Traditions and Rituals 2

Mark 7:9-23.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, November 03, 2019.

We are picking up where we left off last week.  In the previous verses, Jesus was responding to the Pharisees regarding the ritual of hand washing.  In verse 9 Jesus continues his response to them.

Jesus responds to the Pharisees about ritual hand washing

In verse 8, Jesus said that they were “laying aside” the commands of God to keep their rituals.  Just in case they missed it, Jesus restates this point, but with the harsher verb, “reject.” In the end, the fact that they would choose their own traditions over the word of God is a stubborn rejection of God Himself.

Jesus then gives them an example of a way that they keep tradition and reject God’s command.  This example has to do with the 5^th Commandment (of the 10 Commandments), which is to honor your parents (see Exodus 20).  The first 4 commandments have to do with how we treat God and this command begins the section of how we treat others.  Our first relational duty before God has to do with honoring our parents.

The word “honor” is the concept of treating someone as being of great weight, i.e. that you do not treat them lightly.  God felt so strongly about this issue that He makes the dishonoring of parents (whether beating them or socially cursing them) a capital punishment in Exodus 21:15, 17.  Jesus emphasizes this aspect of the Law of Moses to show them that God is serious about this command.  It was a grave offense.

Here is the rub.  An exception to this issue had been permitted later by the elders of Israel and thus was a part of their tradition.  It is here that we get a very practical example of honoring one’s parents.  When you are a child in your parent’s home, honoring them generally has to do with listening to them and trying to obey them.  However, when you are an adult and your parents are unable to take care of themselves, honor involves making sure that they are taken care of both physically and financially.  So, in verse 11, the “profit” that is being referenced is the monetary care that an adult child can give their parent or parents.  It could be translated as assistance, help, or advantage.  If a person had adult children, it was like having security for your old age, or when a husband passes and the wife is left widowed.  Of course, not all kids grow up to be wealthy.  Yet, the command is to honor them.  To honor them is to do what you can to help them, to take their need upon yourself, whether you can do little or much.  The point is not the amount, but the heart behind any of your actions towards them. 

Even the New Testament in 1 Timothy 5:4-8 states, “But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them [the children/grandchildren] first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God.  Now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day…But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”  It is interesting that the issue that was a capital punishment in the Old Testament is now viewed as a rejection of the faith, i.e. a spiritual death, in the New Testament.  Adult children have a responsibility to care for their parents in their declining years.  Each family has to work out how this is practically done, but all should pitch in what they can for their parent’s care.  If the whole family is poor then let them be poor together, and also look to God for help, rather than ignoring the plight of their parents.  

Now that we have established what is being talked about in this passage, notice that verse 11 tells us that whatever money the adult child had is now “Corban.”  This is an Aramaic term that the Hebrews used to state that the money had been devoted to God (basically put in the temple treasury).  Whether this happened long before the parent’s decline or during is not stated.  Instead of providing for the care of their parents, the person has given the money to the temple.  This is not talking about tithes, but a gift that is above and beyond what is required, and is similar to the situation of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5.  Such a gift is supposed to be given to God as a show of honor to Him.  Yet, that same God has commanded you to care for your parents.  Why would a person give all their extra money to the Temple (Church) instead of caring for their parents?  And, why would the priests allow someone to donate to the Temple who was not taking care of their parents?  I am sure the reasons are many.  High on the list would be to get social esteem within the religious community, perhaps to move up within the circle of elders, and obtain power, honor, and influence in Israel.  To care for your parents apparently didn’t bring much honor within their society and seemed like a waste of money to some.  Notice that it is impossible to honor God while you are actively dishonoring His commands to you.

This functionally nullified God’s command to care for your parents, and was a kind of religious loophole that the elders had created.  The truth is that God would rather you cared for your parents than give a dime to his religious institutions.  This is not just true for Israel, but also within the Church.  Do leaders and elders pay attention to large gifts that are given to their churches?  Do we ensure that these kinds of things are not happening? 

