A Stick, a Stone, a Loaf and a Lunch.

Introduction

            Whenever I have talked to church food committees about preparing food for an event, the question they always ask is, "How many people are you expecting?" When they know how many are coming, they are diligent in making sure that they have enough food for all the people who are going to be there. Some of them have expressed significant fear about running out of food. In all my years of church ministry I can only remember one time when there wasn't more than enough food for a church event.

            We don't like it when our resources are inadequate. Yet in much of life our resources are inadequate. Are we adequately holy? Do we have the resources to love as we ought to love? Do we ever serve God but feel that we just haven't got all that is needed? I certainly don't feel that I have all the resources needed to respond to every situation that comes up in my role as a leader? What about our church? Would you not agree that we are weak and vulnerable? Many of you have commented that we are a congregation that is much smaller than it used to be and we are a congregation made up mostly of people who qualify for a senior's discount. How can we adequately do the work God would want us to do?

            Yet as I think about these things, I am not discouraged. The reason I am not discouraged is because God is not limited by our lack of resources. This morning, I would like to look at four stories from the Bible which talk about what God did when human resources were clearly inadequate. As we examine these stories, I hope that we will be encouraged. I hope that we will recognize the greatness of God and I hope that we will be moved to seek God for what He wants us to do for Him even with what little we have.

I.     A Stick

            In the song, City on our Knees, Toby Mac asks two questions which are relevant for us today. He asks, "If you gotta start somewhere why not here…If you gotta start sometime why not now…" If we look at all the great things which God has done in the past like the miracles he did through Elijah and Peter, we wonder whether God still does miracles today. If we read about what God is doing around the world like bringing many people to Himself in places like China we wonder whether He will do the same thing among us as well. We wonder, "Is God among us or not?" This is a question that was also asked by Israel in Exodus 17:1-7.

A.   We Need Water

            They asked it at a time when they were lacking water. How long can we go without water? "A 97 year old woman survived 8 days without drinking or eating anything under the rubble of her home after an earthquake in Iran in January 2004." In another news item it was reported that "Nearly all newborn babies were found and rescued after being 7 days under the wreckage of a Hospital in Mexico City following an earthquake in 1985."

            These are extreme situations and the common answer is that we could go for 3 days without water. Of course, if we don't have access to water, we would become uncomfortable and panicky much sooner than that. Recognizing that helps us understand that when the people of Israel stopped to camp at Rephidim and there was no water, it didn't take very long for them to become concerned and even more than concerned. I have seen people scramble to line up for food and it is obvious to me that we have a powerful drive to feed ourselves. When we don't have adequate resources, we very quickly get edgy.

B.   Is The Lord Among Us?

            There were reasons for concern when they did not find water, but the intensity of their complaint against Moses is still somewhat disturbing. They had just seen God do some amazing things in the very recent past. They had seen God deliver them, a slave nation, out of Egypt. Exodus 15 records that just previous to this event, they had camped at a place that had water, but the water was not good and they had seen Moses change the bitter water to sweet water. In Exodus 16 we read that they had also already seen God provide manna in the wilderness.

            The demonstrations of God's power, ability and willingness to help were abundant, but how quickly they forgot. We do the same thing when we wonder, "That was then, but what about now?"

            At the end of the story, Moses named the location Meribah, which means to test or quarrel. The main contention they had with the Lord was to ask, "Is the Lord among us or not?" Moses appealed to them not to question God, but they did not listen to him. The lack of trust in them was quite obvious. Somehow they had not yet perceived that it was God who had led them and would not stop leading them.

            We are not much different. We also frequently get to the place where we wonder if God is among us. Will He help when we are in a difficult place? Will He provide when our resources are inadequate? Is He present to lead our church?

C.   God Provided

            The other night on America's Got Talent, Eric Dittleman did an amazing thing by predicting what Howie Mandel was thinking. As I watched, I wondered, "How did he do that?" It was like magic.

            There is no magic about what happened when Moses provided water for the people of Israel. God told Moses to use his stick to strike a rock and water would come out. It was the same staff he had used to strike the Nile River and do the opposite. In that case, he had made water become unusable. This time, he hit a rock with his stick, in the middle of a desert and good water came out of the rock.

