Asbury Church

Genesis 12-50 is a study of a dysfunctional family. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel) and Joseph were the patriarchs God used to create a nation. Abraham and Jacob were flawed, larger-than-life characters. Only Joseph, a type of Christ, was exemplary. Anybody named Joseph should be proud of their name.

“They all lived happily ever after” in Genesis 50, but Exodus 1 explains there’s a new king in town. This week we survey the first half of Exodus. The Israelites populated like rabbits and this Pharaoh didn’t care for the demographic shift. Moses was supposed to be their deliverer, but he blew his chance and got out of Dodge before Pharaoh could nab him. He knew God could never use him to redeem the Israelites. Yet, God was not finished with Moses. In fact, He was just getting started. At the spry age of 80, Moses answered “the call” in a surprising episode at “Horeb, the mountain of God.” Horeb and Sinai may be two sides of the same mountain. For Moses to bring the people here, makes sense.

Read Exodus 1-15 this week. There is a lot of ground to cover (no pun intended). The Bible in one word is the story of “redemption.” We see this thread from beginning to end. Redemption is at the heart of the book of Exodus. Before God could redeem His people, He had to redeem their leader. Moses was a bird with a broken wing. His inferiority was wellfounded. He needed a lot of help. As God provided for Abram, so God provided for Moses. Moses offered five excuses, culminating in: Please, God, just send somebody else! God gave Moses his brother Aaron as a spokesman. He gave Moses a rod as a symbol of God’s power. Remember the quote, “It’s not the rod—it’s the God behind the rod that made it happen.”

Genesis 1-11 is considered prehistory. We do not know the dates and location of creation, the Garden of Eden, the Flood, or the Tower of Babel. Genesis 12 through Chronicles and the stories of Abraham, Moses and David give an overview of the Old Testament.

This week we survey Genesis 12-22 and “Father Abraham.” God told Abram to leave his home, Ur (200 miles southeast of modern Baghdad, Iraq), to receive three promises: land, seed (children) and blessing. Abram obeyed and traveled to the Promised Land. He and Sarai had a miracle son in their advanced years.

We squirm on multiple levels when we read the Binding of Isaac. Though child sacrifice was a common religious practice, the Old Testament condemned it (Leviticus 20:1-3). In the Hinnom Valley of Jerusalem, the worship of the god, Molech, included child sacrifice. This valley later became associated with the idea of hell (Jeremiah 19:12-13, Mark 9:45).

Any thoughtful person would ask, “Why would God do this?” Isaac was the beloved son and Abram’s future rested on him. Did Abram misunderstand? Abram had fouled up before—was this another blunder? With this event, God was establishing that HE would provide for His people, not the other way around. The Lord was setting Himself apart from all other gods.

Mount Moriah, the site of Isaac’s binding, was later purchased by King David (1 Chronicles 21:18-30). “Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” (2 Chronicles 3:1) The gold dome on Temple Mount in modern Jerusalem marks the traditional site for Mount Moriah. The “Dome of the Rock” is an Islamic shrine built over the spot where the Jewish Temple once stood.

The world changed when Jesus came and brought the kingdom of God near to us. Heavenly angels revealed the glorious news to the least likely people in Judea: shepherds. This announcement to such a rag-tag group was counterintuitive. Working with stubborn and stupid sheep was not an intellectual challenge. While some good shepherds existed, like David, many had the reputation of not knowing the difference between “thine” and “mine.” Shepherds were smelly outcasts with a dirty job. The ceremonially unclean shepherds were prohibited from worship at the Temple. But the Lord gave them in a unique honor in His magnificent story.

The Lord delights in showing off in weakness. Look at these verses: “Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” (Romans 8:26) “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25) “I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:3-5) “It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.” (1 Corinthians 15:43) “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (2 Corinthians 11:30) “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) A baby at Christmas and a crucified Savior raised at Easter are the ultimate expressions of God stooping on our behalf. This fits His M.O.—the lowliest of people are counted as essential in His kingdom.

Mary gets the spotlight in the Gospels, and rightfully so, but as one of Peter Mayer’s songs goes, “Keep walking, Joseph, you’re part of the plan.” Joseph is often overlooked. He is more or less “the forgotten man.” The news that his young betrothed was pregnant was earth-shattering (they were formally engaged in a legally binding ceremony—like they were already married). The initial news was a dark night in Joseph’s soul. He took a disruptive moment in his life and found a way to play a critically important role in the magnificent story.

Zechariah 4:10 states, “For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice…” A small thing to one person may be a big thing to someone else. Just because a contribution is relatively small, does not make it trivial. Joseph was an essential character in the story—he just didn’t get as much press as Mary.

Many men feel intimidated by women about spiritual things. Yet, the story could not have happened without Joseph. An essentialist asks, “What’s the highest contribution I can make today?” Joseph worked quietly behind the scenes. Although he is hardly mentioned in the Gospel narratives, he played a key role. He provided for and protected Jesus and His mother. Joseph did the small things well. I love Josh Wilson’s song, “Dream Small.” He sings, “Don’t buy the lie you’ve got to do it all. Just let Jesus use you where you are. One day at a time. Live well. Loving God and others as yourself. Find little ways where only you can help. With His great love, a tiny rock can make a giant fall. So, dream small.”

