St Timothy Presbyterian Church in Toronto: Sermons

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Matthew 25:14-30

Everyone Has A Talent

Today's story tells us many things about our life.

The first thing that caught my attention was that we are all equipped with talents. Every single one of you has talents.

Some of you sing well. Some of you do sports well. Some of you have good intelligence. Some of you have a great personality. Some of you have wisdom. Some of you have good health.

Every single one of you has talents if you look at yourself carefully.

Don't say that I have no talent. God gave each and every one of you talents. Some are hidden and others may be dormant yet. But you have talents.

Another thing that caught my attention was that not everyone has the same amount of talents. Some have 5 talents. Others have 2 talents and still others have one talent.

That's a fact. What can you do? Some are smarter than you. Some are stronger than you.

No matter how much you try, if you were not born with a great voice, you will never be able to sing like Pavarotti or Celine Dion or Elvis. What can you do?

No matter how much you try, there will be people who are better than you. You may not live up to the level of Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan even though you may have some athletic talents.

Not only are our talents different, the amount of talents you have is different. This is where the problem comes.

We don't like that. If our talents are all different, then it's ok. We can accept that. We can at least say that even if I don't sing well, I can dance well.

But when the amount is different, when other people are better than you, it's hard to accept that. Because it makes you feel small and insignificant. You question why you are not as good as others.

Why is she prettier than me? Why is he taller than me? Does God love me less?

We translate the amount of talents into the amount of God's love. We measure the amount of God's love with the amount of talents we have.

Appreciating Your Talents

Once you start thinking like that, you are entering into a very slippery slope. This kind of thinking may lead you into self-pity and into a dark gloomy place.

You lose confidence. You cannot even use the talent you have well.

Maybe, that was what Jesus meant when he said this.

For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. (Matthew 25:29)

I think that is what the person with one talent did. He felt that what he had was nothing compared to those who had 2 talents and 5 talents. He thought they had talents twice as much, five times as much as he had.

All of a sudden what he had seemed so small and so insignificant. He didn't appreciate what he had.

That is the problem a lot of us have. We don't appreciate what we have.

But do you know how much is one talent? It is a big amount. It is the amount a day labourer can save for 20 years without spending it at all.

The story is telling us that we all have enough.

Even the person who had one talent had enough to be able to do something worthwhile. But he didn't think of doing anything with it. He just hid it in the ground. Even though what he had was enough, he fell into this trap of comparing himself with others.

This reminds me of the movie Amadeus. Salieri was a good musician and yet he felt that he had nothing compared to what Mozart had.

He didn't appreciate what he had. He felt that God did not love him. God did not bless him.

He hated God who bestowed such a great talent to a person who was immature, silly, and obscene. He renounced God and vowed to take revenge on God by destroying Mozart.

God gave all of you wonderful talents. Don't measure the worth of your talents by comparing with others.

How much talents you have is not as important as how you enjoy your talents and do something worthwhile with what you have.

When you enjoy what you have and start using it creatively, you can be content. Being content and being complacent are two different things. Being content is to appreciate what you have no matter how big or how small it may be.

Content in Little and Plenty

Yesterday, my grandkids came to our house. It is a small condo. 11 people were there and we could barely sit around. But the kids were different.

They went into the bedroom and created their own game. They didn't let the environment limit them. They knew how to use their environment creatively to have fun.

It is because their thinking is not tainted yet. It doesn't matter the environment. They know how to have fun, how to be happy.

That was Paul's attitude.

Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. (Philippians 4:11-12)

He knew what it was to have little, and what it was to have plenty. Whether he had a lot or not, that was not what was important.

He knew how to accept his situation and be comfortable with it. And he enjoyed what he had.

After he said this beautiful phrase, he concluded with this.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

That is what being content looks like.

Confidence In Your Treasures

Being content not only makes you appreciate what you have but also gives you this confidence to do something with it.

You don't lose confidence because what you have is little compared to what others have. You have confidence to do whatever you want to do with it.

Having a lot is not as important as enjoying what you have, being content with it, and doing something wonderful with it.

Being complacent is different.

You don't appreciate what you have. You don't know how to enjoy what you have. You don't see the value of what you have. You just live your life as though you have nothing. You hide your talents in the ground and do nothing about it.

