Mission to Mars (Acts 17:16-34)

1. Full of idols

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

Acts 17:16

Paul’s trip to Athens wasn’t planned. That’s important to remember because people draw a lot of comparisons between Athens and Cambridge today: both are famous for their architecture, both are centres of great learning and thought. And we soon see how Paul was the perfect kind of speaker to invite for the Main Event at Cambridge because he spoke their language and connected with his audience.

But we need to remember that Paul didn’t plan a trip to Athens to evangelise all these potential leaders of the modern world and influence their thinking. In Chapter 16 he was kicked out of Philippi for causing a riot. In Chapter 17 he is on the run from religious Jews chasing him through the cities of Thessalonica and Berea. The reason he is in Athens is because everywhere Paul went he preached the gospel about Jesus and every time he did that, Paul got into trouble.

And verse 16 reminds that when Paul finally did arrive in Athens, he didn’t start taking photos and going on tours of the museums, rather he was “distressed to see that the city was full of idols.” Athens didn’t impress Paul, it disturbed him deeply.

So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

Acts 17:17-18

It is interesting to see what the intellectuals thought of Paul’s preaching. The Epicureans with their “Let’s eat, drink, for tomorrow we die,” approach to life and the Stoics with their logic and self-controlled approach in overcoming their destructive passions - think Star Trek with Kirk on one end and Spock on the other - they are both mentioned here as disputing with Paul. Both of them have problems with what he is saying.

Some of them call him a babbler. The word describes a bird that is pecking at seeds and what they were implying was that Paul was unoriginal. He was pecking at scraps of ideas - stuff he had read in a Reader’s Digest - and pulling them together claiming that they were his own.

But others thought Paul was advertising two brand-new gods like he was selling two new flavours of ice-cream to complement the 99 other flavours on offer. That’s because of verse 18, “Jesus and the Resurrection,” or Anastasis in the Greek. It sounded to them like Jesus had a companion named Anatasia.

Even so, the Athenians and their philosophers were intrigued.

Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean. (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

Acts 17:19-21

The Cambridge Union recently hosted a debate between Richard Dawkins and former Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams. The proposition was “This house believes religion has no place in the 21st century.” Presidents and Prime Ministers and Olympic legends have addressed members of the Union in the past. Then again, I see that this term’s calendar includes football captain Fabio Capello, magician David Blane and actress Pamela Anderson.

On the one hand, it was a great honour for Paul to be invited to speak at the distinguished members of the Areopagus, a gathering which included academics, philosophers, professors and politicians. They obviously thought he had something to say. Then again, verse 21 tells us that the Athenians and foreigners who lived there did nothing else but listen to the latest ideas. If Paul had turned up in Athens dancing Gangnam style they still would have given him a slot. They were looking to be impressed with the latest and the coolest fads.

Paul’s intention, however, was not to dazzle his hearers. His aim was to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2 .The unknown God

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

Acts 17:22-23

Paul frames his argument in terms of religion and worship but remember who he is speaking to. This is not Sunday morning at StAG. These are the students and professors in the university, the philosophers of Athens, and Paul says to them, “I see that in every way you are very religious.” He isn’t saying that, “A lot of you still go to temples and bow before idols,” though many of them in Athens did. That’s not his point.

What Paul is engaging with is, for want of a better word, their world-view. Where did we come from? Is there a God? Can we know for sure? What is our purpose in life?

It is how you understand and interact with the world that is around you. Whether you are a Christian or not, whether you are university or not, whether you believe in God or you think otherwise, all of us have a view of life, a view of each other; all of us have a worldview.

And Paul says, “What I am going to tell you is something you could never ever work out for yourselves. I am going to tell you about the God of the bible.” And what he does next is establish five basic foundations about God from the bible.

Firstly, Paul tells us, God is God.

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.

Acts 17:24

You cannot contain God in a universe that he has created, much less in a temple that we have built.

Secondly, God does not need us, we need him.

And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.

Acts 17:25

Thirdly, God is the determiner of history.

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

Acts 17:26

Those of us who know our bibles ought to be hearing echoes from Genesis at this point. God created humanity but also determines the course of human history. “The times and the exact places they should live,” is an allusion to Daniel Chapter 2, verse 36 onwards, on the rise and fall of kingdoms.

Fourthly, God wants us know him, not just generally, but personally.

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Acts 17:27-28

Let me pause for a moment because I want you to notice how Paul has done his homework. He has just arrived in Athens, yet he says to them, “I walked around your city and looked carefully at your objects of worship.” And here, he quotes back to them one of their own poets, “We are his offspring.” He is quoting Michael Jackson, “We are the world, we are the children.”

I want to be careful to say that this isn’t some kind of trick, whereby you go on the Internet and search for funny jokes and illustrations. No, all Paul did was pay attention. What do people enjoy doing? What do they think is their purpose in life?

Such that when you do talk to your friends about God, about Jesus and about the bible, you are talking to them, not at them. The way to tell that someone is really listening to you is if they are able to say the things you have been saying, even better than yourself.

Fifthly, God calls us to repent of our ignorance.

Therefore, since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone - an image made by man’s design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

Acts 17:29-30

In “repentance,” we’ve finally come to a word that needs explanation. So far, Paul has been using everyday language to talk about God. But “repentance” is a word from the bible that, I think, most people misunderstand.

God is not telling us to be sorry. To repent is not cry your eyes out and feel horrible on the inside for all the awful things you’ve done, “I’m sorry, I’m awful, please forgive me.” That’s not what he means when Paul says that God commands all people everywhere to repent.

To repent means to turn. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians, verse 9, “They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.”

Previously, you were going in one direction - worshipping idols, worshipping success, worshipping your intellect. Previously, you were walking away from God but now you have turned to face him as the true and living God. That’s repentance.

Paul says that in the past, God overlooked our ignorance. That’s not saying that it’s OK to ignore God but rather God hadn’t made it clear what were the consequences of ignoring him. Now he has. Now, says Paul, God has revealed Jesus as the man who were judge the living and the dead.

3. The resurrection of the dead

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council.

Acts 17:31-33

Paul ties his entire message back to Jesus and the resurrection. That was what he preached at the marketplace but they didn’t understand him. But that’s the same message he preaches here in the Areopagus - Jesus and his resurrection from the dead - and some of them sneered at him.

As if to say that everything you think about God hangs on just one issue: Whether Jesus really rose from the dead. Because if God really did raise Jesus from the dead, it means two things. Firstly, God will judge the world through Jesus Christ. And secondly, we who one day will all of us, die, will be raised from the dead to face his judgement.

A lot of people here today are going to a problem with what I’ve just said. Let me be honest, I have a problem with what I’ve just said. Part of me is going, “Should the gospel be about God’s love shown to us on the cross?” Part of me wants to say, “Paul didn’t get a chance to talk about John 3:16, or that what we have here is an abridged version of his message that cut out the bit on salvation.”

But as I wrestle with this text, which is God’s word, I am not at liberty to add to or subtract from what all of us can see is right there in front of us. The resurrection is bad news for those who continue in their ignorance of God.

But at the same time, verse 18 clearly says that Paul was preaching the good news of the resurrection. How can that be? If you look back to verses 31 and 32, Paul was able to clarify one thing about the resurrection - one thing that confused his hearer in the marketplace. This was a resurrection from the dead.

You see, Christians understand that salvation is not an escape from judgement, it is an escape through judgement. That’s the good news. Jesus Christ died on the cross to take our judgement which we rightly deserved. If you are a Christian, you deserve to be punished. You were just as ignorant as the world. You were just as idolatrous as the world. But God in his great mercy, took you judgement and put in on Jesus. He died your death. And because he died your death, he was raised for your resurrection.

Paul clarified that his gospel was not about two additional new gods - Jesus and the resurrection. No, his gospel was the death of the one and only God, the God who made us, the God who sustains us, the God who judges us, took our judgement, he took our death, so that in him we might be raised to new life.

4. Three implications for our gospel witness

Let me sum up what we have seen today under three implications for our witness to the gospel, our response to the gospel and the end result of the gospel.

4.1 Our witness: Clarity not impressiveness

Paul used illustrations. Paul spoke to intellectuals. Paul reasoned with the philosophers. But each time he spoke about Jesus, he aim was to be clear, to be persuasive even. It was never to be impressive.

