Sermon – 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – 1 Timothy 1:12-17
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

September 16, 2007

Will you pray with me? Holy Spirit be with us today as we worship God and study His word. Help us to understand what God is saying to us in scripture and revealing to us in the world around. We thank you and praise use in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Six years ago I was in driving from Northern Virginia into Maryland on a sales call. As I drove on 495 the major freeway circling Washington DC I heard a radio report about a building on fire in New York City. A plane had crashed into it. A few minutes later I heard a reporter from the Pentagon say that they had no idea what was happening. Then there was a loud explosion. Another plane had struck the Pentagon. When I reached my office I saw on a small b&w television the fall of the first World Trade Tower. And as I drove home I could see the smoke billowing up from the Pentagon, and the radio announced that yet another plane was missing and possibly coming toward us. So I went home and locked the door. Last week the man responsible for this act, Osama bin Laden, sent us a message. In it he invited us to embrace Islam.

Jeremiah spoke of day when Middle East terrorist threaten Jerusalem. Babylon was coming and Judah was doomed. The cities would be destroyed and the farmland would become a waste land. There was no place to hide. But even in this bleak picture God stood as a beacon of hope. This would not be the end of God’s people.

The use of violence by religious fanatics is nothing new. A first century Pharisee named Saul was the most notorious persecutor of Christians of his time. He was present and approved of the stoning to death of Stephen. He stormed into houses to drag out and arrest women and men who belonged to a sect of Judaism that worshiped their resurrected leader. And when the organization called the Way was completely routed in Jerusalem Saul heard about a group that had fled to Damascus which he was determined to pursue arrest and bring to justice. For Christians in the first century Saul was despised and feared. Saul was his Aramaic name. We know him better by his Roman name, Paul.

Of course Paul went on to become the greatest of all Christian evangelists. Through his efforts churches were planted throughout the region around the Mediterranean. His letters, collected in the New Testament, are essential to our understanding of the Christian faith. How is it that a religious terrorist like Paul could be used by Christ to grow his church? Paul’s transformation from terrorist to evangelist came about from his encounter with the risen Jesus Christ. On the road to Damascus Paul was overcome by a great light and the presence of Jesus. Remember that coming into the presence of God is always a transformative event. Jesus told Paul the good news that Paul was to proclaim to the world. This encounter with Jesus was so transformative to Paul he realized that the good new he heard just had to be true and began proclaiming it throughout the Roman world as if his life depended on it, which indeed it did.

Paul explained the good new that he had received from Christ Jesus to Timothy, his young associate. Timothy, you remember, helped Paul to write the letter to Philemon that we read last week. Later he was sent to Ephesus to help a troubled church. Since being started by Paul the church was now plagued by false teaching. This included wild stories and myths based on the Old Testament. This false teaching had to be stopped and replaced by the true good news which had been receive by Paul directly from the risen Lord. So what was that good news which Timothy was to proclaim? Paul told Timothy to use the testimony of Paul’s own experience of transformation as the basis for the good news he was to proclaim. Paul said,

“1 Timothy 1:12-17 ¹² I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, ¹³ even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the foremost. ¹⁶ But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. ¹⁷ To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

The good news that Paul wants Timothy to proclaim to the church at Ephesus is the message of the grace of God. According to Paul, Christ graciously strengthens us in faith so that we can be of service to others. This is a gift for which we should be extremely grateful. But many of us believe that we are not worthy to receive such a gift. Maybe our faith is not strong enough. Or our behavior is not pure enough. Or possibly our knowledge about Christ or Christian morality and ethics is insufficient. We may have acted in ignorance or unbelief. How could Christ possibly use someone like us? The good news is that Christ can use us because his grace is like a giant tsunami washing away whatever it is we have done in the past. Our sins are washed clear.

But grace is far more than just the washing away of our shameful past. The tsunami of grace leaves behind an abundance of other gifts from God, faith and love. I once thought that faith was something I do, namely believe in God. And love was how I should treat my neighbor. But Paul’s good news is that faith and love do not originate in us. They are not something that we have to find, or purchase, or make. Rather faith and love comes to us as a gift from God.

This means that faith in the “full acceptance that Christ can into the world to save sinners,” is not a matter of our intelligence or education or will but and act of God. God puts faith into us. Our ability to know God, see God in the world around us, and love God comes from God. It is a gift for us to enjoy. Paul’s education had prepared him to reject the Christian message. But by the grace of God who put faith into Paul as a free gift, Paul was able to proclaim the message of Christ to Jew and Gentile alike. Paul realized that he could have never done this on his own. He needed help. And God was there with an offer he could not refuse.

