I remember Britain in the latter part of the 1950s and, as the programme indicated, it was radically different from today. Life for the majority of the population was very basic. My parents, brothers and I lived in a corner shop in the terraced street in the East of Manchester. Life was very free and relaxed – houses were never locked and adults wandered in and out of each other homes. People overall behaved in accordance with an understood and accepted pattern of behaviour.

The TV programme showed clips of family life; everyone in the living room together, Mum and Dad listening to the radio or in the case of the very fortunate, watching the television, and the children either reading or playing games; mealtimes around the table. There was close interaction with neighbours, help offered and accepted. Although this may today sound idealistic, I would suspect across most of Britain, this was how people lived in the 1950s.

The 1960s saw the start of radical social change; the spirit of individualism was born and people began to turn against principles and practices which had been endemic for generations.

Ideas and practices began to radically change; people no longer went to Church with the same frequency and the idea that the Church offered imperative moral guidance to those growing up began to disappear. Individual quests for personal fulfilment at all cost became the cause celebre. My personal wants and my needs became the imperative.

I am most certainly showing my age here, but I remember when the nuclear family was the norm; father was provider of the main source of income and moral guidance and mother, albeit perhaps also supplementing the family income, was primarily carer of the family and maintainer of stable family life. The children garnered their moral yardstick from church and family – parents and grandparents – and school. Of course, there are always exceptions to any norm, but this was widely the pattern across society.

The past decades have brought about enormous changes – amazing technological advances, more wealth, greater access to education, etc., but there does not appear to be a corresponding level of contentment and happiness across society.

The Death of Respect programme pointed to the serious decline in lifestyle today for those at the bottom end of the socio economic scale.  An example was shown of a young lady who had had three children, from three different relationships – the first when she was seventeen years old. She now lived in a council house, was in her twenties and although she wanted to move on and to make a better life for herself and her children, she was seemingly trapped in the benefits versus employment for-little-extra scenario.  Her background: mother and father divorced, new stepfather whom she disliked, she lived in a children’s home until she was sixteen.

The greatest change over the past decades – and in my view the saddest and potentially the most damaging – is to the family unit and an increasingly widening split between those who ‘have’  and those who ‘have not’ and between those who belong to a strong family unit and those who are part of the increasing dysfunctional families.

Death of Respect, in my opinion, pointed clearly to the link between the decline of the Church and the deterioration in morality and family life. It drew a clear parallel between the lack of influence the Church now had on society and the resulting moral decline. The Church appears to a great extent to have lost its voice and perhaps forgotten the role it once provided in society. As the programme pointed out, people still spend Sundays in ‘cathedrals’, but now the twenty-first century shopping centres.

The consequences have proved devastating for society.

Up to the 1950s it was accepted practice that people attended church on Sunday. In fact in the 1950s, if you were not at church early, then it was unlikely that you could get in at all.

But church attendance is not necessarily evidence of spiritual health.

The church espoused morality, but, in many quarters, failed to proclaim the gospel faithfully. The message too often simply encouraged ‘good’ behaviour and church attendance for many simply masked unregenerate religious morality. And so people wore their ‘Sunday best’, fixed their hair and attended church, but for very many, all of this masked a lack of heart transformation.

People who are not alive to the Gospel of Christ and who do not understand the cost and the wonder of salvation cannot act as witness to their families or to their community. They cannot pass on what they do not know. The result of lack of conviction of sin and of an unregenerate heart is insipid and ineffective evangelism and a departure from the Gospel. If we merely attend church because it is the ‘right thing to do’, or the place to meet nice people rather than because we are worshippers of the Living God, then we may as well spend our Sunday mornings at the shopping centre. Many social commentators and theologians agree that over the past decades the church must carry blame for the gradual disintegration and slide in morality. Although church attendance was high, the numbers of church attendees masked the true spiritual state of the nation and, as each succeeding generation saw a decline and then even further decline in attendance, the church was reluctant or ill-equipped to do anything. And so the decline continued and today we see the fruit of this all around us.

Yes, men and women are to blame. Yes, society must bear responsibility for the moral degeneration which we now find all around us. But my question is this: where is the church of Christ today, now, at this very moment in time?

The church is, sadly, more often quiet when it should be most vociferous and vocal. We fear to be seen to be out of touch. Even more often, we, regrettably, try to be everything to everyone and succeed in being nothing to anyone. We seem to fear the opinion of society more than we fear that the reckoning we will have to make before God.

Is there hope for change?

This country has turned away from the Church of Christ and considers it an anachronism and an irrelevance. Those who have seen and experienced the power and glory of the risen Christ know this to be wrong. Jesus changes lives. The body of Christ – his Church – can demonstrate the difference between living a worldly life and a life surrendered to Jesus. Parents who know Christ as Saviour and who follow him have a calling on their lives to mirror the love of God in their families. They are called to teach their children the Word of God and to pattern their behaviour around the truth of the Gospel. They are to pass on to the next generation the truth of the Gospel.

In Matthew 5:14 Jesus tells his people (his church):

You are the light of the world…

God shone his light into the world, but men and women are blinded to the true horror of the darkness all around them. This is where the Church should be moving and making a difference. We carry the light of Christ in our lives and we have the answer to those who feel trapped and can see no end to the misery that engulfs them.

You are the salt of the earth… (Matthew 5:14)

Christ tells us that we are the ‘salt of the earth…’. People should be able to look at us as individuals – as Christians – and see by the way we behave, at all times and in all circumstances, that we are different; have something that they do not have in their lives.

Many years ago, my wife and I married and, after several years, had our first son. We were extremely happy and thought we had everything we needed. Through a friend who had recently become a Christian, we were cajoled into attending a fellowship/study meeting for married couples. To our absolute astonishment, they were all very normal, funny and extremely nice people, but over and above this we could clearly ‘see’ that they had something we did not have in our lives. This is how we came to hear the Gospel and these were the people who led us to the Lord. We saw them and recognised that they had a mysterious ‘something’ extra which we did not have – we subsequently realised they had Christ in their lives – we then wanted Jesus in our lives as our Saviour and Lord and the rest, as they say, is history.

We cannot, of course, turn back the clock, but for the dysfunctional families, those who rely on drugs and alcohol, the lawless, those who can see only their own wants and desires – for these people and others who feel there is no purpose beyond the here and now – the church of Christ has the answer to their problems and to the problems of the whole world. This is why the church must make itself seen and heard as a united body of Christ speaking out in righteousness and with love and compassion.

If we are ‘salt’ and if we are ‘light’ in our communities then people will see Christ in us. They will see the way we bring up our families, how we interact with each other, the compassion and love which we have for those with whom we come into contact and they, as we did so many years ago, will ask and seek for the source of the difference.

We often forget that we have something which is more powerful and of more value than anything this world has to offer. Christians experience problems and difficulties, but we have Christ who will be with us in all circumstances. He is our help and he is the Hope for all those who are in despair.