4.2 Our response: Radical not incremental

Paul was calling for repentance. Repentance is something that is radical and not incremental.

In our efforts to be relevant, we sometimes think that contextualisation means bridging the gap to such an extent that non-Christians can simply skip over into the Kingdom of God.

Paul outlines a worldview that is radically different from anything the world knows. He is calling his hearers to give their whole lives to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith.

4.3 The result: People not philosophy

But finally and perhaps, most importantly, the preaching of the gospel results not in a new philosophy, but a new people. It results in conversion. Men and women transformed by the gospel and living for Jesus, not themselves.

A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

Acts 17:34

These names are written down because they are real people. Whenever names of newly-converted Christians are mentioned in Acts - Lydia in Philippi, Titius Justus and Crispus in Corinth - these are names of believers who eventually led gatherings in their homes. In other words, it’s saying that a church was planted.

Similarly, when we preach the gospel through something like the Main Event or even in our gathering here today, the way to know that the gospel has truly taken hold and borne fruit, is not more events, is not more activities, is not a change in policy or influence in the way the world looks at the bible and Christians - though these are all good and godly things to be praying for.

No, the end of the gospel is the gathering of men and women transformed through the gospel as the body of the Christ. It’s the church. Paul preached in Athens and the result was a new church.

The mountain of the LORD (Isaiah 2)

The city on a hill

This month we are thinking about what it means for us to be a church in the city. What impact does God want us to have on our community? What distinguishes us as Christians within our Chinese culture? Last week, we saw that God wanted his people to so reflect his righteousness that their city would be called the City of Righteousness; to so reflect his faithfulness that their city would be called the Faithful City (Isaiah 1:26). The opening verses of Chapter 2 remind us that God is addressing a specific city at a particular time in history - the city of Jerusalem during the reign of the kings of Judah.

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains;

it will be raised above the hills,

and all nations will stream to it.

Isaiah 2:1-2

Jerusalem was a city built on a hill, which meant that it was strategically strong and easily defensible from any attack from its enemies. (Think Minas Tirith if you are a Tolkien fan; or if you are into Star Wars, think Obi-wan Kenobi defeating Anakin simply because he is standing in an elevated position!) King David established his kingdom in Jerusalem as his headquarters and the capital city very early on in his career (2 Samuel 5), and Solomon, his son, went on to build God’s temple in Jerusalem. Hence, when Isaiah describes his vision of the “mountain of the LORD’s temple,” it was obvious to everyone around him that he was talking about Jerusalem, the city built on Mount Zion (verse 3).

Having said that, Isaiah’s vision is not of the present but the future, and the focus of his vision is not the city, but the mountain on which the city was built. This mountain, says Isaiah, will be established as chief among all other mountains; it will be raised above all other hills. What Isaiah was doing - in describing God’s mountain as the highest of all mountains - was speaking evangelistically to non-Christians. You see, in Isaiah’s day, the surrounding nations worshipped their gods by going up mountains and hiking up the hills because these were seen as the closest points of contact between heaven and earth. Isaiah was saying to the pagan worshippers, “One day, God’s mountain will be the highest of mountains.” There is only one God and there is only one way to God; one day, all nations will come and worship God on this holy mountain.

1. God’s mountain filled with all nations

Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD

to the house of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his ways,

so that we may walk in his paths.”

The law will go out from Zion,

the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 2:3

“Hey!” they were saying to one another, “That’s God’s mountain. That’s where we need to be!” Amazingly, they even dragged their friends along with them, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD.” Do you hear their eagerness? Their excitement? For the past couple of weeks, everyone I know has been trying to get tickets to the Olympics. Even those of us who did get a chance to attend a football match or a badminton final, were trying to find more opportunities to be part of the action. Why? It was a chance to be a part of history. This was the experience of a lifetime! That’s what the guys in this passage were doing. They weren’t complaining about having to miss yet another tennis final in order to be in church on a Sunday afternoon. These guys were eager and excited about going up the mountain of the LORD. More than that, they wanted all their friends to come along, “Come on, let’s go together!”

Now notice who these guys were - these people in Isaiah’s vision who were saying to one another, “You gotta check this out!” They were the outsiders. They didn’t live in Jerusalem. They weren’t part of Israel, that is, they weren’t a part of God’s people. Isaiah calls them the nations, outsiders, who were so eager to meet with God, so excited to have heard about this God. But more than anything else, they were looking forward to hearing God’s word. That’s the reason why they made the trip in the first place. “He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”

I want you to notice how the words that Isaiah uses have motion.There is movement. The nations stream up a mountain - they are like a river that’s flowing backwards. “Come on, let’s go, go, go!” And even when they hear God’s word, it is in order that they might “walk in his paths,” meaning, they want to know how to live the way God wants them to live. All the nations are coming to God. All the nations are living for God. That’s motion. That’s a movement. And friends, I dare say that that’s the bible’s definition of a Christian - someone who is actively turning to God, listening to God, constantly living for God. Christianity is a movement! I wonder: Does that describe your life and my life as believers in Christ. Are we actively seeking after God? Are we calling our friends and family to turn to him?

Some of us are hesitant to do this. I know that it can be a scary thing to tell someone to trust in Jesus; to entrust their lives to Jesus. We ought to do this patiently, lovingly, clearly. But perhaps what might help is the confidence in knowing that when we do speak the gospel, God is using us to speak his word to the nations. At the end of verse 4, it is God’s law which goes out from Zion; his word, which goes out from Jerusalem. When the nations respond, when you or I respond, it is to God himself as our God and our King. That is the picture in verse 5 onwards, of God ruling the nations as king and judge.

He will judge between the nations

and will settle disputes for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into ploughshares

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation,

nor will they train for war anymore.

Isaiah 2:4

God’s kingdom is marked by peace. No more wars. No more weapons, even. God judges (or rules) the nations and he settles all disputes between the nations. I had to look up what ploughshares and pruning hooks were - these are farming tools, the first is used to dig into the ground, the other is a tool used for trimming small trees. What Isaiah is saying is all the guns will be melted down for iPods. All the tanks will be retrofitted as school buses (which would be awesome!) The entire nation’s defence budget, some billions and billions of pounds, reinvested into producing jobs, planting crops and winning more gold medals at the next Olympics. Why? Because it will be end of all wars. God will be in charge.

This sounds... well, unreal. It’s OK to talk about world peace as a concept. It’s OK for a Miss Universe contestant to talk about world peace as her ultimate desire for all mankind. It is even admirable for the United Nations to have Isaiah Chapter 2, verse 4, inscribed on display in a courtyard in its headquarters. But today, in our world, in real life? Come on! Get real!

Well, it is worth reminding ourselves that Isaiah is describing a vision of the future - “In the latter days,” he says in verse 2. Jesus did tell his disciples, “Nation will rise up against nation. and kingdom against kingdom.” “Don’t be alarmed,” Jesus said, “Such things must happen,” he told his friends. Jesus didn’t want them to be surprised. He wanted them to be prepared.

What Isaiah was describing in his vision for the future was a radically new kingdom filled with radically new people. The nations would submit themselves to God as their ruler and judge. This reminds us that the description of world peace under God’s rule in verse 4 is not independent of the nations’ submission to God’s word in verse 3, but rather is a result of that same submission. Submission to God’s word is the turning point of the vision in verse 5, because here, Isaiah turns from speaking about the outsiders to directly addressing the insiders; from speaking about the nations to addressing his own nation, the descendants of Jacob. He says to them, “Therefore, how much more should we walk in submission to God’s word.”

Come, O house of Jacob,

let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Isaiah 2:5

Sadly, when we look at the people of God in Isaiah’s day, they had rejected God’s word for their lives. It is ironic that all the outsiders - these former pagan worshippers of other mountains - are so hungry and so keen to know the God of Mount Zion, whereas the insiders, the descendants of house (or family) of Jacob, have to be reminded to do the same. “Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.” Jesus once told the religious leaders of his day, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” (Matthew 21:31)

The rest of Isaiah focuses on God’s people, the people of Jerusalem, and I want us to come to this passage asking, “Why?” Why did they turn away from God? Was it because of disappointment? Where they doubting his goodness? Where they skeptical about his power? Was there something missing in their lives? Why did God’s people turn away from their own God?