Mary is one of the greatest people in the Bible. We don’t worship her, but let’s not dismiss or ignore her, either. This young woman did not volunteer for such a major disruption to her life. The angelic announcement was shocking. She was not prepared to be the mother of the Messiah. She was “greatly troubled.” She “tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.” The angel reassured her with what angels always tell people, “Do not be afraid.” The angel’s kind and favorable greeting helped her remain calm. Mary listened and asked, “How can this be?” After all, she was a virgin. The angel comforted her with the “Comforter,” the Holy Spirit, “one called alongside to help.”

Becoming a parent is disruptive. Having a baby, a calling or a major lifechange causes us to enter a discernment process. We must evaluate our choices. What used to be important may be less so now. Mary’s relative, Elizabeth, experienced this too. Elizabeth’s son, who became “John the Baptist,” was Jesus’ forerunner. Mary and Elizabeth became mothers for the first time, but even more so, they became vital to God’s magnificent story.

An essentialist asks, “Where should I put my limited resources today?” Mary’s response to the unbelievable news was one of faith and obedience. Verse 38 says it so well, “And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’” The Lord used a host of people to make it possible for Jesus to become flesh and blood and move into the neighborhood. He needed a family to birth, nurture, teach, and provide for Him. As such, Mary had a unique relationship with Him, and an essential role in Jesus’ life. Mothers are to do that for their children. Mary is an amazing model. Because she was willing to be used by God, she answered with her own unique response. The kingdom of God is made of people willing to serve and follow Him.

Matthew 6 is the middle chapter of the “Sermon on the Mount” where Jesus taught about following Him. HE is the one who invites us to find meaning in life through Him. When we do that, other things just seem to find their place. Trivial Pursuit is a great board game, but trivial pursuits are no way to live. As C.S. Lewis put it, “Aim at heaven and you get earth ‘thrown in.’ Aim at earth and you get neither.”

After Thanksgiving, we can continue to give thanks as we move into a new season. “Advent” comes from two Latin words, ad (toward) and venio (coming). Advent is literally “coming toward” Christmas. In church history, Advent was a type of “mini-Lent.” Christians would fast and pray to prepare their hearts for Jesus.

By definition, we really can have only one priority. A priority is THE thing before all other things. We have to make trade-offs to pursue what matters most. If we focus on the spiritual narrative of God’s kingdom during this season, many of the frustrations and disappointments of December go away. Furthermore, January will be a more pleasant experience if December does not financially stress us. Paul is clear on this: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17) Jesus allowed us to enter His magnificent story so we can share His abundant life with others. Life is relational. A follower of Jesus lives into the kingdom of God in three ways. Our communion liturgy says it: “Let us be one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.”

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Tim Tennent, the President of Asbury Theological Seminary, as our speaker this morning.

As we have spent time this fall describing “shrunken stories” because of the sin of the first Adam in the Garden, we also have the delight of sharing again about the magnificent story of Jesus. Paul describes the difference between the two types: the first Adam sinned and brought separation between Adam and Eve, creation, God, and even within Adam. However, the second Adam, Jesus, came to redeem and restore. The first Adam brought sin, curse, and death. The second Adam brought forgiveness, blessing, healing, life, and eternal life. The second Adam also poured out the Holy Spirit on another gift—the church. The first Adam spiraled into a downward trajectory of pride, fear, anger, blame, and guilt. The second Adam raised us to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As N.T. Wright said, “Jesus is the resolution to a story in search of completion."

Jesus was certainly a contrarian with the Pharisees. He condemned their pride and outrageous hypocrisy. He warned people about them and how they “devour widows’ houses.” In contrast, Jesus commended an elderly widow. Being an elderly widow was almost a proverbial statement describing poverty. She would have been living on the thinnest of margins. Two copper coins was a meager gift. This story illustrates how important every gift is in the kingdom. That is a contrary teaching. A child’s small gift or that of a poor person is important because THEY are important. A gift represents someone’s life and affection. Some can give generously (like Barnabas), but we want all to know the joy of giving. We strive for equal sacrifice, not equal gifts, because of the way money shapes the heart. As King David said, “I will not give that which costs me nothing.” Paul described the Macedonians, who were extremely poor, as a great example of generosity. He also commended the Philippians.

This is a troubling parable. Why would Jesus tell such a story? Is He rewarding dishonesty? This manager seems incompetent at best and at worst, a crook. (What does “wasting his possessions,” mean?) When he learns he will be fired, he thinks he is too weak for manual labor and too proud to beg. It is commendable that he thinks ahead. He comes up with a plan to curry favor after he is terminated. When the master discovers the manager’s deceptive practice, he does not condemn, but commends. Is Jesus saying the end justify the means?

Part of our difficulty in reading Scripture is trying to understand the context, such as a culture with practices far different from our own. Two possible explanations of this story are:

First, it could be about the OWNER’S dishonesty. Charging interest (“usuary”) was forbidden under Jewish law. However, as with Sabbath laws, it could be cleverly bypassed. If the manager’s actions revealed the master’s usuary, the master would be put to shame. The only thing he could do to save face was to applaud the manager.

Second, it could be that since the manager earned his living by inflating the bill with a commission, he could have simply eliminated his commission. He and the owner would both look generous.

Jesus’ point in the parable is about having a good plan for the use of money. Tithing (one-tenth of one’s income) is the Old Testament model. It started with Abraham’s recognition of “the priest of God,” Melchizedek. At the end of the Old Testament, Malachi asks those who are not tithing, “Will man rob God?” The New Testament emphasizes giving generously (2 Corinthians 9:7). A tithe is a great example, but the grace of Jesus far surpasses the Law. We want to follow HIS example.