            It was no trick, rather, it was clear that God had done it. In fact, we read what God said in verse 6, "I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb." This was to show that He was present among His people. Through a small thing, a stick, God showed His presence to the people. He let them know that He was among them and that He was leading them and that He did care about them. The people asked "Is God there" and God said, "I am standing among you." God demonstrated His presence by providing water.

            The lesson for us is also clear, God is able to take the smallest thing and bring about a great blessing. The question is, will we trust or will we also ask, "Is the Lord among us or not?"

II.  A Stone

            So the lesson from the stick is that God is among us. But often that still does not fill us with confidence. Somehow we believe that what is against us is too great. In fact often we believe that the odds are so great that we have no hope.

            The second story, from I Samuel 17:1-51, is quite familiar to us. It is the story of David and Goliath and encourages us that with God, the odds against us are never too great.

A.   A Fearsome Enemy

            Early in the story the power of the enemy is not only presented, but magnified. Goliath is introduced as a very powerful enemy. His height is described to demonstrate that he was a huge man. Not only was his stature great, but the armor and weaponry which he carried is described so as to intimidate. If you have ever watched strong man competitions, you can appreciate the incredible strength required to carry the weights those athletes carry. As I read this, I was thinking that I would find it difficult even to carry the armor and weapons which Goliath had, never mind use them effectively in battle. It is no wonder that we read in verse 11 that, as The Message says, "When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine’s challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope."

B.   A Weak Boy

            Into this picture comes David, whose weakness is highlighted in the story. He is clearly too young to be a soldier because his brothers are soldiers, but he has not been called up.

            When his brother, Eliab, speaks to him, he diminishes his importance when he talks about him looking after "those few sheep." The implication is, "you are just a kid with an unimportant job."

            When David offers to fight the giant, he comes before king Saul who will determine whether or not he will permit it. At first, he does not permit it and says to him in 1 Samuel 17:33, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

            David's weakness is further highlighted when Saul is convinced to let him go and provides him with armor. We should not miss that he gives him his own armor, which we suspect was probably the best armor in the land. But David was unable to handle the armor. He was not used to it which shows his weakness and so when he went against him, he went as simply a shepherd boy.

            The giant also perceived his weakness and mocked him when he said to him in, 1 Samuel 17:43, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?”

C.   A God Given Victory

            Yet although the enemy was very strong and David was very weak, David shows us the way to enter into such situations. He went with what he had and with what he knew. What he had was a stone and with that stone the giant was defeated by a mere boy.

            However, what he knew was that God was powerful and able to use a weak boy and a little stone to accomplish a great victory.

            David teaches us the lesson which we all need to learn and that is the key idea in this story. In verse 47 he says, "…the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's…"

            This encourages us that God is not limited by our weaknesses. David's confidence rested not only on the power of God, but also on the purposes of God. He knew that it was against God's purposes for Israel to be defiled by the enemy. He recognized that this was a spiritual issue and that the honor of God's name was at stake. On that basis he had confidence that God would act.

            As we understand these things, we too can have confidence that our resources, small as they are, do not limit God. If our desire is for the honor of God's name and if we trust in God, as David did, we also will see God do great things.

III.          A Lamp

            One of my favorite verses is 2 Corinthians 4:7 which says, "But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us." We know this, yet so often we take the glory for ourselves.

            I have been reading the book, Forgotten God, by Francis Chan. He asks an interesting question in one of the chapters when he wonders whether it is right for us to be impressed by a good musician, or speaker or leader? Although it is good to thank someone who has served well, is it not true that our service should be for the honor of God? One of the reasons why God uses us in our weakness is so that He will then be glorified. This is the point of the story of Gideon and his victory over the Midianites in Judges 7:1-25.

A.   Weakness

            In the story of Gideon it was not a weak person who offered his services to God in spite of great odds. In this story, it was God Himself who forced his people to serve out of weakness for the very purpose of teaching them to acknowledge that victory could only happen if God did it.

            In both verses 3 & 4, it tells us that they were "sifted." In the first instance, Gideon was to sift them and in the second instance, God sifted them. The purpose of the sifting was to bring them down to such a ridiculously small number that it was clear that they had no hope of winning. At first there were 32,000 warriors. Even that would seem like impossible odds. Judges 8:10 informs us that there were 135,000 Midianites and Judges 7:12 describes them as being "as thick as locusts" and "countless as the sand on the seashore."

