Luke 3:1-22

 

Of all the Gospel writers, Luke was described as a historian of first rank because he recorded detail that has since been verified so we know we can rely on what he wrote.

Luke 3:1-2

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 

As we learned on Palm Sunday, Caesar was ultimately ruling over Israel and he made 3 appointments. The Judaean Governor. The so-called King of Israel, who was not the true King from the Royal line and surprisingly the High Priest.

A look at Wikipedia yields the following generally accepted date ranges for key individuals:

1. Tiberius Caesar, Roman emperor—AD 14–37

2. Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea—AD 26–36

3. Herod, tetrarch of Galilee—4 BC–AD 39

4. Annas ben Seth, high priest—AD 6–15

5. Joseph Caiaphas, high priest—AD 18–36

Tiberius became Emperor shortly after the death of Augustus officially on September 18, AD 14.

However, Co-princeps power with Augustus Caesar was already granted him in the first half of AD 13 as Augustus reached the end of his life. This would assign the 15th year of Tiberius, when the ministry of John the Baptist began, to AD 27. This would be the year when, in Autumn, John baptised Jesus. Then the early events laying the groundwork for His public ministry take place, leading into His first Passover in the spring of AD 28. The second Passover of His ministry cited in John 6:4 took place in the spring of AD 29. Finally, the third Passover, when Jesus was crucified, by this calculation would have been on April 7, AD 30.

Luke 3:3-6

And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ 

John was preaching baptism for the remission of sins. This was different to the sacrifices and circumcision required under Mosaic law.

John's baptism was a sign of personal, individual repentance, not a sign of birth into a covenant family. It is hard to overstate how radical this was in John's day. The Jews already had a sign of the covenant, circumcision. John came calling for repentance and offering a new sign, baptism.

Baptism remains relevant today. It's a symbolic act that represents a believer's union with Christ in his death and resurrection, a public declaration of faith, and a commitment to Christian discipleship.

Jesus death on the Cross is remission for our sins, not baptism as it was in John’s day. Faith unites us to Christ; baptism portrays the union with Christ. Baptism is considered very important in the life of a Christian because it symbolises us being tied to Christ, the one who was innocent and didn’t need to repent.

An analogy would be saying something like this: When you’re standing before the pastor getting married and you say, “With this ring, I thee wed,” what do you mean when you say that? When we say that, we don’t mean that the ring, putting on the ring, creates the marriage, makes us married. No, no, no. It shows the covenant; it symbolizes the covenant. But the covenant, the actual marriage moment and event and union, was the covenant vows that we made to each other in marriage. That would be a comparison of the vows being faith in Christ, and the putting on the ring being baptism.

Luke 3:7-9

” Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 

Fruit grows naturally but good fruit comes as a result of tending to the tree. Where we are planted, who our friends are, the places we frequent, are they congussive to good growth. Watering is important. Is what we drink healthy, is it the living water from Jesus, the Holy Spirit or are we drinking something from the World to quench our spiritual thirst, music, or some other spiritual source. Fertiliser is important. What is the extra nutrition we take on. Is it fellowship with other Christians, or Christian books or are we getting our extra boost from TV, movies and so on. This is a relaxed question to ask ourselves. Fruit trees produce good fruit without fertiliser, we’ll just want to make sure we’re not poisoning the tree !

Luke 3:10-11

So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” 

Repenting means giving what we have in excess to those who lack.

Luke 3:12-13

Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” 

Repenting means treating people fairly and with kindness.

Luke 3:14

Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.” 

Repenting means not using our position as a weapon to get what we want, to enjoy having power over or take advantage of someone else. What John was preaching to the crowds was effectively the same message the Lord gave through the prophet Micah.

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

These are not very hard are they really ? The Lord speaks fairly to each one of us with simple requirements to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with him. 

Repentance can mean different things for different people, it is about our heart, what’s in there. But it is a simple, humble act, nothing complicated. Is there anything we need to change our heart and minds about today ?

John’s message of repentance was highly effective because he preached the truth that everyone could relate to and most of all, he lived it. No luxury mansion or car for him. The people knew that John was the real deal. Remember, John was special from birth because of the word given to his father Zacharias at his birth and the special circumstances under which John had been born, and the people all knew it.

Luke 3:15-17

Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” 

There is something more than food and drink, more than water baptism and church life that we need. John could baptise with water but only Jesus can baptise with the Holy Spirit, only he can make us be born again. Nothing we can do, it is a gift of God. But if we resist the Holy Spirit we will bear no fruit, we are chaff, of no use to God and will be judged with unquenchable fire. 

Luke 3:18-20

And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison. 

John the Baptist’s ministry was very short, maybe only 6 months before he was arrested. Repentance is a hated message. Preach it well to the wicked and your head ends up on a platter. Once John preached against the ruling authority he was ultimately coming against Satan.

Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

But we know that to those God is saving, it points them the right way.

Luke 3:21-22

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

I came to realise that the Bible passages that previously I may have related to myself, are actually about Jesus and not me. The writer of Hebrews had this to say about Psalm 8 which Keith Green sings in « How Majestic is Your Name » which previously I saw only from my perspective but now see that is true only for me if I’m attached to Jesus, who the Psalm is really about.