The Death of Respect programme was a very good, but also a very sad programme. Although not stated, it was very easy to see that, piece by piece, a little at a time, the church had become embroiled and distracted by so many things that it had relinquished its prime calling to be salt and light in society and to proclaim the glorious truth of the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

Can the situation be reversed? The Church was once described as a gathering place for any army to discuss tactics on how to beat the enemy. In our apathy, our self-obsessed introspection and the resulting busy-ness, we forget that we are representatives of Christ Jesus and our function is to show Jesus to those who are lost, hopeless and without direction.

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)

The most memorable job I ever had was a temporary job just after I left the army working in a biscuit factory in charge of the cutting machine at the beginning of the production line. The upside was that this job was only four days a week. The downside was that this job involved twelve hour days stood stationary at a huge machine which was incredible old, regularly jammed meaning that instead of neat little nice biscuits or marie biscuits, it spat out huge chunks of dough. The only way to keep it running (or start it if and when it stopped) was to hit different parts of the machinery with a large wrench.

The days were long and the work was monotonous and frustrating.

This job was memorable in all the wrong ways.

The twelve hour days were tough, but the real killer was the monotony. It was difficult to envisage that there were that many people alive on the planet willing to buy marie biscuits. Who would have thought it? So many biscuits, so little time.

It was the kind of job where the days are long, the pallet is always half empty, there is always another order to fill and the world’s hunger for biscuits is never sated.

King Solomon feels this sense of frustration in all his toil,

So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (Ecclesiastes 2:17)

For Solomon, the sense of frustration in all his toil was overwhelming and resulted in him hating life. He understood that despite all his wisdom, knowledge, skill and effort the world would continue to revolve unmoved on its axis (Ecclesiastes 2:21). More than this, Solomon understands that he may amass great wealth, influence and power only to die and an idiot son inherit and squander it all (Ecclesiastes 2:21).

Solomon, however, identifies the solution to this futile expenditure of energy and effort,

A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25)

Toil is imbued with frustration. Although Solomon does not state it here, we could be more specific and write that God imbues toil with frustration. Solomon has previously observed that ‘it is an unhappy business that God has given the children of man to be busy with’ (Ecclesiastes 1:13).

Solomon understands, however, that God is similarly at work in giving men and women good gifts to enjoy. The Apostle Paul will later make this observation in his proclamation of the gospel in Lystra, assuring the people that God ‘did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving [them] rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying [their] hearts with food and gladness’ (Acts 14:17).

Solomon goes further than this and recognises that the very ability to enjoy the good gifts that God gives is in itself a gift from God.

We believe this for we have all seen evidence of men and women with wealth, power and influence who appear utterly bereft of joy. This is a sober warning to those of us who believe that we might obtain happiness through wealth and worldly success. Joy, fulfilment and satisfaction are good gifts from God.

For the believer, all this is animated with a great imperative. Jesus promises believers that he has come that we may have ‘life and have it abundantly’ (John 10:10) and fullness of joy (John 15:11 and 16:24). Paul reminds us that,

…everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:4-5)

The truth is that, for the believer, food and drink should taste sweeter and life should be lived most deeply. The believer sees that every good thing that comes into our life is a grace gift from God as is our ability to think, breath, feel and experience. The believer receives all these things with gratitude as good gifts from our Lord and Saviour and in seeing this we respond with gratitude and joy.

We are called to live, feel and rejoice more fully than anyone else alive and all of this is worship and all of this is witness. When the world sees our thankfulness for food, relationship and life, we show them Jesus Christ. When the world sees us rejoice in the midst of suffering and sorrow, we show them Jesus Christ.

We are called to be a people who continuously rejoice, not because of our circumstances or the gifts, but because of the giver. God gives good gifts that we might see Jesus, for God has not left himself without testimony. God calls those who believe to rejoice in every circumstance that the world might see Jesus in us.

In every husband and wife/mother and father relationship there is a strange and mysterious dynamic at work. I call this the good-cop/bad-cop dynamic. We see evidence of this in the most mundane of occasions. The gas and electric bill comes through the door and we discover that arrears have silently been allowed to build up and we now owe £3 million pounds. The bad-cop in the relationship makes for the phone whereas the good-cop coaches from a distance, ‘don’t forget to breathe, love’ and, ‘please don’t bite so hard on the receiver’.

Those of you who know Doris and me may be surprised to discover that, when it came to the education of our three sons, she took the role of good-cop and I the role of bad-cop with relish and aplomb.

When it came to spelling tests, maths homework, GCSE and then A-Levels, our approach was twofold. I would issue stern instructions with dire consequences for tardiness, ‘finish your homework now, or I will ban you from watching Doctor Who for an entire month’. Or, ‘sort yourself out or you will not be listening to my Creedance Clearwater Revival albums for the rest of this year’.

Strangely (to me at least) this approach did not seem to work.

Doris, playing good-cop, executed the second line of attack. Instead of threats, Doris would promise heady rewards to those who excelled in all things academic, painting a rich portrait of a life in which one need never apply for a job (inevitably they would be headhunted) and any work undertaken would be effortless due to their intellectual prowess, sharpened by the humble spelling test.

And from this humble endeavour would spring forth mighty achievement: the discovery of a cure for malaria, a remedy for world hunger and the establishment of universal peace.

Oh, and all this by the age of 25…

Needless to say, each of our sons passed their spelling tests (just), but the Nobel Prize is still a distant and illusive dream.

There is, however, a serious point to all of this. At the heart of this working class ethic, formal qualifications equal financial security, beats an ideological principle which sustains our twenty-first century working/middle-class aspirations.

We live with a barely challenged conviction that the key to satisfaction, fulfilment and the betterment of our circumstances lie in knowledge, education and scientific discovery.

Consider then, King Solomon’s observation with regards to the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge,

Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. (Ecclesiastes 2:13-14)

Solomon’s point is this; yes, wisdom, knowledge and a sound education are better than folly, ignorance and illiteracy. It is better to understand something of how life works so that we are able to spot danger and take full advantage of the opportunities that come our way. And yes, it is good that we have an appreciation of science, art and literature so that we are able to enjoy the good gifts that God has blessed us with and yet, in all of this, there is still the bitter taste of futility.

Solomon perceives that the same event happens to the wise, the super-intellectual, the uneducated and the fool.

Ultimately our IQ, a degree or even a PhD will not save us from the grave.

The super smart and the super stupid die young. The super smart and the super stupid live long, long lives.

It is important we feel the weight of the futility of intellectual pursuit. It is important that we see through the cracked veneer of intellectual progress. A hope placed in science, progress or knowledge is destined to be frustrated.

Think about this. It is said that Walt Disney had his head cryogenically frozen. I presume he did so in the hope that, one day a scientist would figure out a way of defrosting and reattaching his head to the body of some 18 year old.