This also means that our ability to love our neighbors is not a matter of our own compassion or ability. Rather it too is a gift from God. Our ability to focus on the needs of others rather than ourselves could never be generated internally. We are all too self-centered for that. Paul’s intense anger and violent temper prevented him from seeing the humanity of the people he persecuted. But by the grace of God who put love into Paul as a free gift, Paul was able to love Jews and Gentiles alike thus making them receptive to his message of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Why would Christ Jesus use a man like Paul to spread his good news? After all Paul was the Osama bin Laden of his day. No one was hated more by Christians? No one was more despised. But Christ had a reason to use Paul for his display of grace. Paul was so bad, so awful, that Christ knew his transformation would be spectacular. Everyone would notice how much Paul had changed. It would be obvious that God had acted because no other explanation would be possible. And since Paul was the biggest sinner of them all it would be obvious that God grace was so powerful that even the most terrible sinners could be redeemed.

Jesus explained to us why God want awful people to be redeemed. Its like if you have a keepsake or memento which is extremely valuable to you. Maybe it holds for you a memory that just can’t be replaced. And you lose it. You don’t know where it is. You search for it all over the house. You obsess over it until it is found. I have a little glass bell that I bought in Venice Italy and gave to my mother shortly before she died. I packed it carefully hoping that it would not break during our move from Pasadena to Eagle Rock. After we unpacked it was missing. I searched everywhere thinking about it all the time. Then last Wednesday I found it, right there in the box, wrapped in a towel just where I put it. That is the way God thinks about sinners. He wants to find the lost sinner more than anything else. He searches until he finds each one. And God rejoices whenever a sinner returns.

Osama bin Laden is still singing the old song of terror and violence. He has yet to experience the grace of God and the abundance of faith and love which comes with it. Sadly he still believes in a dead faith that does little to transform. Just as God searched for a lost sheep like Paul, so too does he search out lost terrorist sheep. We know that it is impossible for Osama to transform himself. But by the grace of God anything is possible. Even against overwhelming odds the people of God in Jeremiah’s day held on and preserved a remnant that continued worship. They were sustained by God’s grace and his faith and love. So pray for the day when all people in the world experience the transforming power of Christ Jesus and God’s grace overwhelms each person with an abundance of faith and love. When that day happens, all glory and honor will be given to our God through Christ Jesus our Lord.

So it doesn’t matter how much you have sinned. It doesn’t matter what you have done in the past. God’s tidal wave of grace is washing over you today bringing with it an abundance of faith and love which strengthens you for service to Christ. And here is the really good news. When we receive this wonderful gift of faith and love enabling us to serve Christ we begin to realize that just as Christ was resurrected from the dead so too will we be resurrected to eternal life. The faith and love that comes us as God’s gracious gift will never end. We will always experience God’s faith and God’s love.

The message for us today is that God searching for us. We are not to emulate Paul’s behavior or become a terrorist because God already knows what we have done in our lives. God is looking for us wherever we are and regardless or what we have done. He sent Jesus to save us. And when God finds us he has a gift waiting. God’s gift is an abundance of faith and love. If God can salvage a wreck like Paul what do you think he can do with you and me? When we receive this grace all the honor and glory go to God.

Lord Jesus we thank you this day for the good news that you have given us though Paul. We accept your gracious gift of faith and love. Help us to use these gifts to love God and our neighbor. Amen.

Sermon – Philemon

Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – Philemon
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
September 9, 2007

This morning is the beginning of Christian Education Week. Our preschool opens tomorrow. Many children in our community have already returned to school. And we are starting to organize our own Christian Education Program for children and youth. If you would like to be a part of this please come next Sunday at 9AM before church for an organizational meeting. Will those of you who are or have been teachers either in the church or at a school please stand up so that we may honor you. Will you pray with me?

Lord Jesus, we thank you this day for allowing us to assemble in your name for worship. We thank you for all the teachers that have influenced so many children and adults in the years past. Bless our continuing efforts to educate adults, children and youth in your Holy Word. We pray this in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Onesimus

Onesimus was a slave. He was probably a foreigner captured in battle. As a slave he would have been kept away from others in his ethnic group to prevent rebellion. All slaves were considered inferior to those who were free and they were viewed with a general disdain. Onesimus was not allowed to marry nor have children. His identity was given to him by his master, Onesimus means “useful”. Since Useful, or Onesimus, was human, laws were in place for his protection but that did not prevent the possibility of mistreatment. Often the only recourse to mistreatment was for a slave to run away. A slave could be freed in his master’s will, or for some it was possible that a redeemer would purchase his freedom.

