"For the Fun and Pleasure of It"                    2013

Zephaniah 3:14-19           Luke 12:32-40

 

Zephaniah 3:14-19

14Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! 15The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. 16On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. 17The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing 18as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. 19I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.

 

Luke 12:32-40

32“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 35“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39“But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

 

One evening about dusk, I was driving along Baylor Canyon Road,

            and I noticed a big green lizard by the side of the road

                  perched with its feet spread out across the top of a bush,

                                    balancing and swaying on a branch as the wind blew …

                                   … seemingly for the fun and sheer pleasure of it.

 

It surprised me, because I never thought that a lizard,

            a creature with only a very primitive reptilian brain,

                         even had the capacity to do something like thatà

                             simply for the fun and pleasure of it.

 

Similarly,   but     on the infinitely opposite end of the scale,

            I have never thought or considered that God

                        might do something for the delight and pleasure of it.

 

I just

     wouldn't associate pleasure-seeking   with an infinite being;

                        yet Jesus tells us, according to Luke 12:32

                                                “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. "

 

That means,

          It is God's earnest desire and delight,

               God's pleasure to give us the Kingdom, the Kingdom of God.

 

Jesus refers to the kingdom frequently in his teaching & parables,

            but what exactly does he mean by this term,  kingdom of God?

 

The kingdom of God actually has several layers of meaning.

            In the most simple and literal sense,

                            it is the promise of eternal life,

                                    and our dwelling-place with God beyond the grave.

 

Jesus also said, however,    that the Kingdom of God is at hand.

   Kingdom of God also refers to the reign & sovereign rule of God.

               The Kingdom of God is when    led by the Spirit,  we obey,

                        and live out grace,  the just and merciful  ways of God.

 

* When we allow Scripture & the Holy Spirit to guide & direct us,

            that   is living under God's reign, that   is kingdom-living.

 

e.g.    When we choose to forgive, rather than resent or hit back.

            When in forbearance, we don't say hurtful words of attack.

                        It's when we pause to think grace   before we respond.

It's when we are committed & sacrifice, and truly live our faith.

 

  The Kingdom is placing the needs of others, ahead of our own,

            it is giving our time and effort to serve other people.

     The Kingdom comes as the courage and strength we need à

            to stand for what is right and good, even when others do not.

It’s when our lives are defined, influenced and guided, ---

          not by our desires, but by God’s truth, grace and mercy.

 

*  The promised kingdom is at hand when a Christian’s life

          faithfully reflects God’s gracious love, call and purpose.

 

Yes, the Kingdom of God is the promised and coming   

            of eternal life with God   for which we await and hope…

                   … and at the same time, it is when in the present life,

                                 we submit to the gift of grace and respond to à

                                       the word, ways, will, and Holy Spirit of God.

 

The point is, because it is   God's pleasure to give the kingdom,

            we don't need to live frantic, fearful and anxious lives,

                        because    we are freed from trying to satisfy à

                                    the demands of this world’s ways and values,

                                                or to placate the wrath of an angry God…

… for God isn't a nit-picking judge eager to pounce & punish us,

            but a God whose good pleasure & joy is to love and bless us.  

 

There is a stream of Christian thought,  a Puritan theology

       that was popular among some early American revival preachers

               that tries

                           to so terrify the listener with threats of damnation &

                                sinners dangling by a thin thread over hell’s fire,

                                           that driven by fear and panic   they repent ofà

                                               having offended an angry & wrathful holy God.

 

Dwight L. Moody, as a young evangelist

            became well known for this characteristically

                        fierce and fiery scorching revival-style of preaching.

 

   But in 1872, when he attended a Bible conference in London

            and heard a different sort of sermon based on John 3:17.

                        "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

 

Moody later wrote that he was astonished by that sermon.

                 Up until then, he had always called on sinners to repent

                        in order to flee from the wrath that was sure to come.

But instead of emphasizing    what sinners should flee from,

            that sermon,  based upon John's gospel reversed all of that.

 

Moody noted, that without suggesting that God does not judge,

          or that   grace means there is nothing to do in response,

                   the sermon he heard was significantly different…

                                … drawing sinners toward and God's righteousness                                                        by explaining and calling for heartfelt repentance

                             as a faithful & active response to love and mercy.

 

When I went to Boy's Brigade Christian Camp one summer,

            the Bible lessons were mostly about the agony of hell,

                  and focused on the threat of God’s wrath toward sinners.

 

Those lessons did successful make me feel guilty and fearful,

            but once “saved and my place in heaven assured”,

                        there was no motivation to grow or deepen my faith,

                              & no desire to come any closer to such a God of wrath…

  … for who would want to hang out in angry principal’s office?

 

The God I learned about as a young boy in back New England

            was a scary God who kept track of my failings and mistakes,

                   & who seemed to delight in catching & punishing sinners.

