Missions Paul

“But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. He warned them not to tell others about him.” (Matthew 12 v 14-16)

• Distance yourself from the problem. Take control of your diary. The difficulty serves you not the other way round. Decide you will deal with it on your own terms and at a time which is best suited for you. (Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place).
• Draw people to you who are in need. Only a few follow the plotters. The majority have many needs which they need God to sort out. Don’t be fooled when people say, “Everyone is saying this about you.” It’s not true. The majority are so fixed on their own problems they don’t care what the negative people are saying. They still need your help. (A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill).
• Don’t make things worse by causing misunderstanding. There are times not to post on social media. Quietness is your strength. Don’t let people walk away from you intending to boast of who you are and what you can do but at the same time fail to understand what you are here to do and the who you will not become. (He warned them not to tell others about him).

Last evening I hosted a zoom induction service and I asked the Church receiving their new Pastor a question: Are you ready for a new move of God in your lives? They all said YES. Of course they would. It was an easy question to ask Christians. We would say the same. But are we ready to accept, change and stand against opposition for that move of God we so desire?

Having declared that He was the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus enters the synagogue and finds someone needing a move of God in there.

 ^“Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shrivelled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. (Matthew 12: 9-14)

Maybe they planted the man with the withered hand? Maybe they went looking for a diseased man and told him to go to the synagogue and they did all this to trap Jesus?

Here are the 3 important questions:

Are you open for God to work in your life at a time you would never have expected?

This man was probably not bothered at all what the day his healing took place! Sometimes the perfect happens at an imperfect time for others and even for yourself.

What if others are offended at what they see God doing in you?

Does that matter to you? Are you more interested in your own popularity? Often you cannot have both. If you are going to stretch your hand out and do what you have not done before then you may lose friends.

Are you willing to make the necessary changes to see God work in you?

The man had to do what he and others said he could not do. He had a shrivelled hand because he could not stretch it out. The truth was when Jesus told him to stretch out his hand he found he actually could.

The disciples took the grain heads, separated the chaff from the grain and then grounded the grain in their hands as they walked along. But they were being watched. The Pharisees are always watching. They accuse the disciples of breaking the rules of resting on the Sabbath.

“Jesus answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12: 3-8)

Jesus uses 3 examples:

1. Abimelech the priest gave the Temple bread to David (who was not a priest) when he and his men were fleeing from King Saul (1 Samuel 22). The Temple bread was only to be eaten by priests (Leviticus 24).
2. The priests who work in the Temple on the Sabbath are innocent of breaking the rules (Numbers 28).
3. Hosea their prophet understood mercy is better than sacrifice.

Jesus takes the opportunity to reveal who He is:

1. I am greater than the Temple.
2. I am Lord of the Sabbath.

And so the remarkable amazing thing is what Jesus reveals and what we MUST understand.

5 truths to living with God’s rulebook.

1. The rules of God are not challenged but man’s interpretation of them are.
2. The rules serve God’s people not the other way round (David and the bread).
3. The rules made allowances (the Temple priests who did His commanded work).
4. The rules of God are not condemnatory but man’s rules are.
5. The rules have at the heart of them Mercy (Hosea) and Rest (11:28-30).

Come to me you who are weary and burdened …. Remember that? Shortly after speaking to the crowds who were worn down by legalistic rules Jesus is facing an example of that burden.  It wasn’t the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy and not to work on it which was the burden. It was the traditions of the religious leaders who told the people how to apply that commandment.

“At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12 v 1-2)

Jesus is walking on the Sabbath. They do not accuse him of that act so he presumably was within the accepted distance for the Sabbath, about 1,000 yards.

Along the borders of the fields, grain, grapes, olives were left after the harvest so that the poor could pick them. This is all acceptable and within the Law of Moses. But the Sabbath was more important than hunger even if you were a widow, an orphan or very poor.