My guess is that his head will stay in that fridge for sometime yet to come.

It is the weight of this frustration that leads Solomon to ask, ‘“Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.’ (Ecclesiastes 2:15).

The pursuit of wisdom as with the pursuit of pleasure (read here) is an exercise in futility and will leave us with little more than a hand full of air. It seems that amidst this fallen creation not even wisdom is immune from the futility we feel all around us… But, we must ask, how can this be and where is God in all of this?

The Apostle Paul, writing hundreds of years later, observes the hand of God at work as he quotes the word of the Lord as declared by the Prophet Isaiah,

‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’ (1 Corinthians 1:19)

And so, what Solomon feels and Paul explains is the activity of our sovereign God at work in the world pushing up against, opposing and thwarting the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning.

Let us now back up to verse 18 and consider how God works this destruction and thwarting of wisdom and discernment,

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

The cross is the stumbling block to those who believe that they know God better than God and foolishness to those who believe that they have the intellectual power and insight to out-reason the Almighty (1 Corinthians 1:23). The cross destroys this way of thinking. The cross strikes the death-knoll to self-reliance. The cross brings an end to all our intellectual superiority and arrogant philosophising.

But, and how I love that ‘but’; but to us who are being saved the cross is the power of God!

And so it seems that the mission of God in the frustration, thwarting and destruction of wisdom and discernment is to elevate grace in the cross and in the salvation of you and I. The cross is, therefore, anti-earthly wisdom but pro-grace. The cross diminishes earthly wisdom and yet, in the same single act, gloriously displays the power of God.

For this same reason God chooses the foolish and weak things of the world that he might shame the wise and the strong. In doing this, earthly wisdom, knowledge and intellectual pursuits are decimated and his glory is elevated above all (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

But more than this, the frustration Solomon feels is a pathway that leads us to a person, the Son of God.

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31)

The believer’s pursuit of wisdom and knowledge leads us to Christ Jesus who is the embodiment of the wisdom of God, but, more than this, he becomes our wisdom.

It seems to me that Paul understands that the believer grows in wisdom as we grow in our knowledge of him and as we continue in our walk with him. But the wisdom embodied in the life of the believer is the same wisdom displayed in the cross.

We follow, treasure and adore Christ. This is wisdom. We obey Christ whatever may come. This is wisdom. We live, suffer and die for Christ. This is wisdom. We relinquish our grasp on earthly pleasures and treasures for the sake of Him who is our great Treasure and very Great reward and, although the world counts it as foolishness, we know that this is true wisdom and in it, and in our lives, we pray that the power of God be most gloriously displayed.

I recently came across a comment by Scott Knight on The Resurgence website where he talks about Discipleship (click here to read). Scott Knight talks about the word ‘disciple’ and how in his experience he has known it used in only two connections; the church and in the area of martial arts.

He talks about meeting an individual at a fight and asking him where he trained. The individual said that he was ‘a disciple of Renzo Gracie’. Scott Knight said this answer told him more about the man than if he had ‘the location and name of the gym he trains at, the names of his coaches, and the types of classes he attends’. He knew that the man was committed to becoming the same fighter as his hero, and that everything else was first and foremost a way of achieving that goal.

This Sunday morning we will be starting a new three part series entitled, Follow. We will be considering our relation with Christ, his call for us to be disciples and the cost involved in following him.

Consider how people view Christianity today? Christians are often viewed as passive, gullible, they’ll-believe-anything kind of people with a naïve slant on the world. This is not the life that Jesus Christ calls us to lead. Jesus calls us to follow him however great the cost and however difficult the path might be,

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37-38)

I long for Firwood Church to understand and to fully take hold of what it means to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we become alive to all that he calls us to be, we will be a people who persevere in times of trial and rejoice in times of suffering. My prayer is that, as with the fighter in the opening paragraph, when we talk to people and we tell them we are ‘a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ’ they will see in our steadfast endurance, that Jesus Christ is our Hero, our King and our greatest treasure.

FOLLOW – A THREE PART SERIES

21 June 2009              The Beginning             Pastor Ronnie Evans

28 June 2009              The Cost                       Pastor Ronnie Evans

05 July 2009               The Reward                 Pastor Ronnie Evans

In doing so we recognise that this crisis is not unique to the Church of Scotland and we are mindful that the Anglican Communion is facing similar turmoil following the election of Bishop Gene Robinson to the Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003.

In speaking out on this issue at this time, it is our intention to remind the Church of the clear teaching of Scripture with regards to this issue and, in so doing, we hope to bring clarity, encouragement and solemn warning to those who are compromising on this issue.

This post is the considered response of the Pastorate to this crisis and sets forth the position of Firwood Church. Our view with regards to this matter is underpinned by three foundational convictions.

1. Conviction #1: The Authority of Scripture

We contend that all Scripture is perfect (Psalm 19:7), the very standard of truth (John 17:17), God-Breathed, useful and the means by which we are made ‘wise for salvation’ (2 Timothy 3:14-17). We believe that Scripture, as the very Word of God, demands that we, as believers, submit our opinions, attitudes and lives to His authority.

We are thus commanded to renew our minds in accordance with His truth (Romans 12:2) and it is for this reason the church is made to be the pillar and foundation of truth in a crooked and perverse world (1 Timothy 3:15).

2. Conviction #2: The Sanctity of Marriage

God declared that it is not good that man should be alone and created woman, a helper, fit for him (Genesis 2:18). We read that God then presents this woman to the man in the first marriage ceremony in human history. The man, delighted with this turn of events, then sings over his wife,

“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.” (Genesis 2:23)

Scripture teaches that it is for this reason,

…a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24)

This pattern, in which men and women are brought together in marriage and sexual union, is affirmed by the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 5:31). Paul explains that marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and his church.

This is what is at stake and this is why the cost is so high when the church devalues and undermines the sanctity of marriage.

Firwood Church seeks to honour and uphold marriage in obedience to Scripture (Hebrews 13:4).

3. Conviction #3: Sexual immorality (including homosexual practice) is a sin

Scripture clearly and emphatically teaches that sexual immorality is a sin, not the only sin, but a sin nevertheless. This is why the Apostle Paul exhorts believers to, ‘Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.’ Paul then adds, ‘On account of these the wrath of God is coming.’ (Colossians 3:5-6).

The Greek word porneia (here translated, ‘sexual immorality’ and from which the word ‘pornography’ derives) refers to every kind of extramarital, unlawful or unnatural sexual behaviour. Porneia, in effect, refers to every kind of sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Scripture warns us that, ‘On account of these the wrath of God is coming’.

Homosexual practice falls within this broad category of porneia. As such, the Bible, both Old and New Testament, consistently teaches that homosexual practice (along with adultery and fornication) is a sin (Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 Timothy 1:8-11 and Jude 1:6-7).