Jesus then states in verse 13 that they have many such things in which tradition had created ways to get around doing what God commanded.  Those who want to honor God in their hearts are not looking for ways to get around His commands.  Love does not ask what exactly has to be done to honor parents.  Instead it purely acts in order to honor them and honor God.  Thus, our honor does not need to look the same as someone else.

So, what do I do if my parents are not honorable?  Sure, some situations are very difficult and full of a history of bad blood.  However, if your parents have failed in their duties towards you then you should show love to them by caring for them in their old age to the best of your ability.  This is what Christ would have you do.  Who knows, this may change their hearts and create reconciliation, but if it doesn’t, it is still not a loss.  God will bless you for doing your best to honor Him by honoring your parents.

Jesus addresses the crowd

At verse 14, Jesus calls the crowd to himself and begins to make a point about this to them.  The washing of the hands, cups, and utensils all had to do with keeping spiritual defilement from coming into a person, and it was a creation of the elders of Israel.  Jesus corrects the principle that they had been taught (i.e. that such things could spiritually defile you).  He tells them that they are not defiled by what goes into their body.  The washing of feet and hands by the priests in the temple was never teaching that spiritual defilement comes from the physical things that get on us or in us.  That then begs the question.  What exactly does spiritually defile a person?

Jesus categorically states that we are defiled by what comes out of us.  Later we will see that he is talking about the things that come out of our hearts.  You are defiled by what occurs in your heart, period.  It is not the abundance of food or money that makes a person a glutton or greedy.  It is the desire of their heart that craves beyond godly boundaries.  It is not the act of seeing someone naked that makes a person a fornicator.  It is what is stirred up within their heart.  Now, in this context, Jesus is talking about food, but it scopes out to all these other issues.

What about garbage in garbage out?  Even in the area of pornography, it is not the fact that you see a naked person that defiles you.  Otherwise, it would be impossible for us to be intimate with our spouse without wearing blindfolds.  Again, it is what is being stirred up in your heart.  Pornography is acid to the spiritual soul because it stirs up the desire to treat sexuality and another human as a means to an end, as a piece of bread to be consumed and to satisfy an insatiable appetite.  We are told to flee sexual immorality, and may God help us to do so. We guard what comes into our eyes, ears, and mouth, not because it can bring defilement into us, but rather because it will dredge up defilement from out of the depths of our own heart.

The main battle is not at the level of controlling what goes into our body.  The main battle is in our hearts where the love of God either wins out, or our love of sexuality, money, fame, fortune, and a flood of other such things, does.  The over-emphasis on the external allows the internal to remain in a state of spiritual defilement.  Oh Lord, help us to cleanse our hearts through reading your Word, repenting, and praying for the strength to live out a love of you over the things of this world.

Verse 16 challenges us to listen to what Jesus is saying.  Do I have ears to hear?  If we really want to understand what Jesus is saying then we will hear it.  It is easy to get so lost in nitpicking how something is said, and any exceptions, that we don’t listen to the importance of the point.  A person can stop drinking alcohol, but this act alone cannot purify them because it wasn’t the alcohol that defiled them in the first place.  In the end, the battle is always in the heart.  Am I going to live for Jesus, or am I going to live for my flesh and this world?  A person can look like they are clean as a whistle on the outside, and yet be a garbage dump on the inside.  I personally quit drinking alcohol in 1988, that is 31 years ago.  Yet, 31 years of abstaining from alcohol cannot purify one single thing from my heart by itself.  It can only be effective when coupled with a mind that is repenting of the things that lurk in its heart.  I pray that we both have ears to hear what Jesus is saying today.

Jesus further explains to his disciples

After this, when they had entered a private place, Jesus is asked about what he meant by the disciples.  Thus, Jesus emphasizes that he is talking about food and drink.  No food or beverage can actually defile a person.  He makes them think about the eating process.  The body takes in what it needs and expels what it doesn’t.  In a sense, the body is a purifying machine itself.

So, why did the Old Testament command not to eat certain foods?  It was an object lesson to teach them that there are things that can defile the soul and a person should avoid them.  It was also a test of loyalty and faith.