            Yet can you imagine the pride that would have arisen in them if those 32,000 would somehow have been able to defeat the 135,000? It was possible and if it would have happened, it would have been an amazing victory for the people. That is exactly what God didn't want, so he instructed Gideon to send anyone who was fearful home. After that sifting he was left with 10,000 soldiers. However, now he was left with 10,000 of the most able and bravest soldiers. Once again it was possible that the odds of 13-1 could have resulted in an Israelite victory, so God reduced their number to 300.

            With odds of 450 to 1 it is not surprising that fear entered the heart of Gideon. But God took him into the Midianite camp and demonstrated that fear was also present among the enemy. One of them had a dream and in the dream he saw a loaf of bread knocking over a tent. They interpreted this as referring to Gideon. As Gideon heard this it gave him confidence because he perceived that God was in it and that He was going to accomplish a victory for them.

B.   God Did It

            God told them to go fight and with their lamps, jars, trumpets and a shout, they initiated a process by which God defeated the Midianites.

            God wanted them to know that He was the one who would save them. God was concerned, as verse 2 says that, "Israel would only take credit away from me…" But by using this ridiculously weak force it was clear that the credit must go to God.

            Sometimes God brings us to a place where the only recourse we have is to rely completely on Him. Because our resources are utterly inadequate, if anything is going to happen, it is clear that God must do it.

            When I think about our church, this is what gives me hope. We know that our programs, our leadership, our resources, our skills are not enough to accomplish great things for God. I believe that we have come to the place where we know that we do not have what it takes. My prayer, my hope is that God will do a mighty work among us so that it will be evident that no one, not me, not the church council, not any skilled person in the church, but God alone has done it.

IV.         A Lunch

            As we think about these stories, we rejoice as we remember that God is among us and can use our weakness to do great things for His glory. Yet we may still be reluctant to offer the little we have to Him. The story of the feeding of the 5000 in John 6:1-14 encourages us to bring what we have and see what God will do with it.

A.   How Do You Feed A Crowd?

            Once again in this story, as in the others we have examined, the lack of resources is highlighted. When Jesus pointed out the need of the crowd and asked Philip what he thought could be done, Philip responded that it would take more money than they had available to buy even a small amount of bread for each person. He responded to Jesus by saying in John 6:7, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”" Morris points out that "Philip does not point to a solution, but to an impossibility."

            Not much more helpful is Andrew's response who had taken an inventory and discovered that the only thing available to them was a young boy's lunch made up of five barley loaves and two small fish. Barley loaves were the food of the poor - nourishing but not very tasty. The fish were likely little more than a little garnish to make the bread go down more easily. He also points out, "…what are they among so many people?"

B.   God Feeds A Crowd

            But then Jesus stepped in and with those few things, fed the 5000. The contrast of the little and the much God makes of it is pointed out in several places. Philip pointed out the impossibility and that 8 months wages would only give everyone "a little." Yet in verse 11 we read that from the 5 loaves and two fish they ate "as much as they wanted." Even more amazing is that after they gathered up the leftovers, there was more left over than what they started with.

            Once again, God was able to do a great deal with a very little bit.

C.   Bring Little /God Makes Much

            What the boy offered was not very helpful. It would be like offering a thimble full of water to fill a swimming pool. It was ridiculously little. But he did offer the little he had and God did much with it. Barclay said, "If just as we are, we would lay ourselves on the altar of the service of Jesus Christ, there is no saying what Christ could do with us and through us." He also said, "Little is always much in the hands of Christ."

Conclusion

            In Zechariah, God was encouraging his people about what he would accomplish through the work of Zerubbabel. In Zechariah 4:10 he says, " Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…" (NLT)

            What we learn from a stick, a stone, a loaf and a lunch is that God can take small things and do great things and so we also should not "despise these small beginnings."

            David Hunt, President of WorldServe, has written, “The Lord doesn’t need your strength. He needs your weakness, your dependence upon Him. He needs a vessel through which He can work with relentless power and ‘show that this all-surpassing power is from God.’”

            As we stand in our weakness as Christians or as a church, the implications of these truths, which are so powerfully presented in Scripture, are significant.

            We should not be discouraged if we are inadequate. We should not despise small things, because God can do great things with them.

            We should offer to God what we are and what we have because we never know what He will accomplish with what we offer.