How, must we ask, should Christians then respond to those who actively practice sexual immorality (including homosexual practice)? The Bible sets out three principles which frame our response this present controversy.

1. Principle #1: We do not judge the world.

As believers, we are called to proclaim, shine forth and live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ to and among unbelievers. This great and weighty calling will lead us to gluttons, drunks, idolaters and those who practice sexual immorality. We know this to be true, because Jesus modelled this very way of living and found himself ministering among such unbelievers.

As such, it is not (yet) the role of the church to judge outsiders and unbelievers. Indeed, the Apostle Paul writes, ‘For what have I to do with judging outsiders?’ (1 Corinthians 5:12a). We do not judge those enslaved to wickedness, idolatry and sexual immorality because we recognise that we too were once like them. We recognise that our rescue and salvation is grounded entirely upon the sheer grace and mercy of King Jesus and so we join with the Apostle Paul in declaring, ‘that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.’ (1 Timothy 1:15)

We do not judge those enslaved to wickedness, idolatry and sexual immorality, rather we share with them the good new of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Rather, we point them towards the cross and empty tomb.

2. Principle #2: We call men and women to repentance

Although we do not judge outsiders, we recognise the seriousness and appallingness of sin. We understand that the Gospel of Christ calls men and women to repent of sin and turn in faith to Christ Jesus (Acts 17:30).

Yes, we proclaim the Gospel with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15), but we also hold to the truth. Practically speaking, the focus of our evangelism should be Christ, His cross and His glory. We are to be defined by whom we stand for not what we stand against. However, we do not shy away from calling sin, sin. Such truth must, however, be born from an attitude of meekness, humility and love.

3. Principle #3: The church judges the church

The Apostle Paul begins by writing that he does not judge outsiders, but then continues to ask, ‘Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”‘ (1 Corinthians 5:12-13)

Where unbelievers are enslaved to sin, we are called to shine the light of the Gospel. Where believers (or insiders) are indulging in sin, we are called to exercise church discipline. The end of church discipline for believers that repent is restoration to the body (this is always the desired outcome), but for the unrepentant believer the end of church discipline is excommunication. Paul writes, ‘Purge the evil person from among you’. Jesus himself says that, where a believer refuses to repent, the church should regard him or her as ‘a Gentile or tax-collector’ (Matthew 18:17). In other words, in instances where a believer is warned by fellow Christians, warned by the church and yet still refuses to repent, such an individual should be put out of the church and regarded as if he were an unbeliever.

It is the view of the Pastors of Firwood Church that those who claim to be believers, but continue in unrepentant sin should be subject to church discipline and, finally, excommunication. It is our view that those who claim to be believers and yet continue to practice homosexual activity disqualify themselves from church leadership and should be subject to church discipline and, finally (should they refuse to repent), excommunication.

What then, as believers, should we do in the light of this present crisis? We would urge believers to respond in accordance with Scripture:

1. Application #1: Contend for the Gospel

At the heart of this crisis is a battle over the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who argue that homosexual activity is compatible with Christianity undermine the authority of Scripture, malign the Gospel of Grace, fashion a false God in their own image and lead many to destruction.

Believers are called to contend for the Gospel and, as such, we must stand against such attacks by holding fast and proclaiming truth (Jude 1:3). We must also strive to correct such falsehood, in love, with the truth of the Word of God.

2. Application #2: Practice Holy Ostracisation

Where those who claim to be believers continue to unrepentantly sin and where those who claim to be believers defend such behaviour, the church should respond in accordance with Scripture and exercise church discipline.

In such circumstances believers should practice ‘Holy Ostracisation’ and have nothing to do with the individuals and churches who have thus compromised themselves. We do this in the hope that they will be convicted and will repent and return to Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:14, Titus 3:10).

3. Application #3: Pray

And finally, the church must pray.

We pray for those denominations currently divided over this issue; that God would bring a peace and unity grounded upon the truth of Scripture.

We pray for church leaders confronting this issue, that God would give them courage and wisdom in equal measure.

We pray for our fellow brothers and sisters caught amidst this turmoil. We pray that God would comfort and strengthen them for the struggle ahead.

We pray for those in rebellion (including Reverend Rennie and Bishop Robinson), that God would bring them to repentance.

Most importantly, we pray that Christ would be glorified in the midst of and even through this present crisis. We pray that the mercy and righteousness of Christ would shine forth and that many would see and turn to Him.

For His Glory,

Pastors Ronnie Evans, Andy Evans, Phill Marsh and Stephen Evans

We are delighted to see the beginnings of Eden Westwood .

As you may know, the Eden Project (part of the work of The Message Trust) involves young (and often not quite so young) people joining churches around the UK situated in the most challenging urban areas with the aim of working alongside local youth and children. The amazing thing is that these people move – often from very nice areas – into what can be very demanding and tough situations.

They commit to work as part of Eden in local churches, find jobs and live in the area connecting with local children, young people and families. Eden has since its inception seen students, young professionals, families and even grandmothers called by God to move into the toughest areas and reach out in a practical way with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells us (Luke 10:2)

The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.

We thank God that he is sending us more ‘labourers’! Our first Eden worker joined us this month and another is due to join us in the summer. Several of our own young people have also volunteered to join the Eden Westwood team and we hope to see others joining Eden Westwood in the work God has planned for this area.

Stephen Evans (Youth Pastor at Firwood Church) will take on the responsibility of Team Leader for Eden Westwood. He has, together with Phill Marsh (Youth Pastor at Firwood Church), ably supported by our other youth workers, run the Youth Work of the church for the past five years.

Stephen and Pavlina are moving into the area and are currently looking for a house in the vicinity of the church. As other Eden Westwood Youth Workers join us they too will move into houses in the local area.

The work of Eden Westwood is, essentially, an extension of the work which we have been doing at Firwood Church for some years. Eden Westwood does, however, enable us for the first time to have a full time Youth Leader and will also provide us with additional numbers of dedicated individuals who have committed the next five years to working for Christ in the area. Eden offers us amazing opportunities to expand our work and resources. In addition, it will greatly increase our ability to work with even larger numbers of young people, sharing with them the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Firwood Church has been greatly blessed over the years with the numbers of young people who have committed their lives to Christ and moved on in maturity well beyond their years. Now with the addition of Eden Westwood, we look forward to seeing this work continue and grow.

In our work over the past few years we have seen many unchurched young people come into the church – many of whom would be classed as difficult and challenging. We thank God for the youth leaders we have in the church who have, through God’s grace, been able to get alongside these young people, helping and offering support. We have seen remarkable changes in the lives of many of the young people.

Over the last month we have seen an unprecedented increase in the number of new young people coming for the church youth nights. This area of youth work presents many problems and we thank God that we have so many Youth Leaders already in the church who are experienced in dealing with young people. The increase of young people coming into the church will, however, necessitate even more workers and we see the start of Eden Westwood as God’s provision for the harvest which we are now seeing.