The other side of the lesson is to point to where the true defilement occurs.  We are spiritually defiled by what comes out of our heart.  Of course, the abuser who screams, “Why do you make me so angry,” is actually lying.  The anger was already there in their heart, unresolved and untended.  The monster was always lurking in the shadows, and, instead of going into their heart, hunting it down, and putting it to death, they have allowed it to live by giving it scraps from time to time, even large meals.  Quit pointing to everything else under the sun and blaming it for your defilement.  You are the man!  The problem is right there in your own heart. 

We as Christians are supposed to be the one people who get it.  It is not the Romans, Pharisees, Democrats, Republicans, Russians, Iranians, and the list goes on ad infinitum.  We are to be a people who are going through life, and doing the hard work of dealing with the stuff of our own heart.  This is the genius of the teachings of Jesus.  It calls us to clean our own house, our own heart, and to be merciful to others.  It calls us away from the external image, posing, and pretending to be something that we are not.

Jesus then gives a list of things that lurk in our hearts and often find exit through our mouth, hands, and body.  We should note that this is not an exhaustive list.  His point is that none of these things come from eating the wrong foods, or eating good food with hands that haven’t been ritually washed.

Evil thoughts are the beginning of all sin and opens up our list.  Most of these are obvious, and we should note that they begin internally with thoughts, and then move to external actions.  Adultery begins in the heart whether it is ever acted upon or not.  Fornication is a word that refers to any sexual relationship outside of a man and woman who are married.  Any sexual activity outside of marriage is a sin.  Murder is easy to rush on by, until we remember that Jesus also means the internal hatred that, again, may or may not be expressed in external action.  Thefts begin with a covetous heart that has an inordinate desire for the things that others have.  Wickedness is a general term that covers everything that is bad.  Deceit is obvious.  Lewdness is unbridled lust, and the lack of restraint.  An evil eye is greed and coveting.  Blasphemy means to slander and can involve people as well as God.  We typically call it blasphemy when it is done to God and slander when it is done to a person.  Pride is to be overly full of our own powers and merits.  Foolishness is a lack of godly understanding.

Why does mankind struggle so much at trying to fix our national and global issues?  We do so because all of our hearts are quite capable of generating all manner of evil, and we are generally too enamored with it to go to war against our own heart.  May God save us from ourselves.

Traditions 2 audio

Traditions and Rituals

Mark 6:53-7:8. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, October 27, 2019.

As we head into the holiday season, the subject of traditions is an especially timely one.  The traditions surrounding Christmas within our society are quickly becoming outdated and tossed aside.  It is becoming controversial among some people to wish others a “Merry Christmas.”

Even the traditions of families require a bit of flux as the generations replace each other and the new stuff to do is determined.

In all of these issues, we can lose sight of the truth of God’s Word because of the sentimentality of a tradition that may or may not be based upon the commands of God.  Some of the traditions that our elders have passed down to us are healthy and worthy of keeping, but some of them are not.  As we approach Halloween and the celebration of all that is wicked and dead, it seems like harmless fun, but it has no connection to God’s Word, unless you consider the false religions that it describes.  Of course, some attempts were made to sanctify the period through the celebration of the saints on November 1, making October 31 All Saints Eve, or All Hallow’s Evening. 

Regardless of these things, our passage today will challenge us to make a distinction between the commands that are given to us by God and the traditions that were given to us by our fathers.  At the end of the day, we must never let tradition and rituals help us to lose sight of the commands of God.

Jesus continues to heal many

At the end of chapter 6, Mark starts with a specific event where Jesus and the disciples enter the Gennesaret Area.  This is on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee, southwest of Capernaum.  He then expands the scope from this specific event to how things were generally going at this period in the ministry of Jesus.  Jesus was still quite popular among the common people at this point, and he was still quite unpopular with the religious leaders.  Of course, this is easy to understand due to the fact that Jesus was healing so many and had also fed thousands in the wilderness.

Mark tells us that the presence of Jesus in these areas would draw people to him.  Part of his popularity was due to his novel character, the possibility that he was the Messiah, and his unique teachings, which were quite different from the religious leaders of their day.