The answer that Isaiah gives us is: They were full, not empty. Isaiah looks at his city and sees a city that is full of superstition, full of wealth, full of privilege. This was was a city full of pride.

2. God’s people filled with idolatry

You have abandoned your people,

the house of Jacob.

They are full of superstitions from the East;

they practice divination like the Philistines

and clasp hands with the pagans.

Their land is full of silver and gold;

there is no end to their treasures.

Their land is full of horses;

there is no end to their chariots.

Their land is full of idols;

they bow down to the work of their hands,

to what their fingers have made.

So man will be brought low

and mankind humbled -

do not forgive them.

Isaiah 2:6-9

Silver, gold, horses and chariots. Everywhere he looked, Isaiah so no end to this city’s wealth and accomplishment. And I probably need to clarify that it is not wealth itself that is the problem. Isaiah isn’t pointing at the rich saying, “Those are the bad guys.” No, these were more than symbols of wealth, they were trophy cases of human pride. For some of us, it is our collection of degrees which we frame up in our offices - PhD.... Permanent Head Damage. For some of us, it is our CV, our list of contacts on LinkedIn, our Facebook page and the number of likes on our profile page. And yes, for some of us, it is our money. We look at our paycheck at the end of each month and go, “I earned this. This is how much I am worth.” Dare I say it... some of us look at our churches, the number of people in our congregation, the number of sermons we have preached, and go, “Look at me. Aren’t I doing well for myself?” Again, none of these things are bad in and of themselves - money, wealth, a good education, ministry, Facebook - but they get to heads.

Isaiah looks at our pride and sees a one-to-one correlation with idolatry. See how he brackets their wealth. He begins by saying that they are full of superstitions from the East and divination like the Philistines; that is, Israel is chasing after foreign gods. Just a moment ago, we see the foreigners coming to know God and to worship God, but Israel? They are chasing after other gods. This city, which had the temple of God, which produced so many men of God, were chasing after other gods. In a city like Cambridge, with its rich history of missionaries, pastors; of bible preaching; it is the birthplace of student ministry; it is even the place where the New Testament was first compiled and translated - isn’t this a city which is also chasing after other gods? Yet at the same time, Isaiah tells us that these foreign gods are no gods at all. Idolatry is self-worship. Idolatry is worship of human pride. Verse 8: “Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.”

Interestingly, the mention of horses in verse 7 - “Their land is full of horses” - is the bible’s way of saying, “I told you so.” In Deuteronomy Chapter 17, Moses gave instructions about the king, saying that this king needs to know his bible, he needs to memorise it and read it every day. The king needs to mindful not to compare himself with his brothers and go, “Hey, look at me. I’m the king.” But Moses also says about this king, “(He) must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself,” and “He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.” (Deuteronomy 17:16, 17) Moses knew long before there even was a king, that wealth would lead him astray. Jesus told his disciples, “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:23) The more treasure we have on earth, the harder it is for us to conceive of greater treasure in heaven. Moses warned Israel; Jesus warns us. Don’t let your wealth get between you and God. Don’t let your ego stand between you and your need for Jesus. When we come to him, we come with empty hands asking him to fill us with his righteousness. When we come to God, we humble ourselves before him and our King. While that might not be the picture of our lives today, of our world today, God has set aside a day when all will bow the knee before Jesus. A day when you and I will call him Lord.

3. God’s judgement filled with his splendour

Go into the rocks,

hide in the ground

from the dread of the LORD

and the splendour of his majesty!

The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled

and the pride of men brought low;

the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

Isaiah 2:10-11

Remember that Isaiah’s vision is of the future. He began by talking about the last days (verse 2). Now he talks about a final day called the Day of the LORD. Many look at this day, rightly, as a day of judgement. Men and women are running away from God for fear of his anger and judgement. But I want you to notice that here, when Isaiah talks about the Day of the LORD, nowhere does he describe God pouring down fire on earth. Nowhere does it say that God will round up his enemies and throw them into hell. That’s not because God doesn’t punish those who rebel against him. No, it’s because Isaiah doesn’t even have to paint that image of God. All God needs to do on that final day, on the Day of the LORD, is to show up. Everyone will the picture - “This is God!”; and verse 11 tells us, “The LORD alone will be exalted on that day.” What follows is an expansion of this verse, verse 11, where “the LORD alone is exalted”.

The LORD Almighty has day in store

for all the proud and lofty,

for all that is exalted

(and they will be humbled)

for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty,

and all the oaks of Bashan,

for all the towering mountains

and all the high hills,

for every lofty tower

and every fortified wall,

for every trading ship

and every stately vessel.

The arrogance of man will be brought low

and the pride of men humbled;

the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

and the idols will totally disappear.

Isaiah 2:12-18

All God needs to do is turn up and the greatest symbols of power, of pride, of self-sufficiency, of security and self-worth... crumbles before him. That’s all God needs to do. God shows up on the last day; he alone is lifted up, all of creation either bows down before him; either they bow down in submission before God, or they run away from his presence - “from dread of the LORD and the splendour of his majesty.” (Isaiah 2:19,21)

Men will flee to caves in the rocks

and to holes in the ground

from dread of the LORD

and the splendour of his majesty,

when he rises to shake the earth.

In that day men will throw away

to the rodents and bats

their idols of silver and idols of gold,

which they made to worship.

They will flee to caverns in the rocks

and to the overhanging crags

from dread of the LORD

and the splendour of his majesty,

when he rises to shake the earth.

Isaiah 2:19-21

Compare this picture with the one we began with. Here men are running away from God, there the nations are running to God. Here they run to the rocks, to caves and holes in the ground; there the nations are streaming up to the mountain of the temple of the LORD. Here, Isaiah is speaking to Jerusalem, the house of Jacob who have turned away from God to idols; there, Isaiah speaks of the nations, the pagan worshippers of foreign gods, now repenting and turning to the only true God to seek after his presence and to listen to his word. God has set aside a day, a Day of the LORD, when he will show up. And the question is, Will you run to him on that Day? Or will you run from him on that Day?

Notice that something else happens on the Day of the LORD, something that happens to the idols. These symbols of superstitions from the East. These symbols of human pride. These symbols of wealth and luxury which so filled their city, “Their land is filled with silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures.” (verse 7) What happens to these idols? They get thrown away. Verse 20: “In that day men will throw away to the rodents and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship.” They get chucked in the bin.

A way of telling what the idols that exist in our lives are - because idols really are hard to discern; for some of us it might be “silver and gold”, but for some others it’s something else other than money that has a hold on our hearts. A way to telling what these idols are, is to ask ourselves, what would we immediately get rid of if God showed up one day? When the health inspector shows up in a restaurant, suddenly the kitchen staff are chucking out the expired meat. When your dad pops into your room unannounced, you close that browser window on your computer. Or even when the pastor pays you a visit, you hide your XBOX and DVD collection in the closet. What if Jesus showed up today in our church? Are there things we would quickly hide away, things which we would otherwise be so proud to put up on display?

You see, God doesn’t need to get rid of the idols on that final day. They will “totally disappear,” verse 18 tells us. Why? Because we will chuck them. Because when we compare our false worship with the only God who deserves all our worship, all idols look like junk, even the ones made of silver and gold. Which means the main reason why we bow down and worship our idols - whether it is they be the idols of career, wealth, security, family, companionship, achievement, health, good-looks, intellect - is because we don’t see God as he truly is. One day, we will. Notice how the same description of God is repeated in verses 19 and 21, “Men will flee... from dread of the LORD and the splendour of his majesty.” These men dread God’s presence, meaning they fear him and perhaps even loathe him deep in their hearts, but the reason for this isn’t before God is so terrifying and awesome, it’s not just that. No, what they loathe is “the splendour of his majesty.” Splendour. It is talking about something that adorns God, that makes him beautiful, awesome, compelling - and Isaiah says that these men see the beauty of God’s majesty and when they do... they run from it. They loathe it, that is, they fear God’s awesomeness. But also, I think that it is also an indication that their appetites for greatness and beauty has been so spoiled by the worship of their cheap idols, that when true greatness stands before them, they can’t take it. Their own idols become worthless and they chuck them to the rats and rodents, but even the real thing becomes unpalatable to their senses. They have no taste for it and that’s a real shame.

Stop trusting in man,

who has but a breath in his nostrils.

Of what account is he?