Although we are aware many of the people who volunteer to work on Eden Projects around the country experience a real culture shock when they join their teams, at the same time, we know that they are embarking on an amazing journey that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

We have seen much fruit already from the work that has gone on over the past years. The Youth Workers who have already committed to joining us – and those who follow – will have the joy of being part of young peoples’ lives and seeing these lives being turned around and completely changed.

We know from past experience that there many young people who are already involved in criminal activities and using drugs. For those who come to know Christ, it is not just a change of lifestyle from a spiralling life of crime, prison and, in many instances, depravation and addiction, but a saving of lives. We see a new life, a new creation through the grace of Jesus Christ.

John 4:35

… then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.

We have seen lives changed – we have seen and will see again families affected by the love of Christ. We are not satisfied, however, and want to see this on a massive scale. We want to see young people who were once the scourge of their community, go on to become respected individuals, holding down good jobs and moving on with a life in Christ.

All Youth Work is based on relationships – young people remember what they see and actually experience, rather than just what they hear and what they are told. Youth Work is all about relationship building and until we have reach the point where the young person trusts us because of the time spent, encouragement given and love expended. They remember how they are treated, the interest shown in their lives and how much they are loved – with God’s grace, this is what will reach them.

We give praise and thanks to God for what we have seen and look forward with eager anticipation to what we will see unfolding over the coming few years.

To God be the Glory!

Ronnie Evans

At a recent Headteachers’ Conference, Dr Carol Craig said that adults today were too afraid to correct children and the mistakes they made in case it caused them upset and destroyed their self-esteem. The psychologist said that ‘We are wrong in thinking we have to get the “I” bigger.’

Although I do not know Dr Craig’s personal beliefs with respect to the gospel, she identifies a fundamental flaw at the very heart of our generation.

Why is that as individuals we are unable to receive even the most constructive and loving of criticism humbly and for our own good? Why is that our generation craves continual praise and affirmation? And why is it that we are unable to submit ourselves to order, authority and discipline?

The Bible teaches us that there is an intrinsic link between the discipline and teaching we receive from our parents while young and the way in which we respond to constructive criticism and discipline in later life.

My impression, having listened to and met church leaders over many years, is that this distrust and hostility towards discipline has seeped into the very fabric of evangelicalism.

The spirit behind this distrust and suspicion of accountability and discipline is most clearly seen in relation to youth work within the church.

Did you know that churches struggle to keep youth workers and that the average time span of youth leaders working in a church is twelve months? From my observations it is unsurprising that the greatest opposition and difficulty facing youth leaders originates not from the young people, but from the parents.

The spirit of our times is such that many parents believe that their children can do no wrong and that to correct them is somehow detrimental to their formative nature. Many refuse to hear any wrong about their child, or to accept that sometimes they need to be corrected. The youth leader is far too frequently at the sharp end of condemnation from a parent whose child has behaved badly and has subsequently been corrected.

A symptom of the ‘I’ culture identified by Dr Craig is that children are pushed centre stage, are flattered and treated as if they were mini-adults. The opinion of children is elevated and given the highest of priorities and in many, many families, the child is given as much authority as an adult and they are allowed to be the arbiter of what they will or will not do. The word ‘no’ is too rarely heard in many households.

The Bible tells us that such an approach is sheer folly. Scripture instructs loving parents to discipline and train their children. Scripture envisages that this training will start with the child at a very early age and then continue through to adulthood to the end of our lives.

Although encouragement is both Biblical and hugely important, there is also a time when discipline is required. Please do not misunderstand me, I am not speaking specifically of physical punishment, rather I am addressing the calling upon all godly parents to ensure that their children are brought up to know what is right and what is wrong.

Proverbs 5:11-14 talks of the consequences of a lack of discipline:

¹¹and at the end of your life you groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
¹²and you say, “How I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof!
¹³I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
¹⁴ I am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”

This passage talks of the consequences of ignoring discipline. Constant encouragement without the balance of discipline leads to ‘utter ruin’. This Proverb is affirming that words of encouragement alone can seem very attractive and will make the child happy. Encouragement without discipline whilst working in the short term, severely inhibits the child’s capacity to be able to deal with life when disaster and calamity occur.

Although the desire to ensure that a child is happy and content sounds entirely admirable, it does not prepare them for life and the real world. Once away from the cushioning of the parental home, the school and the church, the reality of life can be too much. The child will then regret the freedom and liberty it was given.

A child not taught properly, that is constantly encouraged without the balance of discipline and correction, will enter the world totally defenceless. Christians are aware that there is a spiritual battle in the world and in the church. Unless we are taught the correct way to use the Gospel of Christ as our defence against the world, we will be submerged and defenceless when the problems and difficulties occur.

Ephesians 6: 10-18 shows us how to prepare for those problems and difficulties.

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…

Ephesians tells us to ‘Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth…(6:14) which involves us being able to see ourselves as we really are, without blinkers. Many commentators see the word ‘truth’ here as meaning ‘integrity’. If we teach our children how to understand what is meant by truth and integrity, then no matter what difficulties and attacks they encounter in life, they will be able to face them and deal with them. It is a lot more difficult for us to be attacked in spiritual warfare if we are men and women of integrity.

Rather than this being taught to children, the opposite is extolled: that it is winning which is important, being first, getting our own way, doing what we want and not what is right.

We are called to teach our children the truth of Scripture, rather than encouraging selfishness.

Ephesians also talks about the breastplate of righteousness, ‘…having put on the breastplate of righteousness…’ (Ephesians 6:14b). Often we stand in our own righteousness and encourage our children to do the same – they are right and if anything goes wrong then it was not their fault. Instead of standing in the righteousness of Christ and correcting our children in a loving way when they are wrong, we let them continue in the same behaviour.

We need to teach our children the truth of the Gospel, the importance of what Christ has said and done. We need to teach them to be strong, strong in the Lord, to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand firm.

Do your children understand what salvation is? The helmet of salvation in Ephesians covers the mind. Children these days need this protection more than at any time before. They are bombarded with pressure to conform to today’s standards from their peers, the television, cinema, magazines. There is so much pressure on them to do what is wrong.

We need to teach them to trust God and to trust everything He says in his Word. This is taught by both word and example. If, as parents, they see that you are actively trusting and pursuing the Lord at home, in ministry at church, at work, they will see that your faith is real and that your God, our God, is altogether trustworthy.

Parents, this is a hard lesson to teach, but as you live this out and your children receive the gospel and see your confidence, they will learn to walk in the faith, have full confidence and trust in God. Because of this they will be able to withstand any pressure.

‘…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ (Ephesians 6:17). Do we teach our children the Word of God so that they are equipped and able to handle the Scriptures? Do we pray for our children?  Our young people are involved in spiritual warfare few of our generation have had to face. The war is brutal, savage and cruel.