            We should keep our eyes open to see what God is doing even with small things.

            We should desire the glory of God above all.

            We should trust that God will build His kingdom, even here, even through us, even out of our weakness.

Imitating God in the Battle

Ephesians 6:10-20

Introduction

            We left our watches at home. We set up our umbrella and our lawn chairs. The lawn chair was in the recline position. It was a beautiful day at the beach and the agenda was to relax and have fun. We spent time in the water, reading, eating ice cream and having enjoyable conversation. It was pleasant, easy and enjoyable.

            But life isn't always like that.

            They called me because their young son was having bad nightmares and they were afraid that it was caused by demonic influence. I went and prayed for their son and for God to be sovereign in his room. The nightmares stopped and we recognized that this had been an attack of the enemy.

            Last fall when we were beginning to plan for our move, I experienced a serious bout of worry. It seemed greater than normal worry and because someone had indicated that I might experience a spiritual attack we began to pray that God would give peace. Peace came and we understood that this had been an attack of the enemy.

            More than once I have spoken with people as they near the end of life. Several times people who have been solid, faithful followers of Jesus have expressed doubts about their assurance of faith. So we have read verses of assurance in Scripture and prayed that God would let them know that He loves them and that they would have peace about their eternal situation. I have realized that the enemy doesn't give up easily and continues to try to get people to lose faith.

            God has called us to represent His kingdom in a hostile world. Sometimes that isn't easy and sometimes we act as if it is an optional activity. Satan will try to discourage us and tempt us to take it lightly, but Scripture makes it clear that this is what our life is about. Not taking God's mission seriously is also a spiritual attack.

            In other words, life is not a day at the beach. How do we live life and build the kingdom of Jesus in the face of an enemy who continues to try to defeat God's kingdom? This is the question Paul answers in Ephesians 6:10-20.

            The text begins with the word, "finally" and although these are the last things which Paul says in Ephesians, this translation does not give us the full thought of what the word means. A better translation would be, “from now on” or “for the rest of the time.” We are between the times. Jesus has come, has died and risen again and has defeated the enemy. But the final victory is still something that we are looking forward to. We are in the last days, but not on the last day. The message Paul has for the Ephesians and for us is a message which is relevant during this time. He is saying, for the remainder of the days until Jesus returns, this is the reality in which you live and these are the things which you must do.

I.     The Struggle We Are In

A.   The Nature of the Enemy

The reality for Christ followers is that we “struggle” or “wrestle.” He uses sports imagery to indicate that the game is on. We are in a contest of epic proportions and the stakes are extremely high. Grey Cup, Stanley Cup or Super bowl have nothing on the stakes of this contest. He also uses military imagery to say that we are in a battle. Both images help us remember that life is not a day at the beach, but a difficult contest with much at stake, a conflict in which we need to be constantly alert. The Message translates it, "This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels."

            The struggle we are in is not against an opponent whom we can see. Paul is very explicit and warns us that “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood.” The enemies we encounter sometimes seem to be the neighbor who creates problems, the business deal that we are trying to accomplish or the people we need to relate to. These can be difficult challenges in life, but the battle we are in is much more difficult and much more insidious than that. The battle we are in is a spiritual contest.

            In verse 12, Paul describes this enemy by using the word “against” four times to identify different things about the enemy. The enemy has authority and is a ruler, but the realm of his reign is darkness and he is over the spiritual forces of evil. If we were wrestling against a human foe, we would have some hope that we could help them see reason. But when our enemy is evil to the core and his only intent is to bring us into darkness that is a scary thing. When we see that his opposition is in the whole world, we understand that we are in a battle that is very serious.

            On the television program "Wipeout," people enter into a contest in which they are required to go through a series of obstacles. The person who is able to do it the quickest wins the contest. The point of the show is to watch people in the most awkward situations trying to stay upright, but wiping out all the time. They throw things at them, they place slippery obstacles in their way and make it as difficult as possible to get to the finish line. In the game it is all in fun and the people have a good time doing it.

The same cannot be said about our enemy Satan who is doing the same thing. He puts distractions and obstacles in our way but has the malicious intent of trying to cause us to stumble in any way he can. He wants to prevent us from making it to the finish line and to prevent us from being faithful to God in our ministry in the world. Penner says, "One great cause of spiritual failure among Christians is that we do not realize we are in a battle."