Isaiah 2:22

The word for man in the Old Testament is Adam and the last verse of Isaiah Chapter 2 reminds us of the first man in creation, Adam. Isaiah is thinking back to Genesis 2:7, which reads, “Then the LORD God formed a man/Adam from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” That is, God is the one who created Adam, and God is the one who sustains Adam by giving him breath and life. The Apostle Paul says to the Athenians,

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”

Acts 17:24-25

Take a long, deep breath. Take another. That’s a reminder that we live because of him. Each breath is a reminder that we depend on God for every single moment of our existence. God is the one who gives us breath and life and everything else. What is man, says Isaiah, but a living, breathing testimony of God’s goodness; a reflection of his image? And yet, when we bow down to idols, we forget that. “Stop trusting in man,” says Isaiah, literally, Stop looking at him. The problem is not money. It’s not the Internet. It’s not pressure to perform at the Olympics and to score as many gold medals as possible. The problem is worship. Instead of giving our worship that is due to God who made us and sustains us, we are worshipping... ourselves. We create idols that reflect our ideals, our hopes and dreams, all the while ignoring the only one who can fulfil our deepest longings and desires. God.

The last days

Isaiah Chapter 2 is a vision of the last days, that is, it is a vision for the future. The last days. But friends, when the New Testament speaks of the last days, it is describing a future that has already begun. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the beginning of the last days. When the apostle Peter preached his first sermon at Pentecost, it was a sermon about the last days. “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people... The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.” (Acts 2:17,20) Did you hear that? Peter speaks about the last days as well as the great last day of the Lord. And what does he talk about next? Jesus. “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.” What is he saying? The last days began at the cross of Jesus Christ.

And one clear indicator that the last days have already begun, if you are looking for proof, is right here in the Chinese Church. What do I mean? You are the fulfilment of Isaiah’s vision, did you know that? “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,” that is what the nations say to one another. Not the Jews, not the house of Jacob, but the outsiders and pagans. And friends, that’s what we are - outsiders who have been brought into God’s presence, brought into God’s kingdom, brought in as God’s children through the word of the LORD, the gospel. The only reason why you and I are able to respond to this word is because of Jesus. He fulfilled the vision of Isaiah by establishing the one and only way to God through his death on the cross. We approach God through the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross on our behalf.

Listen to what the author to the Hebrews says, when he tells Christians, “You have come...” Not, “You will come,” that is, in the future. No, he says to us, “You guys have come,” present tense. “You have come to Mount Zion.”

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Hebrews 12:22-24

You don’t have to get on a plane. You don’t need to clean up your act first. No, the author to the Hebrews says, You have come to Mount Zion. You have come to a great assembly of angels. He even says, You have come to God, the judge of all men. Finally says, you have come to Jesus. His blood cleanses us, his sacrifice makes us acceptable, and his death alone brings us to God.

When we invite our friends over on a Sunday to join us for worship, we’re not inviting them to sign up for a programme or to attend an event. We are calling them to come to Jesus. That is what it means to a church in a city like Cambridge. Like the nations in Isaiah’s vision, we are saying to the people of the city, “Put away your idols. Stop trusting in man. Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” We do this by preaching the gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection on the cross, because it is only there at the cross that we see God’s true awesomeness. There at the cross we see most clearly the splendour of his majesty, and when that happens, our idols melt away. Some will be tempted to flee. Others may despair. But I hope you will come and adore him for who he is; for his majesty and splendour, and to worship Jesus alone as our Lord, God and Saviour. For every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ, is indeed, Lord.

The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled

and the pride of men brought low;

the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

Isaiah 2:11

We belong to the day

To the day that is to come

When the night falls away

And our Saviour will return

For the glory of the King is in our hearts

On that day we will be seen for what we are

Strong as a mighty rock

Our refuge in the coming wrath

The heart of the bride belongs to Jesus, Jesus

The earth in its turning stops

To marvel at the Son of God

And all of that day belongs to Jesus, Jesus

(“We belong to the day,” Michael Morrow)

God loves to use the least

“But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

Judges 6:15

For many Asians Christians, the story of Gideon’s call from God hits home with our own personal experiences.

If you come from a background of idol worship: your family frequents temples, they offer joss-sticks to your ancestors during the festive seasons; if this has been the pattern of life in your family for generations and generations; and then, one day you come to know Jesus, you come to understand that his death on the cross was for your sins, that God raised him from the dead for your justification; and you respond to Jesus in faith, repentance and love. He is your Lord. Your life is now lived in worship of his glory alone. Yet, for you, as someone coming from a background of idol worship, turning to Christ, must also mean turning away from idols to serve the true and living God (1 Thessalonians 1:9). This can be an immensely scary thing to do.

In the story of Gideon, we meet a young man who is afraid. He is afraid of the Midianites, whose troops were oppressing the Israelite people, attacking their homes and destroying their crops. He is afraid of God, thinking that he is going to die from the encounter with the angel of the LORD. But also, he is afraid of his own family, who do not worship God, who instead, had given themselves to the worship of Baal.

So before God sends him out on his mission to take on the enemy, he first sends Gideon back home to deal with the idols in his backyard. “Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it,” God tells Gideon. Gideon did as he was instructed... but. “But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than the daytime.” Gideon was afraid, and he had good reason to be. His own father was an idol worshipper and possibly even, a priest in service of Baal, the idol. The next morning, the entire village is in uproar over Gideon’s act of vandalism. They march up to his house and demand of Gideon’s father, Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar.”

But Joash doesn’t give up his son. Instead he starts mocking Baal. “If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” Does Gideon’s father become a Christian overnight? I can’t really say for certain, but this much is clear: (1) He sticks up for his son - facing up to the hostile crowd to protect Gideon; and (2) He recognises his own foolishness in worshipping an idol, and turns away from it.

On the one hand, idols have no power. They are not gods, just things that we put in place of God. They are only as powerful as we allow them to be. In this sense, money can be just as powerful an idol as the statues in the Taoist temple - both have a tremendous hold over their worshippers; over those who give their lives in service to these idols.

On the other hand, God is serious about our worship. And for Christians, who understand that the sole basis of our worship is the sacrificial offering of Jesus’ own blood and body on the cross, who we offer our lives in worship to is a serious thing in God’s eyes. Jesus warns us that we cannot serve two masters. Either we will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and hate the other (Matthew 6:24). The first thing God does with Gideon is accept his worship. The very next thing he does is send Gideon to tear down his father’s idols.

That’s scary. We don’t want to offend our parents. We might even be afraid of offending God. But if you look closely at Gideon, it wasn’t so much his fear of God or even the fear of his parents that was at the root of his constant indecision and cowardliness. Why do I say this? Well, because again and again, we find God reassuring Gideon and speaking to him so graciously. Again and again, God is so patient with Gideon, even though this kid keeps insisting on testing God again and again. And as for his fear of his father, why, Joash sticks up for him in the end. He seems like a pretty stand-up guy!

Why was Gideon so afraid? Because he was the least. He was fearful of his own inadequacy. He felt small and he felt so insignificant. What does he say to God again? “How can I save Israel? My clan is the least! I am the least!” But again and again, God’s response to Gideon is, “I will be with you.” God doesn’t give Gideon super-powers. He doesn’t give him supernatural courage. No, what God gives Gideon is an assurance. “I will be with you.” God gives Gideon the promise of his presence. “We will do this thing together.” Such that the strength of God’s promise and the power of God’s presence is seen precisely in the weakness and inadequacy of this young man.

Maybe, like Gideon, you are the least in your family. Maybe, like Gideon, you don’t feel in any way up to the task. And maybe, just maybe, like Gideon, God looks at you and me and goes, “That’s the guy I’m looking for!” “That girl is perfect!” In God’s wisdom he chooses the weak. In God’s mercy, he pours out his love on the least. Why? So that when others see us in our weakness, in our poverty, in our inadequacy, what they will see all the more clearly is his glory, his power and his grace through his Son, Jesus.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10

[Read the full message on Judges 6 here]

Wake up and smell the Jesus (Ephesians 5:3-20)

Back in college, I used to bunk in a room with three other guys. We’d go to lectures together, eat our meals together, revise for our exams together, and then stay up late chatting over cups of Milo together. This meant, though, that we always had problems waking up in the morning. None of us could get up on time, even though we all had alarm clocks. We would set them, our alarm clocks would start ringing, but then we would immediately turn it off and go back to bed, thinking that the other guy’s alarm would still wake us up. As a result, we were often late. Together.