This country does not have any reason to be proud of the way it has dealt and continues to deal with our children and young people. The same can be said of the church. The church cannot say to the world ‘Look, this is how we train our children… look how they behave…how they act…how they stand firm in adversity’. If the church cannot say this then it is no wonder we have cities where gangs of kids roam, terrorising people. Our society has sent these same children out into the world defenceless and without any real hope. We have left them to set their own standards and their levels of what constitutes right and wrong.

If the church acted together and gave our young people its full attention, encouraging them, training them, being there for them, supporting them and disciplining them in love a new generation will rise up, grow and mature into strong men and women of God, full of integrity, full of peace and fully equipped for the battle ahead.

Although this may betray my age … there was a song in the 70′s by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young called ‘Teach Your Children Well’. Good advice.

These are the notes of a sermon preached by Ronnie Evans at Firwood Church on the morning of 8 March 2009; these notes are intended to be read in conjunction with the sermon.

To download or stream the sermon, click here.

To download the notes for this sermon as a PDF document, click here.

SONGS OF ASCENT – PART 6, THE LORD MY PROTECTOR

Psalm 125

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

¹ Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

² As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.

³ For the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
their hands to do wrong.

⁴ Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts!

⁵ But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
the LORD will lead away with evildoers!
Peace be upon Israel!

1. INTRODUCTION

The Songs of Ascent are a series of fifteen Psalms (120 through to 134) that were sung by pilgrims as they went up to the temple in Jerusalem to observe the major festivals and to worship the living God.

Last week we considered Psalm 124 and the plight of the Israelites as they were assailed from all sides by those opposed to the people of God. The Israelites recognised that if God had not been with them, then they would have been overcome by their enemies. We saw that the attack they faced was not purely physical, but also a spiritual. The Israelites came to understand that had the Lord not been on their side, then they would have been completely overwhelmed, ‘then over us would have gone the raging waters’ (Psalm 124:5).

In Psalm 124 we saw that David’s confidence is ground in his understanding that the Living God is indeed Israel’s Rescuer.

As we reach Psalm 125, we see that the Psalmist turns his attention to those who trust in the Lord God, not only in the small things, but in all things. The Psalmist encourages the people to have absolute trust in the God who is faithful and unshakable. He entreats this God to look upon his people with compassionate,

…to those who are good,
And to those who are upright in their hearts! (verse 4)

In Psalm 125 we see the Lord God as Protector: ‘…to those who trust in the Lord…’

2. GOD SURROUNDS HIS PEOPLE

a.  How can Christians be sure that God is with us and for us?

The testimony of the Bible illustrates that God’s people are surrounded, protected and rescued by the Lord.

In Psalm 125, the Psalmist uses the geography of the city of God, Jerusalem, to illustrate the way in which God surrounds his people (Andy Evans addresses this more fully in the third part of this series, to listen, click here). Jerusalem is built securely on a mountain surrounded by mountains.

In this same way, David understands the people of God are ‘surrounded’ by God,

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people (verse 2)

The Lord God indeed protects the people of God. Consider the charge against Job,

Job 1:10

Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

Similarly, the Scriptures testify that our God is a God who rescues and saves his own,

2 Timothy 1:8-9

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us…

In times of great loneliness and disengagement with the world and fellow believers, we can feel abandoned and isolated. Scripture reminds us and assures us that God surrounds his people with his angels,

Hebrews 1:14

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

And,

Psalm 34:7

The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Throughout history, many Believers have testified to the presence of angels, protecting and guarding those doing the Lord’s work.

One testimony in particular involved a youth project on an inner city estate. It was considered normal for houses to be burgled, not only while the properties were empty, but while they were occupied. Eventually it became apparent that the houses on the estate occupied by Christians were untouched. A Christian worker visiting the area testified that he had seen men in white outside each of the houses occupied by the Christian workers (for other similar testimonies, see ‘Angels on the Walls’ by Wallace & Mary Brown).

The Bible testifies that God is with His people and that He chose us in spite of ourselves. He did not choose us for our good works.  The Bible tells us that we have all fallen far short of what God requires of us. Yet God chose us and reached out to us in kindness and mercy. Our confidence is grounded upon the truth of who God is and all he has done for his people. He chose us before the ages began,

2 Timothy 1:9

[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began…

3. HE SENDS HIS HOLY SPIRIT

John 14:15-26

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” ²² Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” ²³Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

²⁵These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

As Christ was with the disciples, loving, teaching, sometimes disciplining, but always encouraging and loving them, so the Holy Spirit will be with all believers. We are told that those whom the Lord has chosen, the Holy Spirit is not only with them but also dwells in them. In addition, Jesus himself, and the Father himself, is indwells within believers,

John 14:17b-20

“You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”

4.  JESUS PRAYS FOR US

John 17:6-19

⁶ “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. ⁸For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰ All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Jesus is clear that it is not his intention to remove believers from the trials and tribulations of this world, but rather,

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one

Jesus is seen here praying for our spiritual welfare, which is of far greater importance than our physical wellbeing,

Matthew 10:28

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Here we see that the Lord is again praying for believers. Whatever tribulations and trials are encountered, or in the times when believers feel alone, deserted and the whole world seems to be against them, there is this amazing picture of Jesus praying to the God the Father on our behalf.

With Christ’s prayer and what he achieved on the cross, we know that we are more than conquerors and that ‘…nothing can separate us from the love of God…’

Romans 8:35

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

5. WE ARE CO-HEIRS WITH CHRIST

Romans 8:17

and if [we are] children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Christians are assured that that heaven is our inheritance and that all true believers will inherit all things. All those who are faithful and are partakers of the Spirit of Christ shall be partakers of His glory.

6. THE LORD’S DISCIPLINE

Hebrews 12:3-11

³ Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. ⁴In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

The word ‘disciple’ merely means ‘training’, the outcome of this ‘discipline’ is to produce disciplined followers of Jesus. For the Christian, discipline is imperative – it is the key to a life of dying to self and leaving the old life behind: our former self-interested, proud, arrogant and selfish ways. Christian discipline leads to a life where our eyes are fixed only on the Lord Jesus.

Discipline by the Lord can at times be uncomfortable and unpleasant. Believers are called to receive this discipline as evidence that God is indeed our loving Father. Those who continue on the journey discover that their Christian life and witness becomes more fruitful as they become more and more disciplined and, as such, more and more Christ-like.

7. INPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS

3 For the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
⁴ Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts!
⁵ But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
the LORD will lead away with evildoers!
Peace be upon Israel!

