North and South (Or The Unlikely Hero)

Our family is from West London. We used to live in a 3 bedroom terraced house in Ealing right up to the time I was nearly 9 years old when Mum and Dad took the very bold decision to move to New Zealand.

The house had a small narrow garden which the Boys Brigade destroyed with a game of football on the cold November night before we left for New Zealand. The new owner would have loved finding his lovely grass lawn a mud bath and no chance to do anything about it until the Spring.

I am the oldest, I have 2 brothers and 1 sister. There wasn't a lot of space in the house but there were walls to climb and a staircase to slide down so it was quite a lot of fun for 4 kids. One summer the conservatory got filled with a large wasp nest so that we couldn't get to the garden for several days and during that time we drove Mum up the wall.

Because we could hear her coming could usually quieten down quickly enough so that by the time she opened the door of the lounge everything was a picture of peace and harmony. Mum would threaten to whack us all in order to get the right one. Some people have this view of the Lord that he is like some parent shouting from the upstairs room "Don't make me come down there!"

Last weekend at Church Camp we listened to Angus Buchan give an important message for our time about "Being Still" from Psalm 46:10. The world has become such a chaotic place and moves at a frantic pace. Angus recalled the story of a rich businessman from New York going to a mental home for a retreat from the busyness of his life. The rich man was given 3 words by one of the mental patients - "Too Busy" and "Why?".

It's great to hear from God isn't it? Well yes, but we can't always expect a nice message 😬

Let's look at the book of Amos. Just to give a quick background history;

David's son Solomon married foreign wives and led the people into worshipping false gods which brought God's judgement - most of the kingdom would be torn away and given to someone else (1 Kings 11:9-13) . This came to pass when the northern tribes rebelled against the heavy taxes that were imposed to finance the building of the temple under Solomon and were to be increased under his son Rehoboam.



The northern tribes elected Jeroboam, son of Nebat as the first king of the northern kingdoms of Israel. Israel was split into a northern and southern kingdom. Jeroboam was an official in the Jerusalem court, not part of the royal line and God's promise to David. To prevent the Northern Tribes of repenting and returning to the Lord, Jeroboam set up 2 golden calves at Bethel and Dan and told the people that they were the gods that led Israel out of Egypt! What followed in the North was a long line of evil kings after Jeroboam including Ahab and his partner in crime, Jezebel (Jehu was anointed his replacement by Elijah and the only good king). Following Jehu was Jehoahaz (evil) then Joash (evil) then Jeroboam II

Evil because they encouraged idolatry and led the people of Israel into sin.

Jeroboam II was the son of King Joash, and the great grandson of King Jehu. He was the 13th (unlucky for some) king of the northern kingdom of Israel. It is to Jeroboam II that Amos is sent.

2 Kings 14:23-24 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

Meanwhile in the South, the royal line of David, the kings were maybe 80% of the time good including Jehoshaphat, Joachim, Amaziah and Uzziah. Uzziah was a good king;
2 Chronicles 26:3-5 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.

But he went off the rails a little bit because of his pride. He didn't lead the people into sin by worshiping idols but he assumed the place of the priest in burning incense at the altar which was incorrect (2 Chronicles 26:16-23)

Isn't it interesting that the man elected by the people was evil but the man elected by God was good! So much for democracy 😬

Who was Amos?

Amos 1:1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.

Amos lived in between the time of David and the captivity in Babylon. Amos was living away from the busyness of life working as a shepherd up in the hills of Tekoa when he received his message from God. Tekoa is 12 miles south from Jerusalem and visible from Bethlehem. It lies on an elevated hill, which spreads itself out into an irregular plain of moderate extent. The wilderness next to Tekoa extends down to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth.

Amos was in the perfect place away from the big city to listen to God while he worked. I can guarantee you he was a happy guy living and working in that environment. Until that fateful day when God actually spoke to him!

It was not a nice message! Read Amos 1:3-2:8 

Amos 1:3-5 This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not relent. Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth, I will send fire on the house of Hazael that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad. I will break down the gate of Damascus; I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Aven and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden. The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,” says the Lord.