Hebrews 2:5-9

For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying: “What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Luke 19:28-48 (Palm Sunday 2025)

Before we begin our message on Palm Sunday, I wanted to explain a little bit about what Mhairi and I are doing. Tomorrow, we depart for the UK to see our boys and then to France for an extended visit to sort our apartment and continue a journey that started 17.5 years ago. 

A lot of you will remember the Elim College disaster of April 2008, our 2 boys were going to the school at the time. 

Later that same year, I broke my leg during Labour Weekend just as we were starting the Soccer Academy in Central School next door. At the time it seemed like a disaster, my plans in tatters. But people from this Church and people from the Community came together and made the Soccer Academy happen, as good as I hoped at the beginning and we were able to keep it going for more than 10 years. A memorable verse Elim use is from;

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

The Lord’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. You can probably guess what I was thinking in this picture. 

But  that event led me to the port city of Vannes in Brittany in France through the people I met because of breaking my leg. 

Vannes is a walled city. It has been conquered once by the Romans. If you think of Asterix, that village in the story is further North in Brittany where Asterix held off the Romans thanks to drinking a Druid magic potion. There is a Celtic charm to Brittany but we know that there is spiritual opposition to the Lord because of the Druids. 

Eventually we purchased an apartment there about a year before Covid broke out and just 4 months before my brother was killed in a car crash. Once again, my plans were thwarted. Life is a tale of the unexpected but Praise the Lord that he is in control and has a good plan for our lives.

Because of these things and Brexit, there was a delay to us going there to start our project and continue the road God set us on. We know some of the challenges that lie ahead, we don’t know the extent of God’s plan whether big or small but if there’s anything we have all learned these last few years, it is to trust the Lord. 

The interim years have been very busy but now the time is right to go. I remain committed to the life of PCC and will have time to journey through Luke and Acts with you.

Does this place look like anywhere in New Zealand? This Church is called St Matthieu, a fovourite place to the north of Vannes. There is a Breton claim that the skull of Matthew the disciple is buried there. The location is called « au bout du monde » which means « at the end of the World », so it is a very special place, and a very apt place for the times we are living in! 

It’s a bit scary to leave the security of your job and home. The day I resigned, there was this  word for the day in my diary

« When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be »

Lao Tzu

Enough about us and tomorrow.

Today is Palm Sunday, a very special day in the Christian calendar. First of all I want to paint you another picture.

Take a look at this clip from a football match! 

I’m sure you are wondering what that’s all about? If you’ve ever been to a big match you will know it is very loud. Yes and vibrant and happy…when things are going well.   

It’s April 6th, 33 AD and it’s about a week before the Passover on April 14th. There are large crowds coming to Jerusalem for the religious festival which lasts for the next week. 125,000 is estimated to be the number. Jerusalem normally has 25,000 so it’s going to be packed to the rafters. You know that large highly charged crowds tend to make authorities very nervous. Especially authoritarian dictatorial governments. High chance of terrorist activity. High chance of an assassination attempt. High chance of a coup if the people join in en masse.

You are Pontius Pilate and you were appointed Governor of Judea by Caesar in 27 AD and you know this place is a tinderbox. You cannot afford to lose control. Your neck is on the line. So just before Passover every year you order a military parade to send a message to the large crowds just who is boss. The people don’t like it, there’s no cheering but it’s very effective at keeping them under control. There are also the occupied crucifixes just outside the city walls for the incoming crowds to walk by in case they missed the parade.

Luke 19:28-48

When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it? ’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ” So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of him.” Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. 

This fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy that the Messiah would come humbly into Jerusalem as King, unlike the earthly rulers such as the Romans who would show their strength and power to create fear in the city. 

Zechariah 9:9

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

Jesus described himself as gentle and lowly of heart. The people wanted a powerful king like David but many didn’t recognise his humility as a strength. 

Luke 19:36-40

And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: “ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” 

Now a large crowd can make a make a very loud noise as you heard before. It is not unreasonable to guess that 15,000 people formed the crowd that chanted “Hail to the King!” as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. If 100,000 had come in from out of town, from the regions where Jesus had been travelling and performing miracles like the feeding of the 5,000 and adding to that the interested citizens from Jerusalem, 15,000 is quite a conservative estimate.

How loud is a crowd of 15,000 people? VERY LOUD! That sound like a football match is going to be heard very clearly by Pilate sitting in his palace and by Herod who is also there for the Passover and it’s going to raise their eyebrows and nearly make them choke on their grapes.

I believe out of fear of the Roman authorities, the Pharisees wanted to quiet the crowd. They didn’t want to provoke trouble. They knew Pilate and Herod were in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and they would be able to hear the noise approaching. I can be like that, don’t want to cause a fuss, want to keep the peace but there comes a time when you have to choose sides. We are living in such a time today.

Luke 19:41-44

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” 

Jesus wept at the fate of Jerusalem because he already knew they would reject him as King. He knew the future how the temple would be destroyed in AD 70 and all the years since and all because the people of Jerusalem would reject their true king.  What a great sorrow many people will have one day when they realise that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus said  the nations will mourn when they see him coming on the clouds with power and great glory. People will weep at the realisation of their opportunity lost forever. 

Luke 19-45-48

Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.