So the disciples took the grain heads, separated the chaff from the grain and then grounded the grain in their hands as they walked along. They didn’t work up a sweat. They were not filling bags of grain for some business. They did it within their own hands which produced a small snack!  But for the religious dictators it was work.

The Pharisees are protecting their culture, they are crying out for purity, they campaign against sin. Why? Because it was sin that cast God’s people out of the garden, it was sin that caused them to die in the wilderness and sin was breaking the rules, law codes, sacrificial offerings that are mentioned in the memorised Torah.

Without Jesus, rules become very important and worth the effort to protect them.

But when you follow Jesus then your attraction for Him may mean you cause offence to those who do not see Him like you do.

Following Jesus means you will have to let go of pleasing man and the rules that protect your status with God.

Every generation battles with the code of conduct passed down to them.

Every generation ends with having more rules than relationship.

Every generation has to ask ‘what kind of Jesus will we follow?’

Leadership is all around us. From work-places to the home; the church to the community; friends to making new ones.

Today I will be filmed giving a 5 minute ‘top-tip’ for leadership which will be used at my denominations Leadership conference next month. Over the last couple of days I have been focusing on these words:  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

It is here as Jesus speaks to the crowd of people burdened and tired by a religious system of leadership which was legalistic, coercive and twisted by narcissistic pharisaism that he says, ‘Come to me I am not that kind of leader. I am different to anything you have ever experienced.’

This will be my script. This is what I think Leadership is. It comes from the Leader of all leaders: I am gentle and humble in heart.

Humility

When the Apostle Paul said goodbye to the Ephesian elders in a very moving farewell speech he said these words, “I served the Lord with great humility and with tears …” (Acts 20:19)

In the culture of Paul’s day the word was always used disparagingly and often towards a slave. That attitude of the world threatens the Church even today. Being humble is obviously a trait we all believe in but it doesn’t get a huge mention and we never talk about it as something to aspire to. In fact if you were to say I am humble well that just proves you are not. But why is this so? I think we need more people in all spheres of society, in the Church and outside of it, who will stand up and say one of the hallmarks of their life, the axis of their worldview is that they are lowly in their thinking of themselves and they recognise the value of others above their own value. What’s the worst thing can happen? The response is ‘No you’re not, I can prove it.’ That will only serve the humble well as we work on being more like Christ. The humble will never fight over whether they are humble or not they will just try and be even more, for to be humble is to be like the Lord Jesus Christ.

To be humble is not to pride ourselves on our works. We also tell the stories of our failures. Paul was continually aware that he was a sinner, the persecutor of the church and of Jesus Christ, the least of the apostles etc.

Paul in his other writings from prison reminds us of how Jesus lowered himself, abased himself is a powerful word, made man, made flesh. We don’t fully realise the abasement of these words. We preach Christ crucified, we pray in our imagination to a human Jesus, a servant, the Son of Man. We carry those earthy, human images in our mind because that is true. Yet what is true is He is God!

I try to be true to the story of my life. We tend to hide our failings and talk of our successes. Our failings that are mentioned only put us in a good light as God brought good out of them. We are afraid of losing friends and fame if we mention when we had failed.

If we carry the cross in our hearts then why do we only speak of our exaltation? Of course I am not suggesting we create badges saying ‘I am humble’. But I do think when people ask us what has been the thing that has brought exaltation in your life we say it is because I became humble. (Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:10) But also that I am working at being completely humble and that may take some time yet!

Gentle

It’s a difficult word to translate apparently. Some translations have meekness. Paul’s use of the word is also used for the brokenness of a horse. Power that is under control. But the problem with that is the word power. How do we handle power? How do we control that?

I think where humility recognises the value of others above our own value; gentleness doesn’t even look at our own value and therefore there is no insistence about our rights in a situation.

Have you ever become cranky with someone? Of course we have. I love the word cranky but not the emotion. People do drive us crazy! Knowing how to keep one’s emotions under control is going towards being gentle.