In today’s passage, the bible is telling us that we need to wake up. It is saying that some of us go through life like sleepyheads. We make unwise decisions and choose foolish paths simply because we are unconscious. Meaning, we coast through life. We don’t take advantage of the opportunities given to us. We waste our time, not realising that we are wasting our lives. As Chinese philosopher and thinker, Bruce Lee, once said, “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” (Whhooaaaaaah!!) The bible says the same thing:

Be careful then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:15-16

In particular, the bible says we need to be wise about three things: sin, secretiveness and the Spirit. Those are the three points from our passage today. We need to be aware of sin - how destructive it is but also, how deceptive sin is. We need to be wise about secretiveness - about hiding our sin, putting on an act and covering our sin instead of confessing our sin. Finally, we need to be filled with the Spirit - a way of saying, that we need to actively seek out God’s will for our lives and encourage others to do the same.

Sex, drugs and rock n’ roll

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

Ephesians 5:3-4

The first thing the apostle Paul deals with is sin. He warns Christians about sinful actions - sexual immorality, impurity, greed. he also singles out sinful speech - obscenity, foolish talk, coarse joking. Yet the word he uses to describe these sinful actions isn’t “sin”. They are bad, yes; they are destructive, definitely. Instead, the person who does all these things isn’t just the bad guy; the sinful man. Paul says such a man is an idolater.

For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person - such a man is an idolater - has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Ephesians 5:5

Meaning, Paul is calling the sinful man an idol worshipper. He is saying that when you sin - whether with your body, mind or speech - you are no different from the guy bowing down at the temple with joss-sticks before idols. That’s surprising for many of us to hear. We expect the bible to condemn the sinner by saying that he has broken the rules; he has offended God. And indeed, one aspect of sin is all about turning against God in defiance and rebellion, and saying to him, “Get lost!” But another important way the bible pictures sin is the replacement of God, is the setting up of a counterfeit God. We look for our identity, fulfilment and satisfaction in something else other than God. That happens in temples, before statues of Kuan Yin - idols of deities, to whom we might offer incense, money or devotion. But that also happens in the Grand Arcade, before the gods of All Saints, Three Mobile and the Apple Store, in which we exchange our money and our time for a new look or a better phone plan. Both are essentially the same thing - the worship of idols. We turn away from God to look elsewhere for our fulfilment and meaning in life.

So, when you go back and read how Paul says these things are “improper” for God’s holy people (verse 3), he doesn’t mean “goody-two shoes”. To be holy means to be different. To be distinctive. To be exclusive to God and God alone. One important mark of this difference is therefore, thanksgiving. Verse 4: “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse-joking, but rather, thanksgiving.” We are acknowledging God in his goodness and his blessing to us, not because we are deserving but because he is a merciful and generous God. That is distinctive worship. That’s what Christians do when they gather as God’s people on Sundays and in small groups. They recognise God for who he is what he has done for us in Jesus Christ. And that’s what Christians do when they do get that iPhone or those new pair of jeans from All Saints - sorry, to imply that you can’t ever shop in the Grand Arcade - but your distinctiveness is seen not in where you shop but how you shop. You are conscious of God’s grace. You are thankful for God’s goodness. You are giving glory to God when you receive his good gifts.

Here as Paul addresses the serious issue of sin, we need to hear his note of concern. This isn’t an angry schoolteacher telling off some students for goofing off at the back of the class. This is a concerned parent. This is a loving pastor saying to a group of Christians, “You guys don’t know what serious harm you’re doing when you sin. You don’t get it - the more you sin, the more you are fooled into thinking that it doesn’t matter that you sin.”

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

Ephesians 5:6

“It is no big deal!” That’s the excuse we give whenever we’re confronted with a sinful action or behaviour. Such words are empty words, and yet we are tempted to believe them. They convince us that God doesn’t care how we live; that we can go on living any way we like, and it is nobody’s business but our own. Paul warns us, “because of such things” God’s anger is going be poured out directly on the disobedient. These “sons of disobedience” (as the English Standard Version has it) describe those who know God and yet choose to ignore him as God; who choose to ignore his word for their lives. Words like wrath, anger, hell, judgement. They say these are just words designed to scare us into being good, things parents say to get their kids to behave. Paul says judgement is very real. In fact, notice that Paul says that judgement is very near - God’s wrath “comes” - not that it “will be coming”, but that it is here: judgement is described in the present tense. There comes a point in our act of sin when we are so wilful and determined to carry out that sin, that all God needs to do is to step back and give us over to our sinfulness. To that person may seem like, “Hey! Look at me, I’m doing this with no consequences whatsoever.” To God, that person has been written off. That’s scary. Paul is describing a real, present judgement that can be seen even today, and he says to us, “Let no one deceive you.” Wake up!

But also, Paul says, “Don’t join them.”

Therefore do not be partners with them.

Ephesians 5:7

He’s not saying here to Christians that we need to avoid them. Don’t be partners with them, meaning, don’t join them in their actions; in abusing your freedom, don’t join them in sinning with your body and mind, don’t join them in carelessly speaking hurtful words to one another. Being holy means displaying God’s holiness in a world that isn’t holy. It doesn’t mean pulling away from the world, but displaying God’s distinctiveness in this world. Paul clarifies in 1 Corinthians Chapter 5:

I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave the world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, or an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

1 Corinthians 5:9-11

Here in 1 Corinthians, we find the same categories of sin we saw in Ephesians - sexual immorality, greed, idolatry - but Paul says you can’t hide away from people who do these things. You are not supposed to. Otherwise, “you would have to leave the world”. Sometimes, that’s what we try to do. In a sincere effort to be God’s people, to live in a way that is pleasing to God, we pull away from anyone who doesn’t meet God’s standards. Paul is saying, “That’s just silly!” What he does warn us to do is to stay away from the Christian brother who does do these things. “With such a man do not even eat.” Again this is a wake-up call. We get the order mixed-up: we condemn the people who sin outside the church, and we ignore the sin that goes on and on inside the church. Paul says we live holy lives in the midst of a world that isn’t holy, and we are more conscious of it within the church which should be holy - not more oblivious to it, or dismissive of it here in the church - but more serious about it.

So, the first thing we need to be aware of is sin: the destructiveness of sin but also, the deceptiveness of sin - the kind of “empty” talk that says that there are no consequences to sin. Paul uses worship language to open our eyes to what really happens when we sin - we a giving ourselves to idolatry and we are facing the reality of God’s wrath. Instead, as Christians, we characterise our lives with holiness and we characterise our words with thanksgiving. Or, as Paul says next, we are to be “light in the Lord”.

Living as children of light

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light (for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.

Ephesians 5:9

Elsewhere in the bible, Christians are described as those who have been called out of darkness into God’s wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). It’s like you’ve moved house. You pack up all your things, you move out of darkness and you now live at a new address - Light. Things should look different in your life. Darkness is where you used to come from but not any more. You now live in the light.

However, Ephesians puts this rather different. Paul says, you were darkness, now you are light. Not that you’ve moved into light but that you’ve become light. Let me tell you why this is important - to see that we are not simply moving into a domain of light, but that we ourselves, have become a source of that light. We’ve just been talking about sin - sexual sins, greed sins, idolatrous sins - and we just heard that these sinful actions have no place among God’s people. The temptation is to deal with sin by avoiding it, maybe even, by denying it. So, we stay away from sinful people. We tell our kids to stay away from the bad kids who always get into trouble. We move out of bad neighbourhoods, away from crime, away from violence. These are not necessarily bad things to do. It is wise to stay away from temptation, especially when you know that you are susceptible to particular sins. And yet, the problem is, we might think that the solution to sin is simply to change our address. To put on a show. To try to look respectable. To avoid the bad hats and hang out with the good guys. Thinking this is what it means to be in the light.

Paul says, “You are light,” and that means two things. Firstly, you need to change. You were once darkness - you used to do these things; not any more. You need to change - your behaviour, your attitude, your life - and live for Jesus. This change is inside-out. It begins with a heart that says I’m no longer living for myself, I am going to do what God wants me to do (which is why Paul writes in verse 10: “Find out what pleases the Lord”). So, the first thing it means is radical change beginning with your life - from darkness to light. From living for ourselves to living for Jesus Christ.