Let me talk to those who are 50 and over. If the years you have are talents, you have less than those who are in their 20s. But don't think that your good years are over. Do something meaningful with what you have. Don't waste your time by hiding it in the ground.

Let me talk to those who are 50 and younger. Appreciate what you have. Do not compare yourself with others. See the significance of what you have. Find treasures within yourself. And do something wonderful with the talents you have.

All of you, be content but don't be complacent. God has given you this life. This precious life. That is the most precious talent you have. Don't waste it.

Do something worthwhile. Enjoy it but don't exhaust it. Love it but don't chase after every craving. Be thankful but don't settle for less.

Feeling full, abundant, and satisfied doesn't come from having a lot. It comes from your deep gratitude for what you have.

Life is not about doing better than others. Life is about enjoying what you have and doing your best with what you have.

Be free from belittling yourself. Be free from self-pity. Be free from feeling small. Be free from fear of not being able to make it.

God gave you a talent and he will help you when you try to do something with it.

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Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

A Leader of His Generation

Joshua is a well known person in the Bible. But he's not as well known as Moses.

Moses is the towering figure in biblical history. He was a giant. Moses led his people out of slavery in Egypt. He freed them from a mighty empire against all odds.

These are the leaders who are revered and remembered.

When such a towering figure leaves, they often leave a void. It is hard for others to follow those giant footsteps.

Not anyone can do this. It takes someone very strong and capable. Joshua was that person.

He filled the void left behind by Moses. Moses could not get to go into the Promised Land. He died in the wilderness.

Joshua finished what Moses began. Joshua was the last surviving person of his generation. He was 110 years old when he gave the speech in today's passage.

He lived through everything the Israelites had experienced, from bondage in Egypt to freedom, and from the wilderness to the Promised Land.

Throughout his life, he saw all that God had done. All the wonderful and mighty things God did for them.

And now, as he was getting ready to depart the earth, he wondered whether the next generation would experience God the way he had.

Now that they were settled, would they continue to look to God as he had?

Faith in God

For Joshua and his generation, they had nowhere to turn to. God heard them cry out in Egypt. God sent Moses to rescue them.

God parted the Red Sea when they were trapped between the sea and pursuing Egyptians. God provided manna when they had no food in the desert.

Everytime they were in need, God provided for them.

Human nature is such that we only turn to God when we have nowhere else to go.

When we are in control of things, then we don't need God.

Joshua was concerned whether this would be the case with the next generation, now that they were settled and living in the Promised Land.

But even when things are hard or not going well, that doesn't necessarily mean that we have faith.

All throughout their journey in the wilderness, most of the Israelites grumbled and complained. Even after all that God had done for them, they did not trust God.

They still complained and grumbled. They still had so much fear.

While they were in the wilderness, Moses sent 12 spies into Canaan to scout the land and its people. When they came back, 10 of them had very negative reports.

The land was indeed good, but the people were scary and unbeatable. They were like giants, and the Israelites looked like grasshoppers in comparison.

Everyone believed them and fell into despair. They even began to mobilize to go back to Egypt! Back into slavery where at least they would have work and food.

Only Joshua and Caleb had faith. They saw the exact same thing as the other 10, but they interpreted it very differently.

This was Joshua's response:

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the Israelites, The land that we went through as spies is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only, do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for they are no more than bread for us; their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them. (Numbers 14:6-9)

Joshua had faith. If God was with them, they would succeed. He trusted God wholeheartedly when everyone else was struck with fear.

How did he have this faith when no one else did?

The Gift of Faith

That is a great mystery. Faith is a mystery. Faith is a gift. Somehow, Joshua was blessed with the gift of faith.

He had unshakeable trust in God no matter what the circumstances. He did not waver or succumb to fear. That's what made him a great and courageous leader.

Because of his faith, he was able to see and experience the power of the living God. That is what faith does.

It's not that God is not working. It's that without faith, you cannot see God at work.

Faith gives you eyes to see God at work. Faith gives you trust that God is working even when you cannot see it.

Faith gives you hope in times where the situation is dark, unclear and uncertain. And faith opens up your heart to experience the wonderful peace and presence of God.

That is the testimony of people who have faith. It is a powerful and wonderful gift.

Because of his faith, Joshua experienced so many wonderful works of God. His wish was for future generations to experience God the way he did.