The very first thing that Jesus does is to go into the Temple, turn over the tables and drive out the merchants. With a large crowd of people supporting him, to the Authorities it’s going to look like he’s about to start a revolution and take over the City. Because they were afraid he would start a riot, from that moment they hatched their plot to kill Jesus. But they would have to be clever because of Jesus’ popularity.

It had always puzzled me why the Crowd that shouted Jesus is King on Palm Sunday shouted for him to be crucified just 5 days later. We know crowds are fickle but that was a polar shift.

I want to share what I discovered when I researched Palm Sunday that I think is very important to understanding what happened between Palm Sunday and “Good” Friday.

Impostor Kings

There had not been a Jewish King in Israel since the time of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. King Zedekiah was the last king mentioned of the southern kingdom (586 BC). The last king mentioned of the northern kingdom was Hoshea (721 BC). Israel had been waiting nearly 600 years for their Messiah. Sometimes with God you have to wait a long time!

Do not be in any doubt who ruled Israel at the time of Christ. It was Caesar in Rome since 63 BC. And Caesar had three Roman Collaborators to ensure Rome ruled Israel with an iron fist!

1. Pontius Pilate – The Governor of Judea from 27 AD

2. Herod Antipas – the “King” of Galilee and Paraea

·         - Appointed by Rome

·         - Father Herod the Great, the Butcher of Bethlehem (37 BC – 0 AD and not a Jew)

3. Caiaphas the High Priest – appointed by Rome 18 AD

The most surprising discovery for me was that Caiaphas was appointed by Rome. Forget all the spiritual talk from Caiaphas about Jesus being a blasphemer deserving death. Caiaphas wanted Jesus dead because he himself was a Roman collaborator with a keen interest in maintaining the status quo.

Two Crowds

The answer to the question of why the crowd turned on Jesus within 5 days is that there were in fact Two Crowds;

The Palm Sunday Crowd

• Disciples, Followers, Jerusalem Residents, Passover Visitors
• Large but powerless
• Shouted  Jesus is King

The Lynch Mob

• Chief Priests, Jewish Officials, Judas, Temple Guards, Police
• Small but powerful
• Shouted for Jesus to be crucified

The Mob that arrested Jesus was the one shouting for Jesus to be crucified not the Palm Sunday Crowd.

When you challenge a principality and power you are going to get a strong reaction. Think of the reaction of people to the overturning of Roe v Wade. You have never seen such anger at the right to take innocent life being taken away. 

In your own life, I’m sure you will have encountered this on a smaller scale. When you stepped onto someone’s turf, unknowingly, literally all Hell breaks loose. It’s worth pausing to consider what you might be up against. Every Christian is a target for the enemy and he wants to take you out of the fight.

The One True King

We are regularly told that we live in the Free West.

Yet you can be living in a free country and not be free. If you had to put yourself in one of the two crowds that Palm Sunday, which would it be? Is your life one where you are captive or have you been liberated? Is your heart for or against Jesus?

The Amazing Gospel is that Jesus is the One True King. He is not an imposter.

1. Jesus is the true King from David’s line (Son of Man). He was rightfully entitled to the throne not Caesar as the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew explains.

2. Jesus is also Heaven’s King (Son of God).

The Authorities completely misunderstood when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. They thought he was coming to take over. When he turned over the Temple tables they thought he was going to start a Revolutionary Uprising. They were afraid and they murdered him for it.

But Jesus comes humbly and in PEACE. To ride into Jerusalem on a donkey was a message that he was coming in peace. To turn over the tables in the Temple was to show that the old religious system had failed and that he is the New Temple where the people can connect directly to God without the old religious practices.

Jesus wasn’t interested in earthly power of the kind we’re used to. Though he has every right there is, the surprising thing about Jesus is that he comes humbly to us offering peace.

Communion 30.03.25

Luke 22:15-23

Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.

This prompted me this week to think about the 1st Passover which is found in Exodus 12. So many details to consider all of which are a shadow of Christ to come!

When the Lord told Moses and Aaron that the Passover month was the first month of the year from that day forward.

1. That the man of the household was to take a spotless male lamb or goat on the 10th day and kill it at twilight on the 14th. I asked myself, could I do that. I wouldn’t want to! I would ask why, instead of having a heart of obedience.

2. The unleavened bread of being representation of the sinless body of Christ. In scripture, leaven is symbolic of sin.

3. The blood on the door posts and lintel at the top as it would be on the Cross

Exodus 12:8-9

Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails.

What a picture that is of Christ suffering and dying on the Cross.

Exodus 12:11-13

And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. 

The Passover like the Communion was initiated by the Lord and belongs to him.

‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

 Christ is our only escape from death and judgement. We accept the terms and conditions. If we reject the Cross, we reject our only escape. Without his blood covering us, which we have to accept in our hearts, we cannot escape the wrath of God.

Taking part in communion reflects the remembrance of the freedom given by God during the Egyptian exodus. We don’t have to kill a lamb like the Israelites do but we are set free by Christ who is the Lamb of God who has once and for all paid the price for our sins. Communion today is Permanent Peace after the War. We are alive because of Him.