However, the biggest driver of people towards him was the desire for a miracle, particularly healing.  We are told that the people were begging him to let them touch just the hem of his garment, and when they did touch it, they were healed.  Of course, the clothing Jesus wore did not have any healing power.  However, God saw their faith in Jesus and rewarded it with a healing.

We would like to think that people who come to us are always led by the Holy Spirit, and seeking God, but often they simply come out of desperate need.  It is challenging to help people in their physical need and yet open their eyes to their spiritual need.  There are many religious ministries that feed the poor and homeless to this day, but very few of the people who gather to them do so in order to be spiritually changed.  Notice that Jesus was compassionate enough to minister to these crowds even though many of them were only looking for a natural benefit.  Jesus could heal their bodies in an instant, but the healing of their hearts and minds would require their willingness to do more than travel to a particular city and beg to be healed.

So, we can see through the ministry of Jesus that drawing a crowd is not all that it is cracked up to be.  I am not saying that we shouldn’t draw crowds, but that we should be aware of the finicky nature of such things.  People gather because they want something, and if they are not interested in true spiritual food then you will only succeed in feeding their bellies, their curiosity, and their desire for entertainment.  It is in this that we must see that if anything spiritual is going to occur, it will only be by God’s Holy Spirit, and by the grace of Jesus.

In fact, it would be a crowd that would later shout, “Crucify him!”  So, when the people heard that Jesus was in the territory, they picked up their sick and gathered where he was at, hoping to be healed.

Jesus is confronted about traditions

As we go into chapter 7, Jesus is confronted with the fact that his disciples are not keeping certain rituals that had become tradition within Israel.

The Pharisees had been watching Jesus.  They had sent representatives to the Galilee area with the task of watching Jesus, and determining the best way to stop him.  This led to increasingly confrontational situations. 

It can be easy to worry about people who are “watching us.”  What if political operatives were coming into our churches and watching us in order to determine how best to stop us?  What if the things that we teach were to end up reported in the headlines of tomorrow, only twisted and put in the worst possible light? 

Jesus knew these things were happening, but he did not fear them.  He kept focused upon the mission that had been given to him by the Father.  We also must remain focused upon the mission that has been given to us.  Unless we shine the true light of Christ, people will have no hope of finding salvation for their souls and rescue from their sins.  May God fill us with strength by His Holy Spirit.

This issue that is noted in our passage has to do with washing one’s hands before eating.  For us today, we would think that this is about hygiene, and that those backwater, Galilean fishermen were eating without cleaning their hands.  This is not what the passage is highlighting.  There was a whole ritual of hand washing that started with the physical cleaning of the hands, or pot, or utensil that would be used to eat.  After this, a ceremonial or ritual washing would be done to cleanse the hands or cooking pot spiritually.  I won’t go into all the details of how they would do this.  However, the point is that the disciples were not doing the ritual hand washing as was tradition.  This passage reminds us that religious tradition can be very powerful.

So, how did this tradition get started?  The Law of Moses refers to the priests washing their hands and feet at the bronze laver before they entered the tabernacle (later the temple).  It clearly represents cleansing oneself spiritually before entering the place of God’s presence.  Over the years, one rabbi’s ideas stacked on top of another rabbi’s ideas, the idea developed that all of Israel should observe ritual cleansing for particular situations, and eating was one of those.

The Pharisees put the question to Jesus rightly.  Why don’t the disciples of Jesus observe the tradition of the elders in this matter?  This is going to set up an important distinction, which Jesus points out to us here.  We must learn to discern between what is a command of God to us in the Scriptures, and what is a tradition that our elders have given to us.  God’s commands must always be obeyed.  Traditions are not so.

Traditions can be good and healthy if they encourage us spiritually to follow the commands of God.  Yet, traditions accumulate changes and lose meaning over the years.  We can fall into the habit of ritually observing traditions that have long since lost their meaning.  The very nature of traditions requires every generation, every individual, to search their heart before God and seek the truth beneath them.  It also requires us to be honest about how useful these traditions are today in highlighting the truth of God.

A classic example of this is all the commercial trappings that have become connected to Christmas.  Or how, about the overeating and, again, commercialism of Thanksgiving?  May God help us to hear the voice of Christ through this ancient custom of ritual, hand washing.