But secondly, it means you become the agent of change in the lives of others. Your job isn’t simply to avoid sin, to avoid darkness. Being light means your job is to shine into the darkness. To speak lovingly and truthfully into situations where you do encounter sin. Or as Paul says next, you are called to expose the darkness.

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible.

Ephesians 5:11-13

Now I know that this is a risky thing to say because it sounds like an excuse for being judgemental. It sounds like the busy-body who goes around pointing out problems in other people’s lives. No one likes that guy and no one ever listens to that guy. No, the way we are called to “expose” darkness is by being light in the darkness. It is talking about a contrast; a radical difference. We don’t go around saying, “That’s wrong, that’s wrong, that’s oh so wrong,” but rather we humbly live lives that say, “This is what it means to do right, to act justly, to love God.” It’s a contrast. Paul says, “The fruit of light is goodness, righteousness and truth” and he contrasts that against the “fruitless deeds of darkness.” Meaning, on one hand, you can’t help but expose sin simply by living holy lives. People will be more aware of their sin, they might even be more ashamed by their sin if they see you not caught up in those same sins. But on the other hand, you aren’t leaving people stuck in the dark either. You are speaking light into darkness. You pointing them to Jesus who died for our sins and frees us from our sin.

For it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

“Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

Ephesians 5:14

It’s never pleasant dealing with sin, whether it’s in ourselves or in those we love. But the reason why we don’t avoid it, or sweep it under the carpet - the reason why it is actually loving to wake people up to the reality of their sin - is because it means we are waking them up to the reality of who Jesus is. We are not telling them that they are bad people who need to be good. We are not telling them they are lazy people who need to work harder. We are waking them up to see that they can’t help themselves, they are caught up in their sin, they are in danger of God’s wrath, but that they need Jesus who died on the cross to change them from darkness to light. Wake up, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you!

Which brings me to my point of secretiveness. Paul says we need to expose darkness. We need to wake up and let Christ shine into our darkness. Again and again, the bible is saying to us how pointless it is to put on an act to cover up our sin. I know it is a shameful thing to admit that we are sinful. I know it is a painful thing to have those around us know that we have been sinful. But trying to hide it is foolish and it doesn’t work. I am not saying that you then need to confess your sins to me or to everyone in front of the church, that’s not what I’m getting at. What I am saying is this: Are you even aware of your sin? Do you need a wake-up call about a particular sin your life, which maybe no one sees because you have hidden it so well, in the dark, for so long? Why not try this: say to God, show me my sin. Say to Jesus: Shine your light on my life - every bit of it - show me who I really am. You know, Jesus says one of the signs of a genuine believer is that he isn’t afraid to do this.

Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

John 3:20-21

To recap, Paul says the second thing we need to be aware of is secretiveness - our propensity to hide our sin, the temptation to cover up our sin. And he says to us, You were once darkness, now you are light. In Jesus, he enables you to confront the darkness inside of you. He even uses you as an agent to confront the darkness in the lives of others, such that you are not simply calling them to turn away from their sin; you are giving them the opportunity to respond to Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

He is saying to us, this is what it means to live wisely - it is making the most of every opportunity in living for Jesus and speaking to others about Jesus.

Be filled with the Spirit

Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Ephesians 5:15-17

In the movie Dead Poets Society, Robin Williams plays John Keating, an English teacher in a prep school. On the first day of school, he brings all his students to the trophy room. He makes them all stand in front of a large display case, drawing their attention to black and white photographs of old students who used to be just like them, who studied in the same school, who shared their hopes and dreams, some of whom went on to do great things. John says to his students, “Go on. Lean in and look at them. Can you hear their voices speaking to you?” Then, whispering in the background, Mr Keating goes, “Car-pe.... Carpe.... Diem. Carpe Diem. Seize the day!”

You have one life. Make it count. Seize the day. Don’t just coast through life, be deliberate. Or to use Paul’s words, “make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.” Literally, the phrase means “buying time”. It’s a business term, meaning, your assets, your commodities are in a currency called time. Like a good businessman, you are always thinking, “How can I invest my time?” “How can I make the most return for my time.” It is saying that if you are smart and wise, you will realise that the important things in life cost you time. It means you have limited time - you can do one thing, you can’t do everything. And the worst thing you could do with your valuable time is nothing. The worst thing you could do is to waste your life.

That is what we do, if we are not wise. If we do not wake up. We let time pass us by, and in doing so, we let our lives pass us by. In the same movie, Robin William’s character quotes these words from American poet, Henry Thoreau:

‎"I went to the woods

because I wanted to live deliberately,

I wanted to live deep

and suck out all the marrow of life,

To put to rout all that was not life

and not when I had come to die

Discover that I had not lived."

You have one life. Wouldn’t it be a tragedy to say at the end of your life, “When I had come to die, (I discovered) that I had not lived”? But what’s the alternative? What does it means to “suck out the marrow of life”? I think it means this: To live passionately for Jesus. Or as Paul calls it, to be filled with the Spirit.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:18-20

Some have used this phrase, “Be filled with the Spirit” as a way of saying that we need to have more of the Spirit, implying that some of us have less, others have more. You have 20% for coming on Sunday, but if you lead worship, you have 40%, and if you can lead worship and play guitar, you have 60%. That’s not what it’s saying. It’s not about having more of the Spirit, but about the Spirit of God having more of us, again linking back to the concept of redeeming and buying our time. It is making God more and more central in every aspect of our daily lives and saying to God, “Please fill me, all of me - my studies, my work, the way I use my money, the way I relate to my brothers and sisters in church - please use more of me for your glory.”

But why, then, does Paul compare the Spirit to wine? “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery (which means recklessness; a destructive behaviour which doesn’t care about consequences) - instead, be filled with the Spirit, he says in verse 18. The problem is with drunkenness and not with the wine. It is taking something which is good and turning to it in excess for fulfilment and for pleasure, instead of turning to God. It’s no different from the idea of idolatry we saw earlier. It only results in disappointment and destruction. You could replace wine, with food: too much results in gluttony. You could replace it with money: too much results in greed.

On the other hand, we have the Spirit. And Paul is saying, being filled with God’s spirit is a tremendously good thing and when it overflows it results in blessing. In other words, you can’t have too much of God. “Speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (or songs inspired by the Spirit).” It is talking about joy and encouragement. Some songs you can listen to again and again. You’re not trying to memorise verses for an exam. You’re not being forced to sing it. You listen and you sing it because it’s fulfilling in and of itself - it’s an overflow. Often you call these “worship” songs, that is we are singing them to God, expressing thanks in Jesus. But notice that these songs are sung to “one another”. It says the same thing in Colossians 3:16, by the way. We sing to one another as a form of encouragement, that’s why it’s not just about those one or two people who are the best singers standing up front, doing a performance in front of the church. It is all of us, singing together, praising together, even singing to one another, as an overflow of being filled with the Spirit.

But also, we sing to our hearts. “Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord.” Jesus Loves me this I know.... Yes, Jesus loves me, the bible tells me so. Knowing you, Jesus, there is no greater thing. You are ministering to your heart when you do that.

And Paul’s point is, You can’t do this enough. Anything else, you kinda need to watch yourselves that it doesn’t come back and bite you in the backside. Wine, movies, Facebook, TV, holidays, gardening, Tripos - all these are good, helpful, godly things given us for our enjoyment and God’s glory. But we can make idols out of them. Too much and we lose ourselves in them. Not the Spirit. Not Jesus. If you had to choose one thing to invest your time in that you know will give you a 100% return on investment, it’s knowing God’s will. He actually says it three times in our passage.

For of this you can be sure... (or know with certainty, and then he goes on to talk about the kingdom of Christ and of God)

Ephesians 5:5

And find out (discern, figure out) what pleases the Lord.

Ephesians 5:10

Do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Ephesians 5:17

Three times, Paul comes back to knowing Jesus, figuring out what pleases him, and understanding his will. With regard to sin, the bible says, Don’t be swayed by empty words but be anchored on God’s word about his judgement and salvation. With regard to salvation, the bible says, goodness, righteousness, truth aren’t just perks that come with trusting Jesus, they flow from a heart that wants to please Jesus. And will regards to wisdom about the Spirit, about not wasting your life, Paul says, Don’t be foolish. Find out what Jesus wants you to do. That’s pretty amazing. Actually, I think it makes things very simple. The best way to guard your hearts, to spend life, to find true satisfaction is keep coming back to Jesus.