Man’s righteousness is not enough. The only true righteousness is that of Christ, won for us on the cross, where Christ became sin and imputed to us his righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5: 21

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Martin Luther described this as ‘the great exchange’,

In this Psalm it can be clearly seen that God is protecting those who are righteous and leading the evil doers away,

But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
the LORD will lead away with evildoers! (verse 5)

As in Psalm 124 last week, it is clear there is no fence on which Christians can sit; there is a clear choice: we must stand with either the righteous or the evil doers.  The Lord will lead away many of the ‘fence-sitters’ with the evil doers.

8. PEACE

The consequence of completely trusting in the Lord is being surrounded by the Lord and having the imputed righteousness of Christ which leaves the Christian with complete peace.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

And, in Psalm 125

Peace be upon Israel!

We pray that believers everywhere would see God for who he truly is; that they would understand all that he is for them and, as they see and understand, that they would know, with a surety and profound peace, that the Lord is indeed their Protector.

These are the notes of a sermon preached by Ronnie Evans at Firwood Church on the morning of the 1 March 2009; these notes are intended to be read in conjunction with the sermon.

To download or stream the sermon, click here.

To download the notes for this sermon as a PDF document, click here.

SONGS OF ASCENT – PART 5, THE LORD MY RESCUER

Psalm 123

A Song of Ascents. Of David

1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side-
let Israel now say-
2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the LORD,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth

1. INTRODUCTION

The Songs of Ascent are a collection of Psalms (running from Psalm 120 through to Psalm 135) which pilgrims sang as they travelled towards Jerusalem and up to the temple. In Psalm 124, the Psalmist describes to us the travails which assailed the Israelites and to that place where the Living God is celebrated as Rescuer of his people.

David describes the ferocity of the opposition rising up against the people of God and recognises, had the Lord not been on their side, they would surely have been overcome. The Psalmist is assured, therefore, that ‘…the Lord is on our side…’. David’s confidence is rooted in the truth that the Living God is with His people.

The question, therefore, is this: how are Christians today able to overcome the problems and difficulties inherent in 21 Century living and the snares and difficulties which can entrap them and turn them away from the Living God? Through Psalm 124 we see that despite all difficulties and dangers, God is on our side and is our ever present help.

2. THE BATTLE

Psalm 124:2-4

2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side
when people [men] rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;

Here, the Hebrew word, adam (translated ‘men’) is used to refer to those outside Israel, the believing community. David is acutely aware that those not of the people of God are, by nature, opposed to the people of God. In Psalm 124 the enemy is firmly located outside and against Israel.

There is an important truth here to be unpacked. Often people make the claim that ‘we are all God’s children‘. Presumably they reason thus, we are all created by God and, consequently, we must all be regarded as his children. In reading the gospels, however, we find that Jesus challenges this understanding,

John 8:42-47

42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Jesus is quite clear: we are either of God’s family or the family of the devil. This sounds brutal and harsh in the light of our rarefied 21 Century sensibilities, but it is the consistent view of Scripture. We are either for God, or we are against Him. We are in a continual battle and our enemy, Satan, is very, very real. Scripture is quite clear as to where we should stand, and does not allow for taking both sides.

In choosing to follow Christ, Christians set themselves firmly on one side and will be attacked as a result. The Church as the body of Christ will similarly be attacked. This will always be true until the return of Christ.

3. THE DEFENCE

The church, collectively and individually can only withstand an attack of the ferocity with which Satan will attack with God on our side protecting us. David understood this fully and recognised the potential consequences of departing from the protection of God,

Psalm 124:4-5

4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.

Our society in the UK is generally considered to be a safe society. Our perceived civility, political system, stable government, police force and other factors may all contribute to this viewpoint. In other countries we see tragedies, terrorist attacks, Christians being taken and tortured, dragged into the streets and burned, put to death. In the UK and many other countries, it is easy to feel immune from such opposition.

Psalm 124 presents us with an altogether different perspective. David posits that the reason we are safe is because God’s hand is upon us. If God were to remove his hand from our country or any country that deems itself ‘safe’, then the

Psalm 124:4-5

4 the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.

Our warfare, our battle, is not against mankind or people outside of the church, but rather is a spiritual battle and, as such, the means of our defence must be spiritual. Consequently, the Apostle Paul exhorts those at Ephesus,

Ephesians 6:20

Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

4. THE DEPTH OF GOD’S INVOLVEMENT

In Psalm 124, David emphasises what would happen if God were not with the people of God. Scripture recognises the absolute dependency of the universe, this planet and mankind upon the Lord. In Job we see, that were God to remove his Holy Spirit we would be turned to dust,

Job 34:14-15

14 If it were his intention
and he withdrew his spirit and breath,
15 all mankind would perish together
and man would return to the dust.

Only when in glory will we understand and see the protective hand of God moving, acting and intervening in creation. On that day, even those saints who have experienced terrible persecution will understand how much God protected them through those dreadful times. In this the worship of the saints will be sweeter and more glorious.

Revelation 15:3-4

“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you
for your righteous acts have been revealed”

Those who are set against God are also set against the people of God. David understood this to be true of Israel. We must understand that this same dynamic is also true of the church.  In God’s eyes there is no neutrality; no fence to sit upon.

God is our rescuer actively working in the lives of all those who are His. Each of us who know and love the Lord can look back to the time before they knew Jesus, and see instance after instance when God has saved and rescued them from even greater danger and peril. As believers, we are acutely aware of those times when, ‘if it were not for the Lord’, we would have been ‘swept away’.

4. SNARES

Psalm 124:6-7

6 Blessed be the LORD,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!

For believers, there are many ‘snares’ in this world,

i.                     bad company,
ii.                   uncontrolled ambition,
iii.                  confidence in our own strength,

all of which lead to, iv. outright disobedience

i) Bad company

1 Corinthians 15:33

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

2 Corinthians 6:15

What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

The Bible warns that many are led away from the Lord by bad company. Scripture clearly warns is that we should take great care as to who we spend time and are allow ourselves to be influenced by.  We are called to live in the world alongside non-believers. However, if we spend a disproportionate length of time with non-Christians – or even with those in the church who are critical and condemnatory – then this will have an effect on us and will result in us becoming ensnared by ungodly attitudes and behaviour.

A life of drink, drugs, immoral behaviour is often a consequence of bad company. Often we have a very small view of our God and think he cannot possibly help us – God can and will rescue us from any situation if we have a true desire to follow him. This does not mean that we will not suffer consequences of our sinful behaviour, but that God will give us the strength to glorify him as we turn to him in repentance.

ii) Uncontrolled Ambition

Ecclesiastes 4:4

And I saw that all labour and all achievement spring from man’s envy of his neighbour. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

John 5:44

How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?

Uncontrolled/ungodly ambition can often be a snare. Meditate on these verses. They will completely turn your life around.

We must continually examine our lives and our heart-motives: Why do we do what we do in the church? What are our motives in ministry? What heart-desires motivate us in our leisure time? Do we work for our own sake, our own satisfaction? Is our desire to look good before men? Is our work in the church done so that we might look better, more committed, more spiritual, and more holy before our fellow Christians?