 

Fortunately I was eventually introduced to a God of grace & love…

                        … whose pleasure and delight,    is to give  the Kingdom.

 

My faith journey with God was transformed and became real ----

            only when, instead of fleeing the fires & torments of hell,

                        I was drawn toward    my God who created me and loves me.

          Once I was no longer driven by fear and guilt,   only thenà

             did I find peace & joy & pleasure  in serving a loving God.

 

I think it's regrettable that many Christians live and act as if

            God were angry and hesitant to show his mercy & compassion;

                as if God had to be placated & cajoled into showing grace.

 

Truly the message of the Gospel, is God’s Good News for sinners…

     …and when we begin to accept & trust that the Good News is true,

                 we begin to experience for ourselves

                        how much God really does love us, even just as we are,à

          and it becomes the most significant truth of our lives

              that can redefine & reorient everything about how we live.

 

It is not God’s intention for our lives

            to be defined by guilt and shame, or by fear and regret,

                        nor for us, through good works and religious observance

                         to try & earn God’s love or make-up for past mistakes…

  … that all

            comes from a flawed and deficient understanding of God.

                                   

Consider the gracious God that the prophet  Zephaniah describes,      

            The Lord is in your midst; you shall fear no more.  … he will rejoice over you with gladness,  he will renew you in his love;  he will exult over you with loud singing.               (vs. 17)

 

This isn’t an angry God poised to pounce in fierce judgment,

          but a gracious loving God     singing and rejoicing over us,

                   with loud joy and gladness  celebrating that we are His.

 

Perhaps one possible reason

            we may have a little trouble believing and accepting that

                        may be because the people around us are often critical;

            quick to judge and point out our mistakes and failures,

                        teaching us we are flawed, and to judge

                                    & set our worth according to our accomplishments…

 

  … which then raises the question:

          so why would God be delighted to sing and rejoice over us?

 

Jesus answers that question, vs. 32 of Luke 12.

            Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

                       

Little flock – that is a term of endearment, promise, and nurture.

            Jesus is assuring us that it's the Lord's good pleasure,

                        that it's the fulfillment of God's intention and desire

                                    according to His plan and purpose for Creation …

… which is for us all to live in loving relationship with our God.

 

God wants to give us the kingdom, to bless us abundantly ---

            not hesitantly, not grudgingly, but eagerly and joy-fully.

 

But in order to receive the full abundance that God intends

            and the amazing blessings & gifts that God desires to give,

                        we must be ABLE  and we must be READY to receive.

 

So Jesus warns us, vs. 33-34                 

            Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

This isn't a universal command for all to sell everything we own,

            but understood as a warning that our stuff, our possessions

                can get in the way of our

                        of receiving with gratitude the  blessings God intends.

*We cannot receive from God, unless we are open, willing & ready…

…for if our lives are already filled clinging this world's stuff

      then how can we   receive with gratitude  God's good gifts?

 

Maybe the question is,

            do I really trust in God,  and that God's promises are true,

                or am I trying to build my life & security on my own stuff?

 

I want to live in a way that I am always ready to receive,

            and I want to be captivated by God's gracious love and truth,

                        and to build my life, not driven by fear and guilt,

                           but on promise & joy  that it's God's pleasure to give.

 

We are created to be the recipients – receptacles of God's love.

   We are vessels whom God has designed for receiving & reflecting

            love, grace, kindness & blessings back out to all the world.

And in our Luke text, Jesus explains what is necessary

     for us to be able & to be ready to accomplish this, God's will.

 

First, it has to do with our faith and our attitude…

            … trusting & sure that God is not reluctant, stingy or angry,

                        but our God is loving,  pleased to bless us, abundantly.

 

            … that the promised Kingdom

                        comes as a gracious gift, not something we need to earn.

 

            … that a life dominated by a desire for things of this world

                        limits our ability to recognize and receive blessings,

                                    and our freedom  to enjoy the eternal riches of God.

 

Second,

            it has to do with living our lives in readiness to receive,

                 on staying focused on our hope in God's truth & promises.

Jesus said,  vs. 35-37

            Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes.  Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will serve them.

 

This parable is a picture of God's amazing and radical grace.

            The servants have been faithful, they are ready & waiting,

                        and so the returning Master, comes and serves them;

                             just as by grace, Jesus suffered & died to serve us.

 

The longer I walk with God,

            and the closer my relationship with God grows,

                        the more I am beginning to realize and recognize,

                                    the infinite depth, breadth and height 

                                       and  power of God’s amazing love, mercy and grace,

        and how overwhelmingly, incredibly wonderful God really is…

 

          … and thanks be to God  for this indescribable good gift,

                    that as disciples called by Jesus Christ, God’s grace à

                         à flows in   and back out through us to the world.

 

So maybe the question

          to ask concerning God’s pleasure and kingdom,

               is what difference is that making in our lives today?