            Sometimes the enemy shows himself in obvious ways, but often the attacks are much more subtle. When we doubt its not just doubt, it is the enemy. When illness or other struggles come, the enemy is behind it. We need to be aware that it is game day and we all play. The battle is on and it is serious and it is difficult.

B.   The Nature of the Battle

And so the text encourages us to “be strong.” If we think of this from the metaphor of sports we might imagine that now is the time to put on our rally caps. That imagery implies that we dig deep in order to win the game. But Paul is definitely not saying try harder, dig deeper, do all you can. The call to be strong is a call to rely on the strength of the Lord. “In the Lord” is the important part of this sentence. We are to live in dependence on God. He is the one who gives us the power we need to win and to move forward!

            The reason we have strength in the Lord is because of what He has already accomplished. In the resurrection of Jesus, God has demonstrated His power over death and it is that power on which we rely. In the death of Jesus on the cross, God defeated the enemy not by smashing him, but by taking away all power by defeating death. Through death, Jesus has conquered the enemy who now has no power left. It is in the victory which Jesus accomplished in His death that we have victory. Because Jesus died and rose again, God has sent the Holy Spirit to accompany everyone who belongs to Jesus and it is in the presence of the Holy Spirit that we are strong in the Lord.

Matthew Henry says, “We have no sufficient strength of our own. Our natural courage is as perfect cowardice, and our natural strength as perfect weakness; but all our sufficiency is of God. In his strength we must go forth and go on."

Watchman Nee was a Chinese pastor who wrote a book on Ephesians called Sit, Walk, Stand. Nee divides the book into three sections. First of all, he says that we need to learn to sit. The early part of Ephesians tells us that we need to sit in the presence of Jesus and recognize the wonder of all that He has done for us in redeeming us and making us His children. The next section of the book talks about walking with Christ. This is the ethical section of the book and reminds us that those who sit in the presence of Christ must also walk in obedience to Him. The last part of the book talks about standing and that brings us to this passage. Nee says, “We must know how to sit with Christ in the heavenly places and we must know how to walk worthy of Him down here, but we must also know how to stand before the foe.” All of these are important in order to be able to stand.

But we shouldn't think that standing is only protecting ourselves. Standing does not imply a fortress mentality. Often this passage has been interpreted as describing those things with which we can defend ourselves as believers and be protected. But that is too small an interpretation of this passage. The shoes of the gospel, and the sword of the Spirit tell us that we are in a battle not only to try to survive in this difficult time and quietly remain in a safe position. We are on the offensive. It is our purpose as followers of Jesus to press the claims of Christ into the kingdom of this world. Standing against the evil one means letting the world know about Jesus. It is being protected against his lies, but also making sure the truth of God is proclaimed in the world.

               We also need to recognize that this passage is written to all of us as a faith community. The imperatives in this passage are all plural which means that they speak to the church and not only to us as individuals. Neufeld says, "It is much more in keeping with the gist of Ephesians to see this summons to battle directed to the church as a whole, to the body of Christ acting as a unified divine force."

            To stand means both that we protect ourselves from the enemy and that we as the body of Christ must press the claims of the kingdom into the world. We cannot take these tasks lightly or treat them as optional.

II.  God's Strategy for Victory

               How will we gain this victory? The armor we are to put on is the armor of God. Often people have looked at this passage and imagined that Paul, being in prison, saw before him a Roman soldier. The presence of the soldier made him think of how the armor fits with our spiritual armor. A much better background and more faithful to the actual words of the text is the understanding that the imagery in Paul's mind was that presented in Isaiah 59:17-19 where it says, "He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle. According to their deeds, so will he repay; wrath to his adversaries, requital to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render requital. So those in the west shall fear the name of the LORD, and those in the east, his glory; for he will come like a pent-up stream that the wind of the LORD drives on."

               It is much more powerful to realize that the imagery which Paul had in his mind was of God as a warrior who wears this very armor in defeating His enemies. It makes much more sense for us to realize that it is God's armor we must put on. As I mentioned in the children's story, if you wear hockey equipment, you are protected against pucks and flying bodies, but that equipment won't do much against bullets and chemical warfare. For that you need military equipment. If you are in a battle, military equipment would give some protection against bullets and chemical warfare. But as sophisticated as military equipment is these days, it does nothing for us in a spiritual battle. We are in a spiritual battle, so we need spiritual weapons. The spiritual weapons are the armor of God.