Let’s analyze the first part of the answer that Jesus gives, and next week we will look at the second part. 

Jesus reminds them of a passage in Isaiah 29:13 (I would suggest reading this whole chapter).  God chastises Israel for saying the words that honor Him, but not having a heart that honors Him.  The outward talk of honor is not enough.  It is not enough to say that Jesus is the reason for the season when our heart is really fixed on something other than Jesus.  In other words, our hearts are actually dishonoring God when we are not caring for His ways and longing for Him, period.  Do I want the grace of God that Christmas promises, or do I want merry, nostalgic emotions that make me feel good?  Do I want to give thanks to the God who provided for me when I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it, or do I want to overindulge my appetites, watch entertainments, and then go buy a bunch of stuff? 

The problem is not the eating, football, and new gadgets.  The problem is whether we are truly thankful to God and honoring Him in our hearts.  The problem is whether or not I am truly amazed at the incarnation of Jesus and the hope it brings to all mankind.  Is there an inner honoring of God that matches the outward words and actions?

The Isaiah passage then mentions empty worship, or worshipping in vain.  Many in Israel had fallen into the sin of empty worship and exalting the dictates of men over those of God.  God does not need all of the churches that exist in this country today.  He does not need the millions of songs that are sung throughout each week.  He is not impressed with our amazing talents, musical ablilities, and laser light shows.  He is listening to the hearts involved.

To worship in vain is to be like a person who brings someone else a cup of water and yet it is empty.  What good is it?  We can do all the right things on the outward, but if our heart is not honoring God, worshipping Him, desiring Him, then those things are empty.  Don’t settle for being an empty vessel.  Don’t settle for filling your life with the things of this world, and yet, not have the hunger for God that you should.

Israel had fallen into the trap of exalting the teachings and dictates of wise men throughout their history.  We must never forget that.  No matter how wise men or women may be, they cannot give the Words of Life without God.  Only God can give the words of life, and He has been faithful to give these to those who seek Him with all their hearts. 

This holiday season, let’s not just say that Jesus is the reason for the season.  Let’s also invite Him into our hearts in a fresh way, and truly make it about Him.

Tradition and Ritual Audio

The Expensive Gift

Matthew 26:6-13.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Mother’s Day, May 12, 2019.

Today is Mother’s Day and we want to honor each and every mom that works hard every day to take care of her family.  Today’s story is not necessarily about a mother, but it is about a woman who gives an expensive gift of love to Jesus.  I would say that a woman who gives expensive gifts of love to those around them is a very fine definition of what it means to be a mom. 

As we look at this story, I pray that all moms will find encouragement for their life of sacrifice, and I pray that the rest of us can also hear the call of the Holy Spirit showing us how to love in every situation.

She gives what she feels led to give

In this passage, the woman is unnamed, but we are told that it occurs at Bethany in the house of Simon the Leper during the week before Christ’s crucifixion.  This would make it highly likely that this passage is a parallel account of John 12 where a similar account takes place.  There we are told that this is Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus (the one who Jesus raised from the dead).  Simon the Leper is most likely someone who was healed by Jesus, otherwise he wouldn’t be receiving dinner guests.  Regardless, it isn’t important if we know the woman’s name for today’s purpose.  However, I will refer to the John 12 account from time to time.

Jesus seems to be at a meal that is interrupted by this woman who pours a small flask of expensive oil upon his head.  This is something that would not be very welcome in our society, but it would have been considered an honoring thing in this society.  The oil would smell nice, which would honor the person with both its costly value and its odor.  Also, anointing had the added social connection to the beginning of a priest’s service or the beginning of a king’s reign.  Israel would anoint their priests and kings as they launched their term of service.

However, we must recognize that the motivation behind the woman’s action is not made clear in the story.  One thing is certain; it is the Holy Spirit that is leading her to do this.  She loves the Lord and sought a way to show it.  Often our love for another person causes us to give things that cost us dearly.  In fact, the most costly thing that mother’s give is themselves.  What is it that stirs a woman to give herself to children, a spouse, and family?  I believe that it is the Spirit of God that stirs these things up in our hearts.