Colossians 2:11-17

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

Luke 1:57-80 The Birth of John

Remember last time we looked in Luke, the Lord had been silent for 400 years since the prophet Malachi but even so, he will not abandon his people because he loves them. But not without fire! The Lord sent John the Baptist like Elijah to be a messenger that the Lord was coming to purify the sons of Levi. Judgement always begins first in the house of God. 

Before Jesus comes again I believe he will purify the Church in the same way. Every Christian is part of the Royal Priesthood, better get ready!

At our Family First Retreat this week we had several Church leaders come and speak to us to give their view on how they saw Family First and how other churches do. One of the pastors had written to a number of Churches and got an interesting response both positive and negative. They gave us a warning not to bash the Pastors. The Churches are so busy dealing with the basics of the Gospel, evangelising, discipling the newly saved, baptising, giving marriage counselling, looking after young people, the elderly and so on that they have very little time to speak up on moral issues on the public square and they look to Family First to fill this role. This is not what we wanted to hear but nevertheless, it reinforces the point that we are all part of the Body of Christ and each must use their gifts and talents as the Lord distributes. The work of Family First is prophetic and tough and lonely because of it. When we read about John the Baptist, we can understand that his prophetic ministry was lonely and required perseverance in the Wilderness.

Remember this verse;

Malachi 4:5-6

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

A prophet like Elijah or John has that tough exterior. They are seen as hard nosed, judgmental lacking compassion. But Jesus said you will know prophets by their fruit. Fruit trees don’t grow fruit the next day after planting. The pawpaw tree takes 5-7 years. What was the fruit of the 60’s? What will be the fruit of this generation if things don’t change? Hard words need to be spoken to this generation. But if the fruit is that fathers and sons are reconciled in this country, that is evidence of a true prophet of God.

Prophetic ministry shakes the way things are, it doesn’t give a lot of warm fuzzies. It goes into the public square and it declares that Jesus is Lord and that people need to repent.

It is different to the ministry of the Churches which are looking after the sheep. Sometimes that will involve going to find that one lost sheep, to the places where few other than the closest family go - to the prisons, the cemeteries, the old folks home, the hospitals.

John the Baptist was not a pastor, he was a prophet. PCC is a Church and we need to remember to look after the sheep. That involves teaching the truth and correcting error but it’s normally compassionate, different to the ministry in the public square which has to be confrontational.

Here’s a brief video on the birth of John the Baptist which you will remember was a great miracle since Zacharias and Elizabeth were old. 

Ask yourself during the video, are there any thoughts or words that stand out? 

Did anyone have something stand out, these stood out to me;

1. Great mercy shown to Elizabeth, how?
2. John was one out of the box.
3. Who is the horn of salvation?
4. In the wilderness until his public appearing, a long time!

Luke 1:57-80

Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her. 

Elizabeth had been barren so it was a great miracle that she had John in her old age. The Angel who came to Elizabeth used this fact to encourage Mary that nothing is impossible with God. So Elizabeth is reckoned to be in her 50’s or possibly 60’s. It signalled that God was doing something special as with Abraham, Sarah and Isaac. And it says the Lord showed great mercy to her. Firstly to take away that feeling of something lacking in her life, not having a child. But also, to have a son meant someone who could provide for you when you grow old. 

So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.” But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called. And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. 

John means beloved of God. John was very special and what a joy that would have been to to Elizabeth and Zacharias. He would also be one out of the box. He was not named after his father but rather a different name to signal he was different. What they knew from Scripture was that their son was chosen to prepare the way for the Messiah and what an honour they would have felt at that thought. 

Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 

News of a miracle travels fast !

And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him. 

Everyone knew John would be special. That’s a weight. If Elizabeth and Zacharias had known that John would end up living in the desert eating locusts and wild honey, what would they have made of that. Our children do not always turn out how we imagine and at some point we have to let them go. Our joy is that they follow the Lord whatever they may do in life. Nothing else really matters.

Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began, That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. 

John was not from the house of David, it’s Jesus. Jesus is the horn of salvation, Often, Scripture’s mention of a “horn” is as a literary symbol representing potency and power. As in Daniel, the little horn that rises up is the Antichrist but in Scripture the horn of salvation is the Lord;

Psalm 18:2

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Yes they knew the Scripture what it said about the Messiah but they probably imagined its fulfilment differently to how it would be worked out. Almost certainly they thought that the Messiah was coming to save them from the Romans and restore the King of Israel in Jerusalem just like David. If they could have seen their son John in the lonely desert and Jesus the Messiah dying on the Cross they may have felt differently in that moment. But we can’t rely on what we see. We have to walk by faith not by sight. If they had also seen the hundreds of millions of people that would go to Heaven because of the work of their son John and his cousin Jesus then again their joy would have been multiplied. We can’t rely on our emotions and what is immediately in front of us. We just have to trust the Lord.  The Lord always fulfils his promises but not necessarily as we expect.  

Now Zacharias specifically prophesies over his son.

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.” 

So as Zacharias finished his prophecy, I’m sure he didn’t fully understand the part about the remission of people’s sins and what the price for that would be. Prophecy is like that. We don’t know in full, we see in the mirror dimly but one day it says we will see face to face. In other words, we will fully understand God’s plan and see that it was all working out for our good. Learn what the Scriptures say about the future, but don’t think you’ve got it all worked out as the Lord’s ways are not our ways, they are much higher than ours.