A.   Put On The Armor of God!

1.    Truth

            Truth is God's armor for us. We know that Satan is a deceiver for that is one of his names. I doubt if we could think of one of the areas in which Satan tries to tempt us where some lie is not involved. If we are willing to recognize the truth then it can prevent us from getting into trouble. Truth is also the weapon we have for proclaiming the claims of Christ into the world. At all times we must seek truth and speak truth.

2.    Righteousness

            Righteousness is also God's armor. When Satan accuses us before God, it is the righteousness of Christ that God sees and so does not listen to him. It is the righteousness of Christ in us that prevents us from considering sin and entering into it. Sometimes when sinful thoughts come into my head, it is the thought that I belong to God and have been made righteous in Christ that reminds me who I am and helps me say `no.’

3.    A Readiness for the Gospel of Peace

            The readiness to proclaim the gospel of peace, is the armor of God with which He has sent us out. In Luke 10:18 we learn that it is the proclamation of the gospel which causes the fall of Satan. Gospel proclamation is also an important protection for us because when we make Jesus known, we put our reputation on the line that we belong to Christ and it helps us to walk in Christ.

4.    Faith/Faithfulness

            It is never certain how the word which is usually translated "faith" should be translated. It can be translated faith, but it can also be translated "faithfulness." If translated as "faith" we are encouraged that our trust in God is a powerful weapon. As long as we remain in a position of trusting God, we are safe. But it is also good to recognize that we stand in the faithfulness of Christ. He was faithful and the only reason we have any hope of defeating the enemy is primarily because of the faithfulness of Jesus. II Thessalonians 3:3 reminds us that, "The Lord is faithful and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one."

5.    Salvation

            When we recognize that in Christ we belong to God we know that although Satan can try he is never able to overcome us. I John 4:4 assures us that "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

            Once again, however, salvation is not only defensive, but also offensive. Neufeld says, "In the context of putting on the armor…the image of grasping the helmet of salvation is meant to place on the church the task of bringing liberation to those in bondage by imitating the God of Isaiah 59."

6.    Spirit & Word

            Since we are in a spiritual battle, it is the power of the Spirit of God which must be used to both defend us from the wiles of the evil one and also to give us power to engage in the battle for the lives of those who don't know Jesus. We cannot defend ourselves or win people to Jesus apart from the guidance, power and direction of the Spirit of God. His Word and His Spirit are the means of victory. Let us not try to fight this battle on our own, but do so in the power of the Spirit and with the Word of God.

B.   Pray In The Spirit!

The other way in which we will win the battle both defensively and offensively in the world is through prayer.

            Paul calls us to pray in the Spirit. Prayer in the Spirit begins with the Spirit given ability to come to God with the words, "Abba" on our lips. We pray to our Father and the Spirit opens that possibility for us. Praying in the Spirit is also recognizing our weakness, as we read in Romans 8:26, 27. If we pray in our strength we come to God with what we can offer, but when we pray in the Spirit, we come to God knowing our weakness and relying on His strength. Prayer in the Spirit also means understanding that the Spirit of God guides our prayer and answers our prayer.

Prayer in the Spirit will lead us into the comprehensiveness of prayer. Notice the word “all” which appears numerous times in verse 18. We are called to pray on all occasions. When we are rejoicing, we should pray. When we are hurting, we should pray. When we are starting a new job, we should pray. When we are entering marriage, we should speak to God about it. When we send out a missionary or a Children's Church leader, we should intercede. Every aspect of life is an occasion for prayer. May we learn to pray on all occasions!

Prayer in the Spirit will also include all kinds of prayer. Prayer is not just asking and praise. We must pray intercessory prayers for others. We must pray for our needs, we must pray prayers of thanksgiving and prayers in which we simply declare God’s goodness. We must pray listening prayers. Each prayer is important and must be a part of how we pray.

It is such a joy for me to stand on Portage Avenue each Wednesday morning and pray. I have a sense when I am doing it that a great spiritual battle is being waged. I usually pray that this church can be a location from which the grace of God is seen in the city. I pray that all the people who drive by will come to understand the love of God for them. When we pray, we are engaged in the battle.