Image what might have gone through Onesimus’ mind when he heard that a redeemer was coming, a redeemer in whom no one was a slave, who could redeem someone even from the bonds of sin. As Onesimus was being useful to his master he may have heard the wonderful message of hope in Jesus Christ from the Christians meeting in his master’s house. Onesimus may have wanted to find this redeemer more than anything else. So he ran away from his master and made his way to the apostle Paul.

Philemon

Philemon was a wealthy merchant. His wealth allowed him to purchase a slave named Onesimus. During one of his travels he may have run into a very special person named Paul who told him an amazing story about a rabbi from Galilee who had been crucified by the Romans and three days later was alive again. Paul called this “resurrection” and argued that this resurrection proved Jesus to be who he claimed to be, God. Possibly as Philemon watched Paul and the other Christians around him he was impressed at how much faith had transformed their lives; they had become family, brothers and sisters. Eventually Philemon had this faith too and was baptized into the Christian community becoming a brother. And his entire household, Apphia, Archippus and others, were baptized with him forming a church in Colossi that met in his home. Possibly one Sunday morning Philemon’s slave Onesimus overheard a letter read aloud from the Apostle Paul who said, “there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). This may have been the reason why Onesimus ran away, to find this redeemer named Christ Jesus who could redeem him from slavery.

Paul

Paul was in prison with Epaphras. Nearby were Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke. When Onesimus arrived Paul was confronted with a problem. How could the Christian ideal of the equality for everyone in Christ be reconciled with a society that condoned slavery? Onesimus by running away had committed a serious offense. Paul may have begun composing a letter to the church at Colossi telling them that in Christ there is neither slave nor free (Col. 3:11). And he had warned the church and Philemon as a slave master to treat his slaves justly and fairly (Col. 4:1). But here was Onesimus demanding his freedom from slavery in the name of Jesus Christ. What was Paul to do?

Paul called on Timothy for help writing a letter. In it he refused to invoke his apostolic authority and order Philemon to free Onesimus; rather he identified himself with Onesimus as a prisoner and wrote to persuade Philemon from a position of weakness. The letter was addressed not only to Philemon, but to the entire church that was meeting in his house in Colossi. But it is clear that Paul was speaking one to one, Christian to Christian to Philemon. He started by commending Philemon’s faith and love for all the people in his community. This was a sure sign of Christ’s presence among them. Faith and love is what binds a church together. This shared faith led them to the understanding of the blessings that they have received in Christ. God’s ultimate goal for these blessings was to lead the community into conformity with Christ. Thus Paul was telling Philemon that the shared faith of the community would lead to a shared practice of that faith. A faith that believes that in Christ there is neither slave nor free, will lead to a practice of reconciliation that would require receiving Onesimus back not as a slave but as a brother.

So Paul appealed to the shared faith and love of the Christian community in Philemon’s house church. If the bond between apostle and converted slave is based on love, and the bond between converted master and apostle is based on love then what is the bond between the converted master and his converted slave? Is it not also love? Or put another way, if Paul has received a new brother in Onesimus, has not Philemon also received a new brother with Christ as the father to both? Without ever asking Philemon to free Onesimus, Paul argued that in Christ, master and slave are now members of the same family, they are brothers. This new relationship was formed when both became Christian forming new relationships with Christ and transforming the relationship they had with each other. Paul urged Philemon to act in light of this new relationship with Onesimus. His motivation is not based on obedience to the law but on sharing the love that all Christians have received in Christ. What Paul wants Philemon to do is take Onesimus back not as a slave, but to welcome him back as a brother and member of his church. So Paul, expressing his deep love for Onesimus, offered to pay Philemon whatever debt was owed thus becoming intimately involved in the reconciliation between the slave and his master.

Reconciliation in Christ is therefore not just being reconciled to God, nor is it just the reconciliation between Jew and Greek, but it is the reconciliation of people who come into new relationships in Christ. It is unclear whether Paul wants Philemon to free Onesimus or not. It seems that what Paul wants is a new permanent relationship between them as brothers in Christ.