So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

That is what prophetic ministry often looks like. John had many years in the Wilderness before his rise to prominence. Hard years spent persevering in lean times, learning to survive. A long wait for the fruit. But the harvest was coming and after that you really need the pastors! 

Communion 16.03.24

For Communion this week we’ll read a short passage from Genesis 3 followed by 1 John 1

Before he made Eve, the Lord gave the one law about the tree of knowledge. This instruction was passed on to Eve by Adam.

Eve was Adam’s wife proving that marriage is for man and woman from the beginning.

They had no shame in their innocence, everything was good.

But when Adam and Even ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge, they realised they were naked and felt fear and shame because of their sin.

The Lord placed a curse on the serpent, and sad consequences for Adam and Eve and all mankind.

Genesis 3:17-21

Then finally to Adam saying, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

So the body (bread) and the blood (by the death of an animal) were there at the beginning but they were reminders of their sin. They could only look back in regret. 

We can remember what Adam and Eve did to break our fellowship with God, to make us lose our place in Paradise.

But we can now remember the sacrifice Jesus made that brought us back to God and ultimately back to Eden.

Jesus said the bread is his body broken for us and that the wine is his blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. He took our fear and shame and said take his body and blood in exchange. Our sins are washed away and removed as far as the east from the west. 

Now when we take Communion He said to do this in memory of him. We might remember our own sin but we are reminded that Jesus’ death on the Cross triumphs over our sin!

1 John 1:5-10

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

The devil fools us to thinking we can sin and it won’t touch us but thanks to the price Jesus paid, when we come into the light, we live in fellowship with God and with each other and his blood cleanses us from all sin.

Luke 1:5-25 - John and Elijah

As we learned from Skip Heitzig last week, when we start at the beginning in Luke, God had been silent for 400 years since the prophet Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament. 

When you read Malachi, you will see that God was very unhappy with Israel at that time. They were an evil generation. They had repaid his love with evil. They had given him their second best and had not honoured God. They had left God’s ways. They had betrayed their wives. They had worshipped false gods. The priests were corrupt and wouldn’t tell the people the truth about their sin.

Malachi 3:1-3

“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. 

That’s John.

Then Jesus

And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness.

Even though the Lord was silent for 400 years, he will not abandon his people because he loves them. Bun not without fire! The Lord sent John as a messenger that the Lord was coming to purify the sons of Levi. Judgement always begins first in the house of God. 

Before Jesus comes again I believe he will purify the Church in the same way. Every Christian is part of the Royal Priesthood, better get ready!

Malachi 4:5-6

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

If fathers and sons were reconciled in this country, that would empty the prisons. What an amazing promise.

Suddenly after 400 years of silence, the shakeup started;

Luke 1:5-12

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 

These were bad days for Israel. Rome had taken over and appointed Herod the « King of the Jews ». But Zacharias and Elizabeth remained faithful. The Lord is looking for faithful ones in evil times.  

But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.

It was a dangerous thing for a priest to go into the temple. You needed to be ritually prepared and follow the procedure as per the law of Moses. The people were outside praying for him and themselves!

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 

God had been silent for 400 years, suddenly he turned up and Zacharias got quite a shock. How many of us would fall on their knees if God actually turned up in glory like that.

Luke 1:13-20

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

This would be great news for any godly parent like Zacharias and Elizabeth. John was of good stock, a pastor’s s kid if you like. Their child was to be a hero of the Faith, like Elijah. 

But being great in the sight of the Lord usually means trouble because it brings you into direct conflict with the World.

And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” 

When God makes a promise, it will come true, we probably shouldn’t bother when. Zacharias had doubts, he was like Abraham’s wife Sarah. And Gabriel was indignant. « I am Gabriel! » With God, you’ll need to believe the impossible is possible. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Unbelief is a block. It blocked Zacharias from being able to speak.

Luke 1:21-25

And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

So if we want to understand the character of John who is such an important figure in the Gospel of Luke, we need to remind ourselves  a bit about Elijah, because John would be like him.

Luke 1 Magnificat

We start our Gospel series at Luke 1. Like any good story, the main characters are often introduced from the beginning. In this case Mary, his mother who was present with Jesus from the moment of birth to the moment of death. Not many of us will be able to say that about our Mum! The other main character is John the Baptist.

We’ll let Mary give the sermon today and Johann Sebastian Bach put it to music. 

Bach wrote the music for the Magnificat, called Mary’s song after her response to Elizabeth telling her by the Holy Spirit that she was blessed among women, that Mary was the mother of her Lord, and that John had leapt in her womb at the sound of Mary’s voice. It’s an amazing piece of music which I heard for the first time this week with many parts to it, overall nearly half an hour. This is part of that piece.

What strikes me is that no musician in the orchestra dominates. Even the drummer is understated, very different to the drumming in bands today.

And that’s true in the Church, each part works together to complement the other. 

Figuratively speaking.

• I might write the lyrics
• Someone else writes the music
• Someone plays the guitar
• Someone plays the drums 
• Someone is the conductor

But no one dominates.

So, as we understood from the Parable of Talents, every Christian has been given gifts and talents by God to put to use, to build up his wealth, that is the Church. No individual can do it on their own. We need to put our talent to action alongside others to create a beautiful musical piece.