What follows are very similar prophecies against Philistine, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah and Israel. Amos had a very hard task;

1. Deliver bad news to the enemy kings - Syria, Philistine, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab. I think I'd throw that scroll over the wall, shout out "Package from God!" and run wouldn't you? 
2. Deliver bad news to the Kings of Judah and Israel especially 

Amos's message was to the good king of Judah (Uzziah) and the evil king of Israel (Jeroboam II) and it was bad news for both of them! It's not easy to give a message to repent to a good person, some would say it's harder.

Has the Lord asked you to do anything hard lately? Please spare a thought for Amos...

One thing about being a shepherd, it was not a respected job. Dr. Joachim Jeremias says shepherds were “despised in everyday life.” In general, they were considered second-class and untrustworthy. 

Certainly Amos wasn't a certified Prophet from the College. He didn't have a doctorate in prophecy. The King's first question would have been, is this man qualified, he smells like sheep dung!

Amos had to walk the 12 miles to Jerusalem to give the message to King Uzziah, the king of Judah. Then he would have had to walk another 12 miles North to Bethel to deliver the message to King Jeroboam, king of the rebel alliance Israel, the 10 tribes who had rejected the House of David.

The main target for the remaining 7.5 chapters of Amos is Israel, which would have been assumed to be the rebel tribes.

Perhaps Uzziah was sitting there smugly knowing he'd behaved pretty well and listening to the longer list of charges against Jeroboam until in Amos 3, the message takes a nasty turn.

Amos 3:1 Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: 

Remember that moment when the satisfaction that your brother is getting in trouble turns to horror when you realise you are also going to get a whack?

Did either kingdom repent? Well in fact it overall got worse in both kingdoms if you read the character of each succeeding king. The line of evil kings in the North continued and within a few short decades after Jeroboam's death the Assyrians came and defeated the northern kingdom. There was a little bit more of a delay in the South because 2 of the kings - Hezekiah and Josiah were good and dealt with the shrines and incense burning on the hills. However, within 150 years, the southern kingdom was also defeated, Jerusalem destroyed and a remnant taken back to Babylon in captivity.

It is true that 10 tribes of Israel remain lost. Only Judah, Simeon and Levi can be identified in Israel today. The judgment on Israel is not forever. Amos finishes with a promise that Israel will be restored.
Amos 9:14-15 and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God. 

The Lord will sort out the problem in the Middle East and I don't think any of the family will be spared!

What do we learn from Amos? Don't be surprised when you are still and listen to God if the message isn't always roses. When we bring a message for the Church, it is usually one of encouragement. That is good especially when the Church is suffering. But not always!

And what is needed for New Zealand? Here there is a separation of Church and State. We are like the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. What is God wanting to say to our Prime Minister, the one elected by the people and to the Church elected by God? This is a generation that looks a little like the one Jesus described as the Last one. Bill English is a Christian, we have a good king but he needs wisdom and strength. Will we be still and listen for the message for New Zealand? What will we do with a message like the one given to Amos? Will we be brave like him?

Notes:
1. The prophet Amos is not thought to be the father of the prophet Isaiah even though they both lived at the same time. The name of Amos is spelled differently to the name of Isaiah's father in Hebrew.

Lent 2017

What follows is a series of messages from Lent 2017.


Be Still

Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

The nations are all in trouble, there is no peace in our time. I'm sorry to say that there is a time coming when it will be even worse, for the natural elements of the Earth and the Universe are going to shake and begin falling apart. Then Jesus will come and all the turmoil will cease.

All our plans for success will be shattered and all our defensive walls will fall at the presence of the Lord. We will be silent because there will be nothing to say, no prior experience to call on, everyone will be waiting to hear what the Lord will say and do.

We are not to be afraid because God is our refuge and strength where we go when we don't have peace. We have learned to be still in turbulent times and we know the Lord is a Rock and a fortress and we are safe within Heaven's Domain. We don't belong to the World. Rather we have joy for the Lord is King and He is Our King! We belong to His Holy Nation, that is our Home. When the Lord comes, and the Heavenly City comes down, then the Earth will truly be our home.