And amazingly, as he ends, he says even when we turn to God, when we give thanks to God, the best way of doing so, is always through Jesus Christ.

Wake up and smell the Jesus

Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:20

In a way, today’s passage speaks to three kinds people, and to all three, the bible says, you need to wake up and smell the Jesus. To the one caught in idolatry and sin, the bible says, give your worship to Jesus, who died for your sin and freed you from your sin. To the one trying to help his friend in sin, the bible says, point them to Jesus who is the one who can change them and whose love transforms them from darkness to light. Finally, to the one looking to spend his life wisely, who wants to live the extraordinary life, the bible says, look to Jesus and live for him. Everything we receive, we receive by grace from God, and it comes to us through one person and by one name, Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

How to start your own cult (or turn your church into one)

Last night at Rock Fellowship we looked at the funny yet tragic story of Micah's house of idols in Judges Chapters 17 and 18. I suggested that we could summarise the passage as a "how-to" guide on starting up your own cult. Here are the three steps we saw:

1. Don't start from scratch
There's no need to come up with fresh material. Use the bible. Start with Christianity. Call it a church, even, and baptise your members.

Yes, Micah starts his own religion with his own idols. But he also had an ephod, installed a priest and called upon the name of the LORD (Judges 17:13). In other words, he was building upon the faith of his fathers. His was a new and improved version of Israel's god.

2. Get someone famous
The turning point was the arrival of a Levite from Bethlehem who turns out to be none other than a direct descendant of the great man of God, Moses, himself (Judges 18:30). Even the Danites recognise this personality simply from hearing his voice while standing outside Micah's house (Judges 18:3).

Micah immediately hires the Levite as high priest to preside over his new religion, saying, "Now I know the LORD will prosper me" (Judges 17:13). In other words, this was a celebrity endorsement. With someone this famous on Micah's team, God must be blessing his church.

3. Fill it with disgruntled Christians
Soon, the Danites turn up. No longer is this one man's religion, it becomes a whole tribe's. The Levite gets a promotion to Archbishop of Cantebury. A megachurch is built overnight.

But notice how the Danites came to chance upon Micah's religion in the first place: The were leaving their own. For generations, they had been struggling in "Zorah and Eshtaol" (Judges 18:2). This was land given them by God as an inheritance. However, right from the beginning of the book of  Judges, we learn that Dan never quite managed to take control of that land (Judges 1:34). Rather than stay and fight, the Danites had decided it was easier to pack-up and leave.

What they found in Micah's god was approval. Approval to leave their city (Judges 18:6). Approval to attack another peaceful city (Judges 18:27). Here was a god who endorsed their sinfulness. Whatever they wanted to do - even if it was against God's law; even if it was against their own conscience - this god said, "OK." "Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the LORD" (Judges 18:6).

The author summarises this sad situation with one recurring phrase:
"In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."
Judges 17:6

Under pressure (Revelation 2:8-17)

Spiritual crisis

“It is impossible to say how many Christians there are in China today, but no-one denies the numbers are exploding.

The government says 25 million. Independent estimates all agree this is a vast underestimate. A conservative figure is 60 million. There are already more Chinese at church on a Sunday than in the whole of Europe.”

The BBC News article, “Christians in China”, was published on Monday, with a subheading which asks the question, “Is the country in spiritual crisis?”

While Europe and the United States struggle to face an ever burgeoning economic crisis; while countries in the Middle East are grappling with war and political upheaval; isn’t it remarkable that one of the chief concerns in Communist China - from the man on the street to Premier Wen Jiao Bao, who has commented publicly on this issue - isn’t it remarkable that their concern is spiritual in nature?

Is China in spiritual crisis? Many think it is.

In the same report, Professor He Guanghu, one of China's most eminent philosophers of religion at Renmin University in Beijing says, "The worship of Mammon… has become many people's life purpose.” He therefore concludes, “I think it is very natural that many … will not be satisfied. (They) will seek some meaning for their lives so that when Christianity falls into their lives, they will seize it very tightly.”

With all due respect to Professor He, the bible agrees, but also disagrees with his assessment. Many look at China and express surprise that the Christianity was not extinguished in back 1949, when all foreign missionaries were expelled from the country. Or during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960’s, when Mao described religion as “poison” and attempted to wipe out the church altogether. Professor He says, rather, it is change in economic circumstances - wealth - that has driven many to trust in Jesus, in their search for meaning in their lives. He is even quoting Jesus when he speaks of the worship of Mammon.

The bible says both persecution and temptation place pressure on the church. Both pain and pleasure are used by Satan to threaten and undermine the growth of the church. But today’s passage teaches us that Satan gets more Christians through pleasure than through pain.

I know your pain; I know your poverty

To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty - yet you are rich!

Revelation 2:8-9

“I know your afflictions and your poverty,” Jesus says. Every time you have felt alone. When pain and circumstances isolate you from everyone else in the world. When you stand at the ATM and the bank balance says there isn’t enough to pay the gas bill.

All your anxiety; All your fear: Jesus sees; Jesus knows. But more than that, Jesus has been there.

“These are the words of him… who died and came to life again.” There is a reason why he identifies himself as the one who died. On the cross, Jesus, the Lord of history - the First and the Last - laid down his life. We worship a God who has faced death, depression and despair. And Jesus says to the church in Smyrna undergoing the same kind of rejection and persecution, “I know your situation; I am in control of your situation”. These words of Jesus are that of comfort and reassurance.

I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Revelation 2:9-10

“You will be tested.” That is the reality behind these words. “Some of you will be thrown into prison,” Jesus says, “and you will suffer persecution for ten days.”

The ten days may be literal. That is, God is forewarning them of a specific period of persecution: Ten days. More likely, it is a reference to Daniel Chapter 1, where Daniel and his friends ask for ten days; ten days to be separate from the rest king’s court; ten days when they would not touch the king’s food or wine but eat only vegetables; ten days when Daniel and his friends would be tested.

Jesus is saying, “Be faithful during these ten days of testing, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life”.

And yet we should not miss the obvious: Satan is responsible for these attacks. The devil is behind this wave of persecution. Moreover he uses men zealous for God’s name, to carry out his work of destroying the church. Elsewhere, John records these words of Jesus:

"All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me."

John 16:1-4

It all sounds rather twisted: They will kill you and think they are “offering a service to God”. So here in Revelation, there are those who claim to be Jews - identifying themselves with the people of God. Yet what Jesus hears from their lips is slander - the word can also be translated “blaspheme” - meaning their very profession of faith in God, is insulting to God. It is twisted because here is Satan using religion and religious people to attack the church. In fact, that is precisely what happened to Jesus. He was murdered and betrayed by his own people; by religious leaders who thought they were doing a favour for God by nailing him to the cross. These are not the people of God, says Jesus. They are a synagogue of Satan.

Live once, die twice. Die once...

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Revelation 2:11

There is a second death. Meaning: The suffering and death of this world is but a pale shadow of a second death and a final judgement. Either we die once and receive the promise of resurrection everlasting life from Jesus. Or we reject Jesus and die twice, facing death in this life and a second time in the life to come.

One the disciples of John was a man named Polycarp who eventually became the bishop of Smyrna, during a period of intense persecution under the Roman government. At eighty-six years of age, Polycarp was imprisoned because of his faith. It is said that he took comfort reading these words from Revelation addressed to his church. When forced to deny Jesus or face death, he responded by saying:

For eighty and six years have I been his servant, and he has done me no wrong, and how can I blaspheme my King who saved me?

Most of us here today are nowhere near eighty-six. Few here, if any, have ever been faced with the decision to choose Jesus or lose our lives. What would it take for us seriously consider the words of Jesus Christ, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and i will give you the crown of life”?

Yet the reality is: Many who name the name of Christ have died for that name. We should not be surprised. The blood of martyrs are the seed of the church. That’s why the church grew in Communist China in 1949, in 1960; and it continues to grow today - despite every attempt at oppressing the church and restricting the gospel. That’s why Revelation continues to be keenly read and taken seriously in the Chinese Church. Because Jesus says of them, “I know you affliction. I know your poverty. Yet, you are rich!”