One of the challenges of the leader is knowing how to be angry at the right time in the right way and for the right reason and that’s not easy at all! It is probably best not to try it for failure is ever before us.

How do we respond when hurt has come into our life? Bearing injuries without anger or revenge but with a forgiving spirit and truly believing that God has a purpose for this is the hallmark of being gentle.

The Amplified uses the word ‘unselfish’ to help us understand more of what it means. It is not to be impressed by the sense of one’s own importance because one thing you know, you are not that important.

This is my top-tip and what I aspire to.

It is the invitation from Jesus to follow Him who describes himself as gentle and humble in heart. May we all pursue these 2 leadership qualities.

I grew up in a time when most Christians had lists. These lists were never produced it was like an oral tradition passed down through the generations dependent on which church you attended.
On this list there were things like the cinema; make-up; clothes; drink; the Sabbath. The list showed whether someone was a true Christian.

I have never met a joyful legalist only prisoners.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11 v 28-30)

The yoke is the piece of wood that harnesses two animals keeping them closely together moving in the same direction.

Jesus invites those who are weighed down by the numerous rituals, regulations and observances that the interpretations of the Torah inflicted on people, to come and take his yoke. To be harnessed to Him.

My life with Christ calls me not to focus on being what others want me to be, holy, blameless and a good man in order to be acceptable but to be who He has made and continues to make me.

I have found my life with Christ is about Him and not me. I feel free in that.

The yoke of Jesus is easy and light, the yoke of man is difficult and heavy.

Having declared He has it all, knows it all and reveals it all, he now calls people to place their

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11 v 28-30)

Have you become exhausted from the journey of your life and work?

Are you weighted down with heavy loads of care and concerns?

Come to me. A simple invitation.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 6:35

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. John 6:37

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. John 7:37

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isaiah 55:1

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Revelation 22:17

Come to me.

Jesus is not suggesting you lay down and have a sleep in order to find rest. Although some of us do need to sleep more! But He is inviting us to leave in order to accept the invitation to come to Him.

The crowd that day were weary and burdened by the rules and expectations of others and the religious system that they had been born into. The invitation was to leave the pressure to perform, the striving to be better than others and to find rest in the acceptance of Jesus.

Come to me all who are gifted with greatness. No.

Those who look like they are going to drop. Those on the verge of giving up. Those who have no answers. Those who are tired of it all. Those who want to run away. Those who are at their wits end. Those who cannot change their circumstances. Those who are weary and burdened.

Come.

Come to me.

Rest.

This has got to be simply the best verse to describe the relationship God has between the Father and the Son. (Obviously there is no mention of the Spirit in this verse but the Bible has lots of examples where that is the case).

“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Matthew 11 v 27)

The Father is the lover; the Son is the beloved and the Spirit is the love that is between them and that unites them. The theological term for this is perichoresis. It basically means that in every divine person as a subject the other persons also indwell, all mutually permeate one another, though they do not cease to be distinct persons. To encounter the one is to encounter the other. The Father is not just the initiator who sits back. In the presence of the Son you are in the presence of the Father and vice versa. This means that you cannot think of them as 3 individual independents outside and apart from each other. To say the Father, Son and Spirit are each God is to say they are one God.

Not Mohammed, Buddha, Zeus, Shiva etc. Only Jesus reveals God. Only in Jesus. Not many roads. One road. Jesus.

Today there are many things you don’t have, you will never have everything even if you had more things. There will be many things you don’t know. You will have more questions than answers. But friends today we can say this one thing, “I know God. The Son has revealed the Father to me and is continuing to do so as I follow Him.”

Today as we pray, we do so in the name of Jesus and he takes us to the throne of God. As we worship Jesus we connect with God. It is all through Jesus.