            Paul concludes this section by asking the Ephesians to pray for him. His prayer has one direction. He asks that he would be able to open his mouth and effectively and boldly make Jesus known. His specific prayer is for words and for boldness. This request is particularly relevant and shows us something of what was going on in his heart at this time. He was a prisoner, which could have discouraged him and given him fear, yet his desire was that even in prison he would continue to be a bold witness and be able to say the right thing at the right time.

            So we must pray. Neufeld points out that "Prayer plays a central role in the struggle of the communal divine warrior. Prayer is battle. Prayer is also, however, a way to keep alert. It is a form of vigilance, of keeping the senses honed to danger and to opportunities for victory."

Conclusion

            At the end of the service as we part and leave the church, I often say, "Have a great week." As I was thinking about that I wondered if it was an adequate parting greeting. As we leave, we are going out to do battle, against a powerful enemy. What I should be, saying is something like: "Fight well! May what God has given you strengthen you when the enemy attacks. Allow your life to spill out with the love of God so that all will know His truth. May truth, righteousness, salvation, faithfulness, the readiness to proclaim the gospel, salvation and the Spirit of God and the Word of God give you strength to overcome and may you be strong as a representative of Jesus in your situation in life." That's kind of long, but if I say "Have a great week" perhaps you can understand that that is what I mean.

            God is a warrior who is seeking to win the world. He has called us to battle with Him. May we use His armor to win. In the end He will win. Let's join Him as we battle today. May His strength encourage us and give us what we need!

Imitating the Submission of Jesus

Ephesians 5:21-6:9

Introduction

            This week I watched Corner Gas one day and the program was highlighting the difference between Canadians and Americans. One of the things pointed out was that as Canadians we are nice and are willing to defer to others. It was funny when a few days later we were in a restaurant and at the beginning of the meal the server came around and asked what kind of beverage we wanted. When the beverages were delivered, one person did not receive what she ordered. This was pointed out and the server offered to bring the right beverage, but the person deferred and accepted what she had not ordered. Apparently that is what we are like as Canadians.

            Now sometimes people take advantage of that. You know how some lanes are closed because of construction and everyone has to merge into one lane? Some drivers take the lane that is closed right until it is closed and then correctly assume that someone will let them in. When I see that happen, I feel like they are abusing people's willingness to be nice and yet I usually submit and let them in. This is the strange relationship we have with submission.

            We live in a country in which there is a great emphasis on charter rights and on that basis submission is discouraged. Today if you would suggest that a wife should submit to her husband, you would hear loud protestations, but I think you would hear protestations if anyone was called to submit. We don't like to be told to submit, we don't like people to have power or control over us, we rightly hate the abuse of power and yet we often do submit to others.

            As we have looked at Ephesians we have recognized that both in response to the gift of salvation and as a strategy of carrying out our mission in the world we are called to imitate Jesus. We are to imitate Jesus in his holiness and we are to imitate Jesus in his love. Today we want to look at the third and last call to imitate Jesus in Ephesians 5:21 where we are called to imitate Jesus in his submission. This is a challenging command and we need to understand what it means and how we are called to live it because we do want to imitate Jesus.

I.     Being Subject

A.   The Call to Submission

            The call to submission is in a context. At the beginning of the chapter we were called to be imitators of God. Submission is part of that imitation.

            In 5:10 we were told to "Carefully determine what pleases the Lord" and in 5:17 we read, "understand what the Lord wants you to do." What pleases the Lord, what He wants us to do is to be subject to one another.

            In Ephesians 5:18 we were called to "be filled with the Spirit." Submission is part of the lifestyle that will follow if we are filled with the Spirit.

            So in that context Ephesians 5:21 says, "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." It is in our relationship to Christ that we are to submit to one another. The command is given in this verse and the reason for it is given in this verse. So although it is a difficult thing to do and something that we need to understand carefully, it is nevertheless an important part of our discipleship. We cannot ignore that submission is something to which God calls us.

B.        The Meaning of Submission

            The key word in this verse is "submit" but what does it mean? The Greek word is made up of two parts. One part means “to appoint,” “to order,” with such nuances as “to arrange,” “to determine,” “to set in place.” When added with the other part of the word it means to arrange under or to set in place under. Barth defines submission as, "giving way to one another." Submission is about humility. It is the willingness to consider others better than ourselves. Submission is about service. It is the willingness to do things for others who have a need.