No, the real question for us today, is not what Jesus would say to the church in China; rather: What would Jesus say to the church in Cambridge?

Where Satan lives

To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live - where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives.

Revelation 2:12-13

Pergamum is introduced to us as a faithful church. Like Smyrna, Jesus says to them, “I know”. This is Satan’s throne. This is where Satan lives. And because of this, the church has been oppressed and pressured to deny to Jesus. But, Jesus says to them, “You remain true to my name.” He even singles out Antipas, “my faithful witness” - the Greek word for “witness” is “martyr” - who was put to death in the city. Antipas was faithful to the point of death. Wasn’t that what Jesus said to the church in Smyrna?

So, in many respects, the church in Pergamum ought to have surpassed expectations. They were faithful witnesses. They held on to Jesus. They had a track record of withstanding physical and spiritual persecution from Satan himself.

However, Jesus does have a few things to say against this faithful church in Pergamum.

Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Revelation 2:14-16

Not persecution, not pain, but pleasure. Satan has two weapons at his disposal; and only two. He uses pain but he gets more through pleasure. The Christians in Pergamum though faithful in the first test, had succumbed to the second.

And Jesus is saying, “This has happened before,” when he mentions “the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin”. The story is recorded in the book of Numbers Chapters 22 to 25, when the Israelites were wandering in the desert under the leadership of Moses. Balak was a king of Moab, who saw this huge mass of Israelites approaching his country and feared that they would attack them. So he hired a prophet, a man named Balaam, to pronounce a curse on the Israelites as they passed by.

However, God steps in and stops Balaam from saying anything against Israel. Balaam ends up blessing them instead. Three times, Balak tries to bribe Balaam with money, three times he gets important and impressive people to win him over, three times he sets up altars to sacrifice to God to try and win God over; but three times Balaam opens his mouth and blesses the people of God instead. He says, “Must I not speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?” (Numbers 23:12)

Now Balaam is not a good man. Though he is a prophet of God, and though God uses him to bless Israel, Balaam was a man greedy for money (2 Peter 2:15). So when he says to King Balak, “I can only say what God gives me,” he’s actually giving an excuse: God was preventing him from cursing the Israelites. God is to blame.

So what Balaam does instead, is to teach Balak how to get around God’s word. It is bad enough that Balaam uses his position for gain; to try to get rich. But what he does next is so immensely wicked and evil. He teaches Balak how to entice the Israelites to sin against God (Numbers 31:15).

In Numbers 25, we read:

When Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshipping the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them.

Numbers 25:1-3

Balaam knew, the only way to destroy these people of God, was to tempt them to sin against God and to incur his wrath and jealousy. That is what Balaam taught Balak, and it worked.

Jesus is saying, This is what happened then. This is what is happening today. Verse 15: “Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” “Nicolaitan” and “Balaam” mean the same thing; one is Greek, the other is Hebrew. They both can be translated to mean “conquer people”. In other words: This is how you destroy people. This is how you influence and trap them. You tempt them to sin against God.

Now notice: Jesus is not simply condemning their sinfulness, or their practice of sinning through sexual immorality and idolatry. Rather, for three times, Jesus draws attention to those who teach others how to sin against God; those who teach the people of God that it is OK to sin against God.

Verse 14: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam

Verse 14: Who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin

Verse 15: Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans

In Romans 1, Paul does not simply condemn those who practice sin - “such things deserve death” - but reserves the severest condemnation for those who “approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32). In 1 Corinthians 5, he confronts sexual immorality in the church, but more seriously those who condone such practices, and are even proud of such high-handed sinfulness (“And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief?” - 1 Corinthians 5:2).

Meaning: Jesus is not simply addressing an attitude to sin that is seen in our homes (“what we watch on our television screens”), our workplaces (“an illicit relationship with the secretary”) and our personal lives (“how we conduct ourselves in our relationship with our boyfriends or girlfriends or spouses”). But the reason why the church in Pergamum is succumbing to temptation - of sexual sin and of idolatry - is because these very practices are being taught and approved of within the church itself. In other words, it is what is going on up front - here from the pulpit, here amongst the leadership - each week as hear the bible being read and taught.

Some might say: How can that be? How can it be that Christians are being taught to worship idols and commit sins of a sexual nature? And the answer is: by taking their eyes off this book.

The moment we take our eyes off this book; the moment we lose sight of the singular purpose of God’s word in every the gathering of God’s people - be it prayer meetings on Mondays, Rock on Wednesdays or Paul Group on Fridays; the moment we say to ourselves, “Ah, let’s take a break from hearing the bible, after all, it’s just an academic thing to read this ancient book. It has no relevance to my life today” - that is the moment we start to replace God’s voice with ours. We no longer listen to the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword!

Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Revelation 2:16

Why is it that Christ identifies himself as the one who hold the double-edged sword? He is giving the remedy to the teaching of the Nicolaitans and the temptations of Balaam. The sword is the word of judgement. The Christians in Pergamum needed to hear that God will judge their sin of immorality and idolatry, according to his word of truth; according to the words of Jesus Christ.

You see, one of the reasons why the government in China is, in a sense intrigued by the growth of the church, is because they, too can see that the country has a growing social problem - of greed, crime, sexual misconduct, depression, suicide, broken marriages, rising divorce rates, teenage pregnancies, and the like - and they look at the church and see active, positive, effective efforts in dealing with these issues. There have been interest in Christian marriage preparation courses. Christian businessmen have a growing reputation for being honest in their dealings.

Yet when I asked a missionary what was the greatest need in the church in China today - the answer I got surprised me. They did not say, “More bibles” (they could print their own). It wasn’t better marriage counselling (even though divorce and incidences of marital unfaithfulness was rising even amongst Christians). It wasn’t even greater freedom in gathering as believers and evangelising non-Christians, even though the majority of house churches still meet underground in secret and in fear of being raided at any time.

No, the greatest need was clear biblical teaching. To counteract false teaching and heresy. But also to address these very problems with sexual misconduct, greed and oppression. Only the gospel can transform hearts and bring a nation out of darkness into light.

What we need is fresh, clear, bold preaching of Jesus Christ; his death on the cross as the payment for our sins and his free and gracious offer of forgiveness to sinners to enter the presence of Almighty God and his children, reborn through the Spirit of God.

What we need is the gospel - the transforming word of Jesus Christ.

He who has an ear, let him hear

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will gives some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

Revelation 2:17

Jesus addresses seven churches in Revelation. He speaks to the heavenly realms (“To the angel of the church of Smyrna; to the angel of the church of Pergamum”); He addresses the earthly gathering of God’s people (“Hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”).

But Jesus always ends by addressing each of us, individually.

“He who has an ear.” Meaning, “Are you listening?”

You need to overcome. I need to overcome. Jesus calls each of us to account for our own personal faithfulness in the face of suffering; our own steadfastness in the face of temptation. In the same way, he offers each of us the promise of reward and eternal life.

There are various interpretations of the hidden manna and the white stone. I say because this is one bit I am not all 100% clear about as to it’s true meaning, aside from the fact that Jesus is obviously talking about eternal life.

The one I lean most towards picks up from the imagery of the High Priest. Hebrews 9:4 tells us how a gold jar of manna is placed in the ark of the covenant, situated in the Most Holy Place, accessible only by the High Priest once a year. Also, the stone with the name written on it, reminds us of the two stones on the shoulder of the ephod, worn by the High Priest. On these black stones were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. When the High Priest entered God’s presence once a year in the Most Holy Place, offering sacrifices on behalf of the whole nation, he was reminded by these stones that he was representing all of Israel. It was as if Israel was entering God’s presence. (Click here for a previous write-up on Exodus 28)

Together, the hidden manna and the stone with the hidden name paint a picture of entering God’s presence in an exclusive yet accessibly way. Jesus is promising us clear and open access to God.

It is a promise to him who overcomes. It is a promise to those who hear the words of Jesus Christ; what the Spirit says to the churches.

The spiritual crisis in China is one that is affecting a nation. The church is China has drawn the attention of the world. You can be sure, it has drawn the attention of the evil one. But in the midst of changing circumstances, the word of God stands eternal. Jesus Christ will build his church. And He speaks today through his word, to his church, by his Spirit. The question is: Are you listening?

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.