Bach wasn’t much of a lyricist in this song repeating the word « Magnificat » over and over but he wrote the stunning music, Mary spoke or sung the words.

Luke 1:46-51

And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 

We live in an age of imagination, of fantasy, of delusion. John Lennon wrote the song for our age called Imagine. It’s a very beautiful song but it is antichrist. 

Imagine there’s no Heaven, it’s easy if you try. No Hell below us, above us only sky. 

Imagination can be very beautiful but is very dangerous when it becomes separated from truth. Honestly how can a man think he can become a woman. It is impossible, it is delusional, it is madness. Mary said « he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts ». Pride comes before a fall. Satan fell from Heaven because of pride.

Luke 1:52-55

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.”


If you’ve been a Christian for a while, you’ll probably know that this passage is known as the Magnificat.  But did you know that:

⁃ The Magnificat has been part of the Church’s liturgy since its earliest days.

⁃ For centuries, members of religious orders have recited or sung these words on a daily basis.

⁃ It is the longest set of words spoken by a woman in the New Testament.

⁃ It is also the first Christmas carol ever composed.

⁃ Parts of Mary’s Magnificat echo the song of Hannah (found in 1 Samuel 2:1-10) and are also reminiscent of the anguish of the prophets.

⁃ In the past century, there were at least three separate instances of governments banning the public recitation of the Magnificat.  Its message, they feared, was dangerously subversive.

During the British rule of India, the Magnificat was prohibited from being sung in church. In the 1980s, Guatemala’s government discovered Mary’s words about God’s preferential love for the poor to be too dangerous and revolutionary. The song had been creating quite the stirring amongst Guatemala’s impoverished masses.  Mary’s words were inspiring the Guatemalan poor to believe that change was indeed possible.  Thus their government banned any public recitation of Mary’s words. Similarly, after the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo—whose children all disappeared during the Dirty War—placed the Magnificat’s words on posters throughout the capital plaza, the military junta of Argentina outlawed any public display of Mary’s song. 

Dietrich Bonheoffer recognized the revolutionary nature of Mary’s song.  Before being executed by the Nazis, Bonheoffer spoke these words in a sermon during Advent 1933: « It is instead a hard, strong, inexorable song about the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind. »

The Messiah that Mary anticipated is referred to as the Mighty One who topples rulers, scatters the proud, and sends the rich away empty-handed. However, He also is mindful of the lowly, exalts the humble, fills the hungry with good things, and helps His servant Israel.

He is one who turns the tables upside down.  After all, God chose for Him to be born of a “lowly servant girl” instead of a woman of prominence. The Rich and powerful are afraid of the lower classes rising up. We see that in the World today as all manner of means are used to divide the people.

But Mary’s poem on its own without music would not have the same effect.

Gospel of Luke Introduction

This week, I must admit I’ve been a little distracted from the topic for our next series, simply because there is so much going on in the World right now, that I believe we should all be on checking the Bible daily to see how things are lining up with end times prophecy and on guard. Because if we are in the end times, there will be so much deception and delusion that Jesus warned, could deceive, if it was possible, even the elect. 

Even though I’ve been happy to hear Donald Trump make declarations on things like only 2 genders, the removal of men from women’s sport and the drug cartels as terrorist organisations, I’m super cautious when I hear 7 mountain mandate and revived Roman Empire being tied to the conservative and Christian right. 

Christians come from all walks of life. Matthew was a tax collector, John was a fisherman, Mark was thought to be the son of Peter, another working class man. We wanted to go through a Gospel this year and I’ve picked out the Gospel of Luke. 

What do we know about Luke?

1. From Antioch in ancient Syria, modern Turkey
2. Doctor
3. Author of 27% of the New Testament (by volume)
4. Historian
5. Missionary to the Gentiles

This is a map of Paul’s 3 missionary journeys and his one way trip to Rome after he was arrested which we covered in 2023 when we studied Philippians.

⁃ The blue line is Paul’s first missionary journey

⁃ The red line is Paul’s second missionary journey when he most probably met Luke as we shall see which started and finished in Antioch 

⁃ The purple line is Paul’s third missionary journey

⁃ The green line follows his imprisoned journey from Caesarea to Rome. Remember, after being arrested for preaching the Gospel at the temple in Jerusalem, Paul boldly made an appeal to Festus to have his trial in Rome following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

If you’ve ever flown to Europe, you will appreciate that Paul’s journey by land and boat into spiritually hostile territory was some undertaking. Antioch was an important location in the story of the early Church. Paul was from Tarsus about 140 km from Antioch.

Acts 11:25-26

Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Now

1. Luke was from Antioch in ancient Syria, modern Turkey.

Luke probably first encountered Paul at Antioch and travelled with him from the beginning of his 2nd missionary journey but something seems to have happened at Troas that really got Luke involved in the mission.

How do we know this?

Paul had written a letter in Jerusalem before he started his  2nd missionary journey which you can read in 

Acts 15:23

They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.

Antioch is where Paul started his 2nd missionary journey. We can deduce something very interesting by the grammar Luke uses in chapter 16.

Acts 16:8-12

So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days.