This simple letter from Paul divided the Presbyterian Church for over one hundred years. In the 19^th century some believed that Paul’s omission of a direct condemnation of slavery or a demand that Philemon free his slave sanctioned the practice of slavery. After all, they argued, Paul did send the runaway slave back to his master. But what Paul was arguing for goes far beyond the issue of slavery. He was saying that in our acceptance of Christ as Lord, Christians take on an entirely new way of relating to one another. The model for Christian relationships is as brothers and sisters in a family. Thus rather than arguing for a change in the structure of society, Paul offered a vision of a transformed community based on mutual love reflecting God’s intention for humanity. A transformed community based on mutual love is certainly incompatible with the institution of slavery. This was the conclusion that the church and our society eventually reached. Slavery was ended by Abraham Lincoln with the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13^th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Presbyterian Church which was divided over the issue of slavery in 1860 was finally reunited in 1983 forming the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Acceptance of International People

Two years ago I had an experience that radically transformed my life. I had been going to a church that was almost all white and middle to upper class. But after coming to seminary I got involved with an international student ministry. Here, for the first time I was able to develop relationship with people from other countries who spoke other languages and had different cultural behaviors. The differences between me and them were as significant as the differences between Philemon and Onesimus. But through the transforming power of Christ I was able to relate to these international students as sisters and brothers, and in one special relationship as husband and wife. Before I did not think that this was possible. The language and cultural difference were just too great. But in Christ the barriers which divided us fell and we became a family.

Paul is addressing not only Philemon but the church as well. The church is called to relate to all people, regardless of the ethnicity or language or economic status, as brothers and sisters in Christ. And this is what Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church is invited to do today. Look around and you will see people from other countries and cultures who speak other languages. The differences are great. But in Christ we are all sisters and brothers and we are part of one church. So be transformed in worship today. Let the Holy Spirit open your eyes to see the new family you have around you. Welcome the newcomers with a handshake or a hug. Make new friends across ethnic barriers. Invite someone new for lunch. And make our church a place where people who look and speak differently from us are welcomed into our family.

Conclusion

You may be wondering whatever happened to Onesimus. According to the book of Colossians Paul sent Tychicus, a faithful minister, to Colossi. Presumably he had two letters with him, one for the church, Colossians, and a personal note for Philemon. Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, went too. We don’t know what happened when they arrived, how Philemon reacted to the return of his slave or if the church welcomed Onesimus as a brother. What we do know is that Onesimus did go on to have an important role to play in the early church. Ignatius of Antioch, fifty years later, called him “a man of love beyond recounting”. Onesimus became the Bishop of Ephesus where he was able to collect many of the writings that went into the New Testament including this personal letter from Paul that was so important because it redeemed him from slavery. In Christ, Onesimus was no longer a slave, but a brother.

Holy Spirit be with us now as we greet those who look and speak differently from us. Help us to see each of them as brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.

Bibliography

Thompson, Marianne Meye, Colossians & Philemon, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2005.

Sermon – Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 – A Sacrifice of Praise

Jeffrey T. Howard
Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church
September 2, 2007

Sermon – Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 – A Sacrifice of Praise

Introduction

Today is the last of three sermons that I have been preaching on the Book of Hebrews. Two weeks ago we heard how the new Christian faith was the fulfillment of the faith of the Hebrews who had gone before. Last week we heard that Christian worship is about climbing Mt. Zion to be in the presence of the living God with transformative effects. Today we will hear what those transformative effects are as we are called to protect and share our gifts making a sacrifice of praise to God. But before we begin will you pray with me?

Heavenly father bless us this day with the message you have for us. Speak to us this day through you Word and through the body and blood of Jesus. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit amen

Hospitality for Strangers

Here we are on Labor Day Weekend. If I was back East today this would be a beach weekend. My friends and I would be heading to the Maryland or Delaware beaches for the last weelend of the summer. We would enjoy the surf and take advantage of the end of season sales in all the stores. But most importantly it would a time to get together with old friends, meet some new ones and have a great time together eating the sweet corn growing on the eastern shore and of course those delicious Chesapeake Bay blue crabs. Crabs cannot be eaten alone. You need a big group. Start by covering the picnic table with lots of newspaper. Dump a bushel of crabs in the center and start picking. Since you get less than a bite out of each it take hours of picking to eat a whole meals. That’s why you need a big group, so that stories help you to pass the time. And when finished just gather up the newspapers, throw them away and you’re done.

The author of Hebrews would be comfortable at the beach on Labor Day Weekend. She would see us trying to outdo one another in showing honor, and loving each other with mutual affection as we have been taught by God. Our hospitality would be apparent as we contribute to the needs of one another and welcome strangers in our midst.

In the ancient world hospitality was more than just getting together with friends. When traveling strangers would appear at your door they would be given an extensive welcome and honorific treatment. They would be entertained and given protection, overnight lodging, and provision for the continuing journey. It was assumed that some guests were really divine figures. And if a guest reciprocated with gifts this would cement a permanent relationship, but this was not expected. We can see from this that ancient hospitality was really a form of brotherly love where the needs of strangers were graciously cared for.