Because of this great hope nothing need ever rattle us. Every leader must be sure of their foundation and where to go to find peace. Be still in the presence of the Lord!

 
Wise and Foolish Builders

Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Jesus concluded his very famous Sermon on the Mount by telling people they would be wise to build their lives on what he had just said because he is the Rock. He also said that anyone who ignored him was a fool. There was no-one at the time who was so bold to speak with such authority. Would you dare to say such a thing?

What is that Jesus said that we should do to build our lives on the solid Rock?

The Sermon starts with the Beatitudes. They are not about doing, they are about who we are. We are human beings not human doings. But what we do does shape our character! Being and Doing are intertwined. Faith without works is dead.

The foolish hear the words but don't put them into practice. It's no good just to enjoy listening or talking about it, you must do also! Some leaders are just talk, don't be like them!

Proverbs 25:14 Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of gifts never given.

So what did Jesus say to do? I see 12 things in the Sermon 😊
1. Shine our light! The world is a dark and bland place without the people of faith.
2. Be reconciled to others - don't let anger fester because it leads to murder
3. Be careful what we look at - don't watch pornography for example which leads to adultery, cut it out!
4. Keep our word - let our yes be yes and our no be no
5. Go the extra mile - make friends with our enemies
6. Charity, prayer and fasting are to be done in secret - our Father will reward us!
7. Use our finances for God's Kingdom not ours
8. Trust God for accommodation, food and clothing
9. Judge ourselves first before judging others, in other words practice what you preach!
10. Persist in prayer and never give up full stop
11. Follow the narrow way
12. Keep an eye out for false teachers, their fruit is a dead giveaway.

Any leader who does those things builds something of quality that will last.


Priorities

Luke 14:12-24 Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

In the busyness of life it's so easy to forget what's important. Sometimes the people who you love the most can let you down the most. In the parable, the guests invited were family and friends, including his closest friends. But this A-List failed to accept the invitation when the time came. The man was stung by their indifference to him, he was badly hurt. In anger, he sent his servant out to bring in anyone he could find. The B-List and C-List comprised the sick, the outcasts and the poor, not the sort of people who you invite to a feast. Those sort of parties are a statement of success and popularity but no-one on the B and C Lists would have cared about that, they were just there for the food.

If we work hard, most likely we will become reasonably wealthy but those things in turn take a lot of maintenance time. It's not long before any spare hours in the week become precious me-time and everyone else better stay clear of that sacred circle! Our families and best friends suffer and God even more. Wise leaders prioritise the heavenly riches over the earthly riches.

Most likely your family and friends will respond positively to you prioritising them over things. Remember though that in the previous story of the Sheep and the Goats that Jesus taught to help the least in society, the ones who can't repay you. That beggar in the street is actually a far better investment than that house in Kohimarama. But don't be surprised if you have to wait for your reward because the poor probably won't repay you. Most likely there will be no winning lotto ticket. The best rewards are reserved for the age to come.

Note: The man in this parable finally does a great deed although his motives are more vengeance than kindness. I'm not sure if there's much of a reward for that. The Lord will repay you but far more if you do it with joy!

Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. 

With humility the owner of the house stands outside, waiting to be invited in don't be too busy to open the door.


The Sheep and the Goats

Matthew 25:31-46 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

These disturbing words of Jesus concluded his answer to a question from the disciples as to when would be the end of the age, when would He return.

The description is of the final judgement which will follow immediately upon Jesus' return. There will be no time to right wrongs when Jesus appears, it will be too late.

Jesus made the incredible statement that he would be the Judge at the final judgement. Only God is able to say such a thing, none of us is fit to judge anyone else. We are left to decide whether Jesus is God or not and it is very important what we decide.

If Jesus is the Judge of the Nations, it is also critical what our leaders decide. Our future will depend on the way not just we, but also our Nation has treated the believer, the stranger, the homeless, the sick. Anyone else feeling nervous right now?

