means that as you are prompted by our
Lord you sow, as it were, some seed on frozen ground. It just sits there but, as it was done
according to God’s will we must watch that seed carefully. Ah!
Can you feel the change in weather – it’s the height of Winter but God is arranging for a 24 hour thaw. Watch the seed – sloooooop! Ah! The
earth just swallowed it up. It will sit
there now and become one with the earth but watch that spot next Spring! Plop! It will burst out and grow and eventually
blossom. God can use our obedience in
the most “unlikely” times can’t He?
We’re also being
charged to “correct, rebuke and encourage – with
great patience and careful instruction.”
Correct – that means be prepared to see and set what appears
broken. Ouch that’s tough isn’t it. But the
persistent Disciple is a corrector and a rebuker but he’s
also an encourager.
O how many of us
love the “encourager” role but not so much the “corrector and the rebuker” role!
Can anyone relate
here?
So what does it
mean to be a corrector, and rebuker and encourager?
What do you think of when you hear the word
“corrector?” Yes, a parent. Ah! a corrector is
acting like a parent. But the challenge
here is to have the Father’s and Mother’s heart for the child but not to become
the “prissy” and “point the finger” “holier than thou” aunt angus
or uncle Ralph!
The real challenger here is to have the “Father’s or
Mother’s” heart. To love them enough to
tell them what is right in a way that they can feel your deep and abiding
love! In most cases, not all of course,
when loving correction is brought with a loving heart – the Father’s heart, it
is often received well!
And of course, the “encourager.” How many of us see
our role as “encourager” to others?
And this is
our charge – 2Tim 4:2 “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of
season, correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful
instruction!
These are not
the orders of a gentle old grandfather – they’re the orders of our Almighty
General!
The Message
puts it this way, “So proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple!
Amen and
Amen!
Let’s pray!