He knew their challenges would be different from his. But he still wanted them to experience the power and presence of God in a real way. He worried that they would forget about God and look to other gods.

An Original Experience with God

It was not tradition that Joshua wanted to pass down. Tradition is a set of beliefs and practices that is passed down from one generation to the next.

But we live in a time where tradition has broken down. It doesn't mean anything to people anymore.

What used to work in the past doesn't work for us anymore. What used to be true for your parents is not necessarily true for you anymore.

Life has changed so much and it keeps on changing. Tradition seems outdated.

Behind tradition is an original experience that begins that tradition.

Joshua had this powerful original experience of God throughout his life. He did not want to pass on a tradition. He wanted each generation to have their own original experience of God just like he had.

The key to that original experience of God is faith.

What we need is not tradition. It's not the beliefs of our parents or grandparents.

What we need is our own original experience of God. The reason we study the Bible is to get at the original experience of God that people had.

Tradition makes it easy not to think. You simply live out what's given to you. But with the breakdown of tradition, we don't know what to think. We have no guiding frameworks.

Direct Your Heart

Our hearts and minds are easily drawn to whatever seems most attractive and useful at that moment. This is the greatest challenge to faith today.

Our hearts and minds are scattered. They're drawn in so many different directions. Everyone has an opinion. We don't know what to follow, what to believe. So we just follow the loudest voices and live from moment to moment without much thought.

You cannot experience God when your heart is so scattered. You cannot experience peace and rest in God.

This is the key point in Joshua's final speech:

Now, therefore, revere the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline (direct) your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel. (Joshua 24:19, 23)

Direct your hearts to God and nothing else. When your heart is fearful or uncertain, don't turn elsewhere.

Don't be shaken by the noise around you. Don't put your trust in false opinions. Direct your hearts to God. You will experience the fullness of God's presence.

God's Promise for You

At the end of his life, this was Joshua's confession:

And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one thing has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you; all have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. (Joshua 23:14)

Faith leads you to see that God's promises are true. All the difficulties you've experienced are just part of God fulfilling his promises for you.

Faith gives you assurance that they will continue to be true. That faith is your power for life. I think it's the greatest blessing to have in life.

Yesterday the Session had a wonderful retreat. It was a spiritual time together. We left feeling hopeful.

The Spirit of God is alive in our church. Your elders care so much about you and this church.

For those who are rooted in this church and are now thinking of life beyond your career: Direct your hearts to God, and like Joshua, see how all of God's promises have come true in your life. God is not done yet. He will reveal a calling that is beyond your scheduled life.

I also pray that our younger generations may experience the living reality and power of God in their lives. This was the prayer and hope of all of our elders and ministers.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not turn your hearts to other things. Ask for the gift of faith. Direct your hearts to God.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

That is how Joshua lived, and that is what he experienced. This was Joshua's wish for his people. That is God's wish for you.

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Psalm 67

God’s Dream by Rev. Young Ohm.

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Ephesians 5:1-2

Living Out the Image of God

St. Paul said to be imitators of God. He didn't mean to mimic God. Be imitators of God.

Genesis writer said that we're created in the image of God.

So God created humankind in his image,

Being imitators of God means to live out the image of God that is within us. What does it mean to live out the image of God within us?

I think Jesus showed that to us very clearly. Jesus lived out the image of God. Jesus was the image of God.

So, St. Paul said,

He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Colossians 1:15)

Jesus did many things. He did miracles. He healed the sick. He gave wonderful teachings about life, about the kingdom of God, and about God.

Changed by the New Image

But Paul singled out only one thing that Jesus did in today's passage. We can see that in the latter part of today's Scripture.

live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2)

He pointed out his sacrifice for us. In that sacrifice, Paul saw the image of God. In those scars, distorted face, and torn flesh, he saw the image of God.

Paul discovered the new image of God. Not invincible God who could not be defeated but broken God who was willing to die because of love.

That was not the image he had or anybody had in his time. When they heard the word, God, the immediate image that came to their minds was a powerful God who demanded human beings to behave in a certain way and threatened to punish if they would not follow his demand.

But at the cross, Paul discovered a new image of God.

This discovery of the new image completely changed Paul.