Others don’t understand her gift of love

We are told that the disciples are shocked that this expensive gift is being “wasted” in this way.  John 12 tells us that Judas the Betrayer was the one who led this rebuke, but clearly at least some of the other disciples joined in with him and voiced their disapproval.  The oil could have been sold and the money used for the poor.  Now, several things stick out with this objection.  It sounds very pious and also like good financial advice.  However, it doesn’t have the heart of the woman whose love is being spurred by the Holy Spirit.  In John 12 we are told that Judas was skimming money out of the treasury bag, which he carried.  Clearly his motivations are evil, but he masks the true intentions by mentioning the poor.  As for the other disciples, their motivations are not evil like those of Judas.  However, they are caught up in a wrong spirit that criticizes the woman’s gift.

People can often object to how we spend our time, our energy, and our money.  Those things that we do that are motivated by our flesh and selfishness are often deserving of such rebukes.  However, love often gives “wastefully.”  How much was Jesus worth?  In John 12 we are told that the oil was valued at 300 denarii.  This term is usually defined as 1 day’s wage for a common laborer.  That is ten months of wages!  In our terms today we would be talking about $20,000 or more.  That is a lot of money that might even make the most giving of us think twice.  Christ is not physically here for us to show our love like Mary was able to do.  How do we love Christ?  We do so by loving his followers as he loved us, selflessly and sacrificially.  We do so by obeying his command to share the Gospel with the world around us.  Now, there is no law of God that limits the actions of our love.  Yet, people will often criticize you when you love extravagantly.  They will tell you that you are forgiving too many times etc. and criticize your response.  However, don’t pay the critics any mind.  Just ask yourself this.  How is God leading me to love this person in this situation?  Then stick to what you believe He is saying.

Christ receives and defends her gift

It doesn’t really matter what others say about how you have loved those who are in your life.  It only matters what Jesus thinks about our love.  Christ not only receives her gift as a gift of love, but he also defends her before the other disciples.  Countering their “It should have been given to the poor” argument, Jesus states that the poor will always be there to help, but the opportunity to do this was quickly slipping away.  Jesus would be crucified within the week.

It is amazing that people will end up sacrificing the specific person or people that God has put in their life for the sake of the unnamed masses of humanity.  There is nothing wrong with loving humanity and giving to causes that touch them with compassion.  However, if I don’t actively love the specific people in my life then I am a hypocrite.  Another way to think of it is that, we can neglect our love of the human in front of us for the sake of our love of humanity.  It is almost impossible to love humanity in a concrete way, but it is possible to love the individuals in your life today.

God is not worried about waste in the same way that we are.  Sure, we should not waste our money and live on frivolous and selfish things, however, neither should we let others who have a vested interest in our time, devotion, and money, tell us how to use it.  Rather, let us ask the Lord each day how to give love to the people in our life, as well as what organizations to support that are reaching people who are not in my life.  Just know that God has your back.  He simply wants you to grow in your ability to love, to become more like Him.

Her gift of love is greater than she knew

Probably no mother has completely understood the full impact of their sacrificial love.  We should do our best to help them through countless thankful actions, but even we do not completely understand.  Yet, God does.  Jesus explains in our passage that she is anointing him for his coming burial.  We know from the Gospels that none of the disciples really accepted the idea or understood that Christ really would be rejected and executed.   There is no reason to believe that Mary understood any more than they.  Her significant sacrifice was doing something beyond what she intended.

It is important for us to quit analyzing our actions of love after the fact in such a way that we are left feeling worthless.  We may even judge them as worthless or wasted ourselves.  For every child who has squandered the love of a great mom, is a mother’s heart that wrestles with self condemnation and sometimes the condemnation of people around them.  Yet, we are in the worst position to judge the value of our love.  Only God knows the true value of the blood, sweat, and tears that you have poured out in love for your family.  And if it is done in devotion to Christ, it is infinitely more valuable.  Incalculable.  Priceless!   Don’t let the spirit of this world cloud up or infect your heart with fear and doubt.  Rather, keep asking the Holy Spirit for guidance and trust that He will lead you until you hear Jesus say the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

By the way, the actions of Mary’s love left the room smelling of a pleasant odor.  The attitude of the disciples, however, was stinking it up.  Is it a pleasing odor before the Lord?