So if you are sitting today wondering about your life. Asking questions that don’t seem to have answers. When you simply do not know why or what or when or how, Jesus knows all there is to know. Even if he doesn’t reveal what you long to know it is alright. He reveals God to you and He shares the presence of the Divine with you and the triune God, the fullness of God, surrounds you and fills you and hovers over you and guides you and empowers you and opens doors for you and tells you even though you don’t know, He knows and because of that you will make it!

Jesus the revealer!

One day when all is revealed, every one of us will bow our knee and confess in the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the Lord of all creation, to the glory of the Father.

“May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all”. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

This has got to be the ultimate verse in the gospels revealing Jesus as Christ, Messiah, God in flesh.

Yesterday I wrote how Jesus holds it all. He is omnipotent and that is comforting for those who are facing powerful circumstances in their lives that oppose them. But there is more. Jesus knows it all.

All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Matthew 11 v 27)

“No one knows.”

Jesus says it twice.

The ultimate knowledge of the throne of heaven. How the triune God exists and works, no one knows that.

Except Jesus.

In the world of ‘know it all’s’ where everyone seems to have the perfect truth about everything; where one church vies against another for absolute truth; where people have totally correct political views; where people have insights never seen before; where experts in many fields have actually developed things way beyond our imagination; they will never know it all.

The created will never understand the Creator.

In the missional context of needing to be incarnational, we will never understand how the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and Jesus was conceived.

In our pursuit for His Presence in our lives we will never know what it was for the human and the divine to exist in one body. We don’t know it all.

You may not know why … but Jesus knows.

You may not know how … but Jesus knows.

You may not know when … but Jesus knows.

One of my favourite parts of the Old Testament is chapter 39 of Job. This incredible man finally gets an answer to his cry for understanding of why he is suffering. God’s answer simply makes me happy when I read it. He answers with questions.

Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Who untied the ropes of the wild donkey? The questions continue along this line. The answers that Job give are the same for us, “we haven’t got a clue!”, “which mountain goats? Where is the wild donkey?” The point of course is that God knows. God was saying that there are so many things in this world that you do not know why or how or when, including your suffering. But I do. I know. Is that not enough for you?

Matthew 11 v 27 is brilliant for every one of us. Jesus says I know what no one else knows. I know the Father and the Father knows me. To know the Creator is to know it all.

The world is full of the unexplainable, the mysterious, the strange, questions that do not get answered. But God rules them all.

The answer is that we must trust in the wisdom and goodness of Him who knows it all and is over all. The answer is always God Himself. His presence with you. His wisdom, His power and His ability within this world which calls for us to trust Him and to draw near to Him.

Jesus has it all and He Knows It All. Of course there’s one more truth to add … that’s for tomorrow.

We are going to read a verse of all verses. This is the evidence that Jesus believed he was the Son of God. This is not some delusional fantasy. He had a self-consciousness that was birthed within him from the eternal God. He and the Father were one. We are going to stay on this verse for a few days, there’s lots in it!

“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Matthew 11 v 27)

Are you weighted down by people or circumstances?

Do you feel intimidated?

Are you burdened today because you feel weakened by what is in front of you?

All things. In one of the most forthright things Jesus ever said alongside the sayings of ‘I am’ he is making the point that he was not self-appointed. He is the real deal, there is no other. God sent him. He was given all things. But this does not mean there was a time when he didn’t have all things. He is not a secondary being. There was never a time when God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit were not eternally there.

All people will bow their knee to Jesus. No matter how many self-declarations of importance there are through the many media platforms; no matter how many put-downs you have received from arrogant leaders and managers; no matter how much power and wealth are lorded over the weak and marginalised; they don’t have it all.

Jesus has it all.

Jesus at the centre of it all
Jesus at the centre of it all
From beginning to the end
It will always be, it’s always been You, Jesus
Jesus

Nothing else matters
Nothing in this world will do
Jesus You’re the centre
And everything revolves around You
Jesus,You.

Songwriters: Israel Houghton / Micah Massey / Adam Rannery / Adam A Ranney