Remember the Prisoners

There are many, however, who come to the beach on Labor Day Weekend to drink and cause trouble. Until just a few years ago people could take beer kegs on the beach in Dewey Delaware. It was not uncommon to see large groups of young adults drinking on the beach. People who drink excessively become loud and boisterous and less able to control their words and actions. Alcohol’s addictive properties can overwhelm and torment their spirits. They become prisoners to alcohol and its destructive ways.

You might expect that as Christians we are called to condemn those who succumb to addictive prisons like alcoholism. But you would be wrong. The author of Hebrews wants us to remember the prisoners, their torment and chains for two reasons. First, we have all been imprisoned, suffered abuse, or had to endure hard struggles in some way. At those times we needed support and love just as those imprisoned now do. And second, as Christians we are called to have compassion for everyone including the prisoner of alcohol. This applies even if we are harmed by someone imprisoned by addictions. We can deal with it because we have an inheritance that cannot be stolen kept for us in heaven. We are prisoners of Christ. So our response to those who are addicted and abusive is reflecting God’s overwhelming love.

The Marital Bed

When the sun goes down at the beach on Labor Day Weekend the bars and nightclubs fill with young people. The combination of fatigue, alcohol and the driving rhythms of rock music tend to loosen inhibitions. When this happens young people are vulnerable to sexual temptation. Before this happens we have to tell young Christians about the high value we place on marriage, how marriage is precious, honorable, of great worth, and held in honor and respect with high regard like a rare jewel. And we need to tell them of the importance of keeping the marital bed unstained, undefiled and pure.

But the temptation is still too great for some people who fall into sexual temptations. Our temptation will be to condemn those who fall. But who are we to judge the sexual practice of someone else? Who are we to boast of our own purity? Only one person ever was pure enough to boast. And he is the only one to judge these things. The only person who was ever pure, undefiled, and sinless was Jesus Christ. Therefore only Jesus Christ can judge these things. The author of Hebrew tells us that God will judge the sexually impure, but sadly they will never inherit the Kingdom of God.

The Love of Money

As you stand on the side of the Coastal Highway in Ocean City Maryland on Labor Day Weekend you will see expensive cars filled with people going to luxury condominiums along the beach. The East Coast elite have come to enjoy their expensive toys. For many of them this betrays their real God. Some may claim to be Christian, but in reality their god is money. Money is what they love more than anything else, more than loving God, more than loving neighbor. The desire to have the best car and the best beach house leads them to desire more and more money. But as Christians we know a different way. We have learned to be satisfied with the food and clothing we have rather than constantly striving for more and more and more stuff. The reason that we can be content with what we have is because we are assured that God will never, ever abandon or forsake us. With assurances like this our fears disappear. We know that God is at our side.

Follow your leaders.

There is a small Presbyterian church just outside of Ocean View Delaware. In the winter just a few people gather inside for worship and warmth from the cold winter wind. But in the summer and especially on Labor Day Weekend the numbers swell as visitors fill the pews on Sunday mornings before heading to beach. I attended this church whenever I could. It was where my father and stepmother were married. It was there during the summers of my young adulthood that I began to have a more mature understanding of the gospel message. It started me on my pilgrimage toward God. I watched carefully the young pastor who had two churches to care for, and I admired his faith.

The author of Hebrews wants us to carefully observe the behavior of those leading us toward God. We are to learn from their behavior, but not imitate it. You see even those who are pastors, teachers and leaders in the church are themselves sinners. We are all sinners, so none of us can condemn others. We are to watch and learn from their behavior, not follow it. But we are to imitate their faith. When we find someone who has faith in Jesus Christ we should imitate it because faith in Jesus never changes or goes out of style, it is the same yesterday, today and forever.

The Lord’s Supper

So on Labor Day Weekend we are told to extend hospitality to strangers, remember the prisoners, keep the marital bed pure, give up our love of money, and imitate the faith of Christian leaders. When we do these things God has promised to bless us richly with an inheritance in heaven. But that is not why we do these things. We joyfully follow God because all of life is a gift. And such a precious gift as life is something we want to share with others and keep as pure as we can. We experience overwhelming gratitude which makes us want to shout “thank you” to heaven. This is called a sacrifice of praise. We take God’s gifts which we have protected and shared with others and offer this as a sacrifice of thanksgiving. And this is the sacrifice that we are about to celebrate around this table today. Sorry, we don’t have any blue crabs for Labor Day Weekend, but around this table we offer a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving as we glorify God.

Lord Jesus we thank you for leading us this day around your table and for giving us life. We offer our sacrifices of praise in the form of sharing our gifts with others and protecting their purity. Accept these gifts with our thanksgiving for the glory of God. Amen.