The Lord honors her gift of love

Let me close by recognizing that Jesus said this woman would have the honor of being so connected to the Gospel that 2,000 years later her story would not only endure, but also be proclaimed alongside of the Gospel.  What an honor!  However, it is still only a temporal honor that is in this life.  If the world were to stand another 2,000 years, few of us would have the honor of having our story remarked about all around the world.  The greater honor is not the honors that we are given in this world.  The true honor is that which will be given to us in the New Heavens and the New Earth after our resurrection.  Let’s love one another, but especially today; let’s reciprocate some of the love that mothers have selflessly poured into our life!

Expensive Gift Audio

The Mind behind the Incarnation

Philippians 2:5-11.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on December 23, 2018.

It is easy for Christmas to be taken over by the things that our flesh likes.  We can become far too excited about the latest technological gadget that we are getting, or similar things.  We can bask in the nostalgia of family, big meals, and “magical moments.”  However, Jesus did not come to make us feel good about life and ourselves, although we will have those things from time to time.  Rather, Jesus came to save us.

Yes, God wants to save us from oppressive governance that sees itself as god.  Yes, God wants even to save us from those fellow citizens who seek to take advantage of us like a wolf does a chicken.   Yes, God wants even to save us from our own lower motivations and mistakes.  Yet, ultimately Jesus came to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21). 

Our sins affect our heart and our mind to the point that we can never feel or think our way out of their effects.  Yet, God so loved the world filled with humans that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life.  Today we are going to focus on the mind of Christ and the mind of God the Father who sent him to earth.  We are going to talk about the kind of thinking that can save us from all those things I mentioned earlier. 

Let’s look at Philippians 2.

The mind of Christ

In verses 1-4, Paul describes several issues that go to the heart of how we tend to think.  In verse 3 he says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or deceit.”  In verse 4 he states, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests.”  Later he emphasizes this more in verse 14, “Do all things without complaining and disputing.”  Also he says in verse 21, “They all seek their own interests.”  All of these descriptions flow from a heart and mind that is twisted towards self.  This is every single person who has ever lived besides Jesus.  If it was not for him coming to earth and demonstrating a different heart, a different mind, we would still be lost and without hope.

So, when we think about the baby in the manger, let us also think about the mind, or the thinking, that was behind what was happening that day.  Let’s remember that Jesus represented not just a clash of thinking between God and 1^st century Jewish religion and philosophy.  Rather, he represents a clash of thinking between God and every generation who has ever lived, including ours today.

Thus starting in verse 5 Paul tells us that we need to have the same mind or thinking that Jesus had when he left the throne of heaven to be born in a lowly stable.  We should question ourselves this morning.  What mind have I been using and living by?  Have I lived by the mind of Christ or the mind and rationale that comes naturally to me?

So what is it about the mind of Christ that we need?  First Jesus did not cling to being in the form of God (vs. 6).  The KJV and the NKJV translate this verse to say that Jesus didn’t think it robbery to be equal with God.  However, the flow of the argument is not towards Jesus being equal with God, but rather away from that state.  He is leaving heaven in order to take on that which is lesser than God.  Thus the point is not that he didn’t think that he had robbed God to be equal with Him, but that His equality with God was not something to cling to or snatch at.  Jesus was willing to lay that amazing, incredible place with the Father aside in order to come down and save us.  So what am I clinging to that I need to let go of in order to experience what God has for me and others in my life?  Jesus wasn’t climbing the ladder and clinging to his place.  He was descending the ladder in order to help us.

Another part about this mind of Christ is that he was willing to “empty himself” in order to become a servant, in human form.  We are not told exactly of what Christ emptied himself.  However, we know that at the very least he emptied himself of his position and the rights or privileges that go along with it.  His mind, which is the same mind as that of the Father, does not cling to power and position, but rather lays it aside in order to serve others, at least if need be.  For you and I, we only have to descend out of the high and loft position of our inflated ego in order to be of service to God, but for Jesus it was truly a humbling of epic proportions.  We should ask ourselves today.  What do I need to empty myself of in order to serve those that God has put in my life?