Strength Rooted in Fear

St. Paul was a very strong person. Strong personality, strong opinions, and strong zeal. But he realized that his strong attitude became a stumbling block for him. His strong attitude blinded him and enslaved him.

Luke records that something like scales fell off from Paul's eyes when he met Christ. You can see how blinded he was because of these scales. He could not see what he ought to see.

Yes. Our strong attitude makes us weak. But we want to be stronger because of fear. That strong attitude could be harmful not only to others but also to himself. It can easily turn into abuse, abuse to himself and to others.

The cross of Jesus revealed the opposite. The strong Jesus embraced the weak cross. He showed us his weaknesses of dying helplessly on the cross.

I think that is the real strength.

St. Paul didn't know that. He didn't know the beauty of the true strength. He didn't know that behind his strength, there was tremendous fear.

Ultimately his strength turned into his abusive behaviour.

Luke showed that very clearly.

Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (Acts 9:1, 2)

Very violent Paul you see here. That was what the risen Christ told Paul when he first met him on the road to Damascus.

He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' (Acts 9:4)

Why are you so abusive to me?

In the Acts of Apostle, Paul spoke three times about his encounter with the living Christ. In the last testimony, we see what we didn't see in the first testimony.

When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads. (Acts 26:14)

You are not just abusing me and my people but you are hurting yourself. His abusive behaviour was hurting him. His strength enslaved him.

A New Strength in Christ

Real strength doesn't do that. Real strength frees us from hatred, animosity, manipulation, and our false self.

When we are free, we don't have to live with our false self. That is the strength. This kind of strength gives us peace and confidence.

That is the strength Paul experienced when he met Christ.

Let us hear his confession.

but he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.' So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10)

When you have this true strength, then you can deny yourself, and even empty yourself. That doesn't mean that you lose yourself. Your self does not vanish.

You come out with a new self. The self that goes beyond the self-obsession and self-fear.

The stronger you want to be, the weaker you become. You will continuously hurt yourself and others. You will be always defensive, self-centred, and self-focused.

Be connected with Christ. He will give you the strength. Not the strength this world gives you but the strength to survive in all circumstances.

When you have this strength, then you can live a life of love. We can live out the image of Christ who loved us so much that he gave himself as a sacrifice.

Today is our church anniversary. The world we live in is very chaotic. They are hurting each other. So much suffering. So much pain and so much hurt.

The image of God within us is damaged. Human dignity and respect are trampled upon.

We need to restore the image of God again. We should be imitators of God, imitators of Christ. No more abuse that is originated from people's power.

We pray that there may be reconciliation. We pray that we may forgive each other, embrace each other, respect each other, and honour the image of God that is within each other. That is what this church should do in this dark world.

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Matthew 22:15-22

Freedom to Give Yourself

What is freedom?

This question is at the root of their question to Jesus about paying taxes. Do you, Jesus, as a leader of the people, accept our submission to a foreign power? Or should we stand up and fight for our independence?

Many people believe that freedom is independence and autonomy. Being in control of your situation. Being able to do what you want without being restricted by others or circumstances.

That is what many Jews desired while they were under Roman occupation. But Jesus provides an interesting response to that question:

Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's. (Matthew 22:21)

He's pretty much saying accept the situation as it is. Pay the taxes. Accept Roman rule.

In this sense, Jesus was clear eyed. He knew what the consequence was of revolting against them. It would have been near suicide. But it's not a passive resignation to the situation either.

He says to give to God what is God's. What does he mean by that? What is God's?

Jesus says this:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. (Matthew 22:37-38)

Your heart, soul and mind belong to God. Always give that to God. You have the freedom to do that, and in doing that, you have real freedom.

Whatever the situation is, no matter how little control we have, we can always give our hearts to God. This is what Jesus did and how he lived.

In the end, Jesus had no control over his body and life. The Romans put a stop to what he did. They put an end to his very life. They hung him on the cross.

But even in his death, he had freedom.

This is what he said on the cross:

Then Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands! Having said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)

To his final breath, Jesus trusted God. That was his freedom.

Peace In Any Circumstance

My friends, it is not your circumstances that make you free.

True freedom comes from letting go of control in total trust to God. It is your faith – your total trust in God that makes you free.

Faith changes you and allows you to handle any situation. Whether you have control or not, faith allows you to handle it.