If we truly believe and are saved then we will surely act to be counted amongst the Sheep. The remarkable thing is, the Sheep don't seem to remember that they did the good deeds! Why would that be? Partly because it is the natural behaviour of the Sheep. They just do it without thinking about it. Partly because they had compassionate hearts. They realised they were just like the one in trouble so they wanted to rescue their brother or sister. Partly because the glorious present has made them forget the past. Partly because they followed the example of the Shepherd who laid down his life for the Sheep.

Following after Jesus is like being a Sheep, even a lamb to the slaughter, there is a price to be paid. But only those who are like Jesus can change the World for the good. When others see these unselfish acts, for some it changes them and makes them want to follow too. By feeding and clothing the hungry, helping the sick, visiting prisoners you alleviate some of the pain in this World and you give hope to the hopeless. You lead by example.

Anyone can live for themselves. But selfishness make the World a worse place to live. What horror for those who will find themselves at his left hand. They were the ones who had the means but did nothing for others. Think about that the next time you pass a beggar in the street.

True leadership is following in Jesus' way, taking action, giving your life for the Sheep God has put in your care. Does this change the way you want to act, the way you want your Nation to act?



Enemies

The increasing threat of criminal gangs and terrorists is causing many countries to reconsider how they will protect the place they live. Walls provide security from murderers and thieves. The bigger the threat, the higher and wider the walls. We would do the same if our house was threatened by dangerous criminals. The message for the criminals is "you are not welcome here".

Along about 18% of the Mexican border, the US built a fence. The rest of the border is very difficult to cross and it wasn't necessary previously to complete the entire length. However, the US has become afraid that her enemies want to attack her. The President has promised to build a wall the whole way.

The problem with this is it is a catch all which stops even good people from entering and it makes those living inside afraid of going out. In any situation where fear takes over, the devil can gain a foothold.

Is tightening the law the answer when grace isn't working? In the short term it makes sense to remove freedoms to regain control but it's not the way we want to live long term. That's why I'm not in favour of building walls.

Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

Jesus taught love your enemies, do good to those who persecute you. The greatest way to defeat your enemy is to make friends with them. That's what Jesus did at the Cross. That is going to take a lot of courage when the threat is real, we need to be wise. Friendship doesn't mean we should allow people to walk all over us without defending ourselves but what a difference if countries would love their enemies instead of tossing grenades over the wall!

We can start by praying for our enemies, that shifts the way we feel about them. But finally we are going to have to do something tangible in the present. We are going to have to meet them and look them in the eye and find a way to make peace.

Great leaders don't need to build walls. They will find a way to love their enemies and gain respect so that boundaries aren't breached.



Introduction

As walls go up around our World and love turns cold and all we have worked for seems to be dying even liberty, we could start the lament but instead we will sing a song of hope of when the Lord will come and SOON...

Matthew 24:12-14 Sin will be rampant everywhere and will cool the love of many. But those enduring to the end shall be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, finally, the end will come.

Habakkuk 3:16-18 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.

It has taken a few days since Lent begun to find some inspiration. It's not just what's going on in the World, the rise of nationalism and doors closing in the face of terrorism, the natural disasters and wars. Its the cutthroat corporates sending faithful employees packing in favour of profits. It's people going their own way rejecting the Lord, those giving up on marriages or other commitments, it's the feeling that everything is either dead or dying.

So, in face of all of this sadness, we need to find hope. My friend once told me that hope is the first sign of defeat! By that she meant that hope is just wishful thinking, you need something more solid than that, a plan at least... and a well thought through one at that. It's no good saying "I hope it's going to work" 😬

The direction can be altered by great leadership. There seems so few good ones these days. Without the vision, communication and the commitment of leaders the people are lost. Where do we see those who have the strength, the wisdom, the patience, the selflessness and courage to speak and even die for the truth? Where can we find this in ourselves?

We can look to Jesus of course! He is the greatest example of leadership the World has ever known and it took him to the Cross. Are we prepared to follow him there? Because that's what it's going to take to change this World we are living in.

And that's what I want to explore this Lent.

Psalm 137:1-4 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?