Or… is our true hearts-aim simply to please God? Is every action, every thought governed by the desire to bring glory and praise to God?

iii) Confidence in our strength

Genesis 13:12

Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.

2 Peter 2:6-7

6if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men

One of the most difficult attitudes for us to attain is that of being ‘God pleasers’ and not ‘Man pleasers’. If we seek to please God and be in the place he wants us to be then we will experience complete and absolute joy.

Many find it difficult to stand for God, in our workplaces or in our families, because of our fear of not being accepted, of retaliation.

Sometimes the difficulty of a situation faced can bring about the blaming of God. We think God has put us in this situation/place and we cannot get out or change anything.

When we rely on God and when we let Him be our strength, then we can persevere even in the most difficult or dangerous of situations. The situation will not necessarily go away, but God will give us the grace to be able to persevere. He will become our strength.

iv) Disobedience

God has and will continue to make it very clear to us what we are to do and what we are not to do. Often we choose to decide what is good for us, or we decide to go ahead with something which we know contravenes God’s desires for us. We err in that we think we know what is best for our lives. We seek to please ourselves and not God and are critical of those that seek obedience. Often, because we consider God’s way to be harder, we believe that we have a better solution. God calls us to be obedient to His Word. God will never contradict his word and is always faithful and always true.

God is serious about obedience and the results of disobedience. The first part of Psalm 124 states, ‘If the Lord had not been on our side’. How can we be sure that the Lord is indeed on our side? Because we are walking in obedience and not disobedience.

If we are Christians and follow Christ then everything that happens throughout our life – even the most difficult things – will work for good. God is for those who have given their lives to Christ – no exceptions.

Romans 8:31-39

31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

5. RESCUE

Psalm 124:8

Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth

David’s words draw a contrast between the Lord God and the many false gods in the surrounding cultures: gods of the sea, of the moon, or the harvest, etc. David knows the one true God, the one who created the heavens and the earth, who holds all things together. When we have a revelation of how great and powerful our God is, our problems actually become smaller and smaller in comparison. The way in which we see problems and difficulties in our lives is directly related to how clearly we see the living God.

The Lord is constantly under attack in this nation. The purpose of this attack is to make God look smaller and less significant, a small god who is not the creator of the world, not really in control, one who winds up the clock and lets it run itself, who is not around when we need him.

When we view God as he really is: Creator of all – of heaven and of earth and everything on the earth, a God who came down to earth and died for our sins, for me and for you, then we will see and believe that He has power to break through our inadequacies and our sins and restore us to fellowship with Him.

We will then see God as David saw Him; as Rescuer and as Lord.

For sermons and other free resources, visit www.firwoodchurch.com © 2009 Firwood Church

There is talk of poverty and mass unemployment returning to our country on a scale unprecedented since the early nineteen hundreds. We are hearing and reading of portents of bankruptcy on a massive scale and of the country having to rely on foreign lending. 

There are discussions, newspapers articles and ‘experts’ pointing the finger of blame.  The bankers are the first to be blamed followed swiftly by the politicians. We talk about how we are now living in a ‘culture of greed’.  I believe, however, that the problem goes a lot deeper than this. I believe that at the core of it all is the fact that we have become a godless nation and, as a godless nation, we are motivated by greed.

In order to satisfy our greed, bankers have to make more and more profit year on year to make shareholders happy. If the shareholders are not receiving sufficient profit and greater dividends from the banks each year, they will sell their shares and move their money elsewhere.  This constant pressure to exceed and surpass previous profits puts more and more pressure on the banks, resulting in collapse. The banks (and other investment houses) are constantly operating in the grip of fear and failure. They grasp at anything which looks as though it will generate more money and greater profit – taking no account of the risk and potential disaster.  The same can be said of many companies; the profits must always be greater, year in and year out – they are never satisfied.

It does not take a great deal of intelligence and common sense to realise that profits cannot go on increasing year on year forever.

Across the country, our attitude, appetite and desires are for bigger and better things. We want more money, bigger houses, more impressive cars and several foreign holidays each year.  If we cannot afford it, then we will borrow to pay for it. We are constantly stretching ourselves to the limit financially and in the event of a downturn in the economy and a potential loss of employment, we have nothing – no savings – only debts!

We are living in a greed culture. Jesus talks about a greed culture.  He talks about a farmer who ran a large farm.  The crops came in and he harvested and placed his crops in a barn. The year after the crop yield was even greater and so he built another barn. The year after that, another barn was built and so on. The farmer was told that the way he was living, seeking after material things, was foolishness and folly.  

Jesus ended by saying,

‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”  (Luke 12: 20-21)

As a nation, we have been living our lives as if there is no tomorrow. As a nation we have come to seek joy in our wealth and that the treasures we seek are in banks.  Individuals who seek the treasures of heaven, who seek God’s way of right living are generally and routinely mocked and ridiculed on the television and in newspapers.

Our country is in a difficult and desperate situation. What is the solution?  Perhaps if the Government were to pour millions of pounds into the system, then the problem would be resolved? The banks would recover; confidence would be restored, full employment return – a successful resolution!  

Unfortunately, it is not that simple; greed creates a need for more and more.  The Government’s plans might be successful for a while and after a few years we will come out of this recession. Regrettably, this is unlikely to be the end of it.  Even allowing for good intentions, the same situation will happen all over again. Banks and financial houses will start to satisfy shareholders by increasing profits and paying out greater dividends. In order to ensure continuity and greater profits and to maintain the confidence of shareholders, they will start to take more risks and then even greater risks. It will become an ever perpetuating cycle.

We need to put a stop to this culture of greed.  Unless this government, this country, this world returns to doing things in a Godly way, it is not going to be ‘boom and bust’, but rather ‘bust’ and ‘bust’ and ‘bust’.

Last night I led a Bible study and the subject of the Bible study was repentance. This word is not often used, even in churches.  Repentance basically means being sorry, but not just ‘sorry’ – it means turning away and not repeating the thing we have been doing, but instead, doing things God’s way.

At this current time, in this nation and in the world, it seems unlikely that this turning to God will happen. This is why the world is without hope. Historically, our laws and our Parliament were founded upon Christian values. Our politicians and those in authority had in mind Godly principles in the decisions they made for the good of the country and the people. This no longer happens. The culture of greed and ‘I want/I need’ is prevalent across all areas of society.

It is the responsibility of churches and Christians to pray that politicians will once again talk about God in Parliament – and discuss the best way – the Godly way – to run this country. Not just here in this country, but across the world.

When Governments once again encourage people in faith, encourage people to go back to church, encourage families once again to live together – man, wife and children in the family unit that God intended, then we will have a hope. Unless this happens, we will carry on in the same situation, becoming more desperate, with the world moving from one disaster to the next.