See how the grammar changes from the 3rd person « they » ie. Paul and Barnabas to the 1st person « we » in Acts 16 just before left Troas for Philippi. This is the first time Luke uses the 1st person in Acts. Mission was no longer something « they » did, the super Christians like Paul and Barnabas. It was something Luke now felt engaged in, what « we » did. He decided to make a full commitment. Are you ready to be part of the « we »?

2. A doctor 

Colossians 4:14

Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.

Luke describes medical matters far more and to a greater degree than the other Gospels. In Luke 4:38, Luke is sure to note that Simon Peter’s mother-in-law suffered from a high fever. In Luke 14:2, the author describes a man who had dropsy. Such details indicate a man who has an eye for medical matters.

3. The author of 27.5% by volume of the New Testament (His 2 books just outweigh Paul’s 13 letters plus Hebrews)

The level of Greek used in both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts is highly advanced. We can deduce that the author is quite advanced in his education as you’d expect a doctor to be.

How did he know so much about Jesus’s life. He was a doctor. Was he the family doctor? No, according to the Bible, Luke did not personally encounter Jesus while he was alive; instead, Luke learned about Jesus through detailed research and interviews with eyewitnesses, most notably through his close association with the Apostle Paul after Jesus' death and resurrection. 

Luke was a close companion of Paul, accompanying him on missionary trips, which is reflected in the « we » sections of Acts where the author appears to be directly involved in the event.

How did you encounter Jesus. Was it a friend, or maybe a foe. Was it your Mum and Dad or a relation. Was it the Minister at your Church or your Youth Pastor or a teacher at school. Or a workmate. People encounter Jesus through the witness of others. Were you a lost sheep and he came and found you? 

4. A historian of first rank

Luke’s books are blockbusters, full of incredible detail to encourage us in our own walk and service of Jesus. They differ from Paul’s work in that they are historical accounts rather than the personal letters that Paul wrote.

The question must be asked how accurate a historian was Luke? One of the greatest archaeologists of all time, Sir William Ramsay, didn’t think Luke was very accurate. In fact, he traveled throughout Asia Minor, Greece, and other places during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s in an attempt to refute Luke’s historical records in the Book of Acts.

Before his travels he believed that Luke couldn’t have been very accurate because of a lack of archaeological evidence to support Luke’s claims. Ramsey, after years of study, found the exact opposite to be true, and he completely reversed his position. In fact, Ramsey went on to comment: 

“Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy, he is possessed of the true historic sense … in short, this author should be placed along with the greatest of historians.”

We expect our doctors to be trustworthy and of good judgment so we can be confident in the reliability of Luke’s account.

5. Luke focuses on Jesus’s ministry to the Gentiles and to the outcasts of society. He presents a more  compassionate view of outsiders such as in the Parable of the Lost Son and the Lost Sheep and the Parable of the Good Samaritan which are unique to his Gospel. Luke notes that people came to hear Jesus from all around. The author notes that many of the people who heard Jesus were Gentiles from the region of Tyre and Sidon.

According to most biblical scholarship, around 35% of Luke's content is unique and not found in the other Gospels; this means a significant portion of Luke's material is distinct from the other gospel accounts, particularly including details about Jesus' infancy that give a greater insight into the whole of Jesus’s life not just his ministry as in Mark and John. Then he followed it up with Acts - the Book of Actions by the Early Church as it branched out into the World. As we saw last week in Matthew 25 when we looked at the parable of the talents. There must be action that follows the grace we have been given, otherwise we are just like the unprofitable servant.

Acts 1:1-3

The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

It is impossible to do the acts without the Holy Spirit - his leading and his gifting, again as in the Parable of the Talents. The talents or gifts belong to God not us and we are to trade to multiply the wealth entrusted to us. Are you the same person the day you were born again? I don’t think so if you are like the other 2 profitable servants who took risks, who grew knowing the Master wants a good return and that he is good. Did they know they would get a reward? Not really. They did it to please the Master.

Luke 1:1-4

Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

Luke did the research. He went and found the truth out for himself. Once he understood, he was able to write an orderly account, to take events that maybe looked random to others and make sense of them. We will encounter difficulties in our faith journey too. Sometimes moving forward positively, sometimes going backward, sometimes shipwrecked. But as our knowledge of the truth increases and our faith in Jesus becomes more solid, we also will see the fingerprints of God in our lives.

Parable of the Talents

Firstly, I hope you all had a good holiday break and are still able to make the most of the last few weeks of the summer. We were away all the weekends after Christmas until the end of January and I got in more rounds of golf in a month than I have for about 25 years.

It’s been a good time of reflection, I wonder what the Lord has been saying to you over the Summer. For me, It’s brought to mind a few of the parables Jesus spoke especially related to the end times. About the narrow path, about perseverance, about the wise and foolish virgins and of what it means to be ready for his return.

Let’s read 

Matthew 25:14-30

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

We can understand this parable quite easily. Jesus is the man who gave his servants the talents and then travelled to a far country when he ascended into Heaven after his resurrection. We are the servants entrusted with his talents and he expects a return.

Faith needs to be put into action. Works follow grace just like the book of James teaches. If we do nothing with the grace we have been given, we are like the unprofitable servant.

There are 3 lessons that stand out and we can check our attitude, to see which servant we are most like. Are there any other lessons you can see?