Lastly in verse 8, we are told that Jesus laid down his human life in order to obey God’s will.  It is easy to focus on the sacrifice of Christ and the love for us that compelled him, and yet overlook his love for God the Father.  He chooses to obey the Father’s will by laying down his life.  Our impulse is to throw God’s commands and plans back in his face and shout, “You expect too much!”  Yet, Jesus trusted the plan of the Father, even when it led him to become a servant to serve mankind, and even to be crucified on a cross.

It is not easy to trust God, but Jesus did.  He also asks us to trust him, pick up our own cross, and follow him.  Do I trust him that much?  Am I refusing to follow Jesus because it costs me something, even my life?

After Paul shows us the mind of Christ that we need in order to be what God wants us to be in each other’s life, he then turns to the effects of this selfless obedience to God the Father.

The reward of God the Father

In verses 9-11, we are shown the response of God the Father to the selfless actions of Jesus. 

First of all God highly exalts Jesus and, I will add here, at the proper time.  The actions of Jesus are all the opposite of self interest and exaltation.  Jesus actually is humbling himself and doing a humbling work that leads to death.  Nothing he does is about trying to lift himself.  We can get so consumed with trying to get ahead, whether secularly or spiritually, that we neglect to think about what we may be risking.  What will God think of my thinking and the actions that it led me to do in this life?  Were they all about self promotion and seeking to be higher?  Or were they similar to those of Christ?

We are told that Jesus is currently at the right hand of the Father awaiting the signal to come back to earth and take control of the governance of this world.  However, that is his experience after the Father chose to exalt him.  Before this exaltation, Jesus is humbling himself and rejecting the temptation to make those things happen on his own.  Even now Jesus is not exalting himself.  He only accepts the exaltation that the Father has given him. 

1 Peter 5:5-7 says, “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.  Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  Notice that God opposes the proud.  When we humble ourselves, we put ourselves in a position for God to exalt us at the proper time.  I would put before you today that this life is not the time for exaltation.  Our flesh can’t handle it.

Verse 7 highlights the big problem.  When we are humble we get worried and anxious about all that we aren’t getting.  We are counseled to trust God and his care for us.  Our flesh doesn’t like such an answer, but God does.  You can exalt yourself in this life and be humbled by God at its end, or you can humble yourself in this life and be exalted by him at its end.

Part of Christ’s exaltation is that he is given a name above all others.  The emphasis is not on some new name that is really cool.  A person’s “name” is equivalent to their reputation and standing among others.  Jesus is given a reputation and standing that is above all others, both on earth and in heaven.  This position is similar to that which he had before because it is once again at the Father’s side, but now he has an even greater honor and standing.  He is now the Redeemer and Savior of humanity.  He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.  If we will take on the same mind that Jesus had, and if we will live out this life as the Holy Spirit leads, we will also join him in attaining great honors and standing at his side.

We are told that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, whether in heaven, or on earth, or in the grave.  This is not just about the physical position of bowing, but about the submission it represents.  Eventually even the enemies of Christ will have to recognize his true standing.

In that moment we are told that they will also confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  What Jesus lost by not seeking his own selfish interests, is given back to him in even greater portion by the Father.  What the religious leaders of his day gained through their self seeking actions, was taken away from them by the Father. 

Knowing that God is bringing all beings of creation to a place where they will confess that Jesus is Lord, what should we do?  To double down on being a rebel only ensures that we would die in our sins and stand before God, confessing that Jesus is Lord, but to no avail for our future.  However, if we will confess him as Lord in this life, and take on the mind of Christ, if we will humble ourselves and live in obedience to his commands, then our confession will lead to the reward of God the Father, who gives us a place at the side of Jesus forever.

So let us contemplate this Christmas season.  Am I following the thinking of this world, the thinking of the devil, or am I letting the mind of Christ lead me?  Let’s live according to the mind of Christ and truly find life!

The Mind behind the Incarnation audio