When we lose control of our lives, it is natural to feel fear, anger, frustration, and worries. These are all things we feel as human beings.

But they are very strong emotions. If we are not careful, they have the power to take control of our thoughts and actions.

When you give your heart to God in trust, they are still there, but they don't have control over you.

This is what Jesus said to his disciples during his last speech:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

Peace reigns in your heart when you give your heart to God in trust. It's a peace that God gives to us. A peace that the world cannot give. A peace that surpasses all understanding.

Peace allows you to live with the other emotions. Peace regulates them and keeps them in check. You are free from their control.

This is the struggle that African American slaves must have had. For over 200 years, they had no control over their lives. Many endured brutal suffering.

They had no control over where they lived or their families. They were property that could be bought and sold. They were treated as property.

But many of them found freedom in faith. Through faith, they came to know who they were, and whose they were.

Their bodies belonged to their earthly masters, but their hearts, souls and minds belonged to God. Despite the circumstances, they believed there was a God who cared for them.

Their faith enabled them to endure and persevere. Their faith gave them hope. Their faith gave them new visions for society and the world.

From this faith tradition came leaders like Martin Luther King Jr who helped change the world. The spiritual I've got peace like a river came from their experience of faith.

When you are controlled by negative emotions, they will cloud and affect your thinking. You cannot think clearly when they control you. Your thinking and actions will be driven by those emotions.

With a peaceful heart, you can think clearly.

This is what St. Paul said:

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

When you give your heart to God in trust, you no longer follow what everyone is doing or saying. You're able to think clearly. You are able to discern the will of God.

With peace in your heart and clear thinking, your desires become oriented to the will of God. What is good and acceptable and perfect. That is a life of freedom!

Reclaim Our Hearts

Today, our bodies are more free than ever. We enjoy greater freedom than anyone has ever known. But somehow, we are not so free.

We have more political, social and economic freedom than before, but our hearts, souls and minds are not our own. They have been given away to others.

When I read and think about things going on, I say to myself, we have really lost our minds! Our hearts, our minds and our souls have been hijacked.

I've been reading about the trial of the person who ran over the Muslim family in London, Ontario. The whole family except for the youngest boy was killed. The defence is admitting to the act. The issue is whether he had the necessary intent.

The main defence is that his mind was clouded by his addiction to far-right content, and that he was not in control of his actions.

His hard life experiences, his depression and his anger led him to consume content that further fuelled his rage and clouded his thinking and led to this tragic action. We will see whether the jury accepts that.

But whatever the legal case is, the young boy will have to grow up without his family.

We need to reclaim our freedom. We need to reclaim our hearts and give them to God.

One concrete thing you can do is take time each day to put aside your phone. That device, and the platforms that run on them, are constantly taking our attention.

That is their business model, to keep our attention. Your act of resistance is taking time each day so that you can stop and think.

Process your emotions and your thoughts. Make your thoughts your own. Give your heart to God and ask for your mind to be renewed. Every day, make this a practice.

Peaceful hearts. Clear thinking. Right desires.

That is what we need to be free people.

Pray With Hope and Peace

Unfortunately, Jews did end up revolting against Rome. Passions prevailed. Those passions led to catastrophic actions.

Rome came in and totally destroyed Jerusalem. They destroyed the Temple. They massacred thousands upon thousands of people. And they drove out the Jews from their traditional homeland.

For 2000 years, they would live as a diaspora, suffer persecution, culminating in the Holocaust. Many of them made their way back after that to form Israel.

The only thing is, there were people who had already been living there for thousands of years. The situation we are in now is in large part a result of their decision to revolt against Rome 2000 years ago.

We are sitting at the precipice of an unknown situation right now in Israel. I pray that peaceful hearts, clear thinking and right desires may prevail.

Jesus chose a different path from those who chose violence. He chose the path of non violence.

The cross was an instrument of total control. It was the symbol of what would happen if you resisted. It was a symbol of the inevitability of Roman power.

Because of Jesus' faith right to the end, that symbol was transformed.

The cross is now for us a symbol of hope amidst darkness. Of new life that arises from death. I pray that there may be light that emerges from our present dark situation.

St. Paul said this to his followers:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Reclaim your freedom in prayer. Don't let anxiety and worries overwhelm you. Let the peace of God guard your hearts and your minds.

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