1. Multiply what you’ve been given - money (and remember it’s not your money, physical, intellectual, creative etc)

He traded, he was active

The value was built up. 

⁃ Wasn’t necessarily notes and coins

⁃ Shares

⁃ Land & housing

⁃ Raw materials to finished goods

⁃ Inventory

⁃ Commodities

⁃ Loans for investments

Many of you will remember the 2006 story of Kyle MacDonald, who traded his way from a single red paper clip to a house in a series of fourteen online trades over the course of a year.

This is not about money, this is about using our talents.

It might not always appear you are trading up either. One of Kyle MacDonald’s trades was giving up a years free rent in Phoenix for an afternoon with Alice Cooper. And he came home with a snow globe. I don’t think he could have possibly had a wife at that stage. 

2. Don’t be afraid like the unprofitable servant. Be fearless, have courage with the talent you’ve been given, take a risk. The wicked servant did not have a healthy fear of the Lord. His fear paralysed him. He did not display any faith. He could not handle any responsibility. He was afraid of making a mistake thinking he would be punished for it. He did not love the Lord and didn’t want to do anything for him. 

3. Don’t be lazy. Don’t be dreaming and never doing. Work hard and work smart. Love for others is an antidote to laziness. No one obtains a better life without some sacrifices and hard work. 

He who is given much, much is expected. We should be excited if the Lord has given us a lot (but it’s not for us!)

Having talent is complex because we can easily lapse into prideful thinking and looking down on others. But that’s how it is in the Kingdom of God. I always laugh when I remember Keith Green’s teaching on Jesus disciples. Jesus called them and us his sheep. And Keith said a sheep is a pretty dumb animal. Jesus did not call us his german shepherds or his dolphins. If you look around the room today, you might agree 🤣

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

The Lord loves variety. We are impressed by the lions, the elephants and the tigers. But the Lord is also impressed with the ants! 

Proverbs 6:6-8

Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.

That’s good news for those who think I don’t have much, I’m not special. The Lord loves to see someone who does a lot with very little! Someone who appreciates their gift no matter how small. Remember, it’s the Lord decides who gets what. He is not being unfair in the way he chooses to gift.

Charles Spurgeon once said;

Now, most men quarrel with this. But mark, the thing that you complain of in God, is the very thing that you love in yourselves. Every man likes to feel that he has a right to do with his own as he pleases. We all like to be little sovereigns. You will give your money freely and liberally to the poor; but if any man should impertinently urge that he had a claim upon your charity, would you give unto him? Certainly not; and who shall impeach the greatness of your generosity in so doing? 

It’s very humbling to realise I don’t have anything of my own that’s of value in God’s Kingdom. Jesus said without me you can’t do a thing. The Master entrusted the servants with his talents according to their ability. The ability that he had given them in the first place.

The talent was not the divine spark within that needs to be awakened as the New Age falsely teaches. The talent was given by the Master to bring a return for him. It never belonged to the servant.

Ephesians 2:4-10

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Whatever talent we have is because God is rich in mercy and this shows how kind he is and not how good we are. Our talent is for the benefit of others and ultimately the Lord. Again, how humbling this is for us. 

PCC is a church which has as its foundations the using of our talents as a core value of the church. We are not a church who pays the super pastor to do all the work while the congregation cruises in the pews. We all have something to offer at PCC.

CORE VALUE

what’s most important to us

1. We emphasise the “Body of Christ” Ministry and Mission with Jesus Christ as the Head…..

1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:11-16

2. …..each member exercising individual spiritual gift/s for the building of the Body and the Communication of the Gospel

Matthew 22:36-40

Matthew 28:18-20

CORE PURPOSES

what we want to achieve

1. every member exercising their gift/s within the church and in the mission field

2. every member encouraged and affirmed to utilise their gifts

3. every ministry / mission led by a called leader/s

4. every ministry / mission fulfilling our Core Value (or part of it)

In the same way, how can we individually use what the Lord has given us to faithfully do his work. In the end the Master trusted the profitable servants with more.

But someone might say I don’t have any talents or my talent is too small to be useful. That is not true according to this parable. It also doesn’t matter if your talent is not appreciated in the same way that some others  talent might be. The parable teaches we will all be called to account. 

What we are seeing in the US right now is the removal of corrupt stewards who used the resources they were entrusted with to ultimately benefit themselves and not the American people. This happens in companies too when you don’t understand why certain decisions have been made only to find out later that it wasn’t for the benefit of the company but for the individual who made the decision. Jesus’s words in the Parable of the Talents ring true today. He will ultimately remove the ones who were unfaithful and entrust his wealth to those who have been faithful even in the small things. That is what we should keep on doing, being faithful servants. It’s not for us but for the Lord.

How can PCC as a church trade and increase the return for the Lord. As a Leadership Team, we believe that this year the church can multiply it’s work by working more closely with PACT, each ministry enhancing the work of the other. You will find us as a sponsor on the PACT website. Galien has joined us to facilitate the Lord’s work in the youth of our community. 

« To support the spiritual and social development of rangatahi in the Papatoetoe Community through faith-based mentorship, outreach, and targeted youth programmes. »

Each one of us should consider how we can support this work this year, whether it be through our hospitality, or availability.

But not for us, for the Lord.