            The form of the verb indicates that submission is not something that someone forces us to do, but something that we choose. When this verb is used of God it is usually active because God is able to subject the whole world to Himself. He has the power and authority to do that. When this verb is used of our relationship with each other it is always passive and emphasizes our voluntary choice to submit ourselves. Barth suggests that it "…describes a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden. He expects this kind of subordination only of Christ and of persons who are 'in Christ…'"

C.   Christ's Model of Submission

            Because of the context of imitation of Christ and with the mention of "reverence for Christ" we recognize that Christ is our model of submission.

            This perspective lends great power to the understanding of submission. If Jesus, who is God, the creator of the universe chose submission as a way to function, then surely we must also discover what submission means.

            And Jesus did indeed model submission. He submitted Himself first of all to the Father in heaven. John 17:4 says, "I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do." God gave Jesus a task on earth and Jesus submitted to the Father by doing that task. He trusted the plan of God and so was willing to complete His work.

            Earlier in the service, we read Philippians 2:5-11 and noticed the way in which Jesus submitted Himself. In that passage we read that he submitted Himself to "the humble position of a slave," and to "a human being." Most remarkable of all is that he submitted Himself to "death on a cross." Submission to death on a cross is also mentioned in Ephesians 5:25 where the husband is called to follow the example of Christ, who, "gave himself up." The extent of Jesus' submission is remarkable.

            As we meditate on what Christ's submission means, we need to take note of several things. He did not submit Himself to evil so that evil would win. One of the great fears we have in submission is that an injustice will occur if we submit. If we think that Jesus submitted in order to allow evil to have the upper hand we have misunderstood what He did. In His submission He was not acquiescing to wrong. Why then did Jesus submit? He submitted as a strategy. It was the method he chose in order to bring about victory. Because people needed to see the compassionate heart of the Father, Jesus could not come to this earth wielding power and shouting loudly. He had to come manifesting humility and servanthood. That is why he chose submission as the strategy. Because God wanted to gain victory over sin and death, Jesus submitted to death in order to conquer the enemy. Neufeld calls Jesus a "self-sacrificing reconciler." Because God has all power and was able to raise Jesus from the dead, the enemy did not win and the strategy of submission resulted in a victory that could be gained in no other way. Barth says, "There is a difference between brutal subjugation which denies, breaks or obliterates the will of the subjected party, and the way in which Jesus Christ meets and treats sinners in order to save them."

            When Jesus hung on the cross those who were around mocked Him. The thief mocked Him as being no better than he. The Jewish religious leaders mocked Him, believing that they had gained the upper hand and that the submission of Jesus to their will demonstrated His weakness. To all concerned at that point, submission looked like failure, but in the end, that was not the case. God's resurrection power changed what looked like loss into victory. The submission of Jesus became not loss, but the means to victory. Ephesians 5:26 speaks about the strategy of Jesus to give Himself up in order to accomplish a purpose. His purpose was to create a pure church, a body of people who follow Him and look like Him. The method He used to do so was submission to being human and submission to death.

            Ephesians 5:31-32 is a mysterious passage. We recognize it as speaking of marriage and the way in which two people are brought together into unity. Yet in this passage it says, "I am applying it to Christ and the church." In other words, this isn't only about marriage, but also about the reconciliation which Christ is effecting. He is gathering together a people who belong to Him. Two becoming one flesh is not only about husband and wife, but also about Christ and the church. The way in which Christ has brought together those who were formerly alienated from Him is through the strategy of submission.

            So we see the powerful presentation of how Christ models submission in all these different ways. Since He has chosen submission as His way of living and doing His work, surely we must listen carefully and try to understand what it means for us to imitate the submission of Christ.

II.  The Details

            Christ is our model and we are called to submit to Christ. The command is given in 5:21. What is interesting is that the word "be subject" appears in vs. 21, but not in verse 22. When we read our English Bibles, we would not know that because they supply the word "be subject" in almost every translation, yet it is not there in the original Greek. A direct translation of these two verses would be, "Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ, the wife to her own husband as to the Lord." The reason this is important is because the call to submit is the heading of the entire section that follows. The New Living Translation gives us some idea of this when it says, "And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means…" and then in verse 25 it says, "…For husbands, this means…"

            Submission is something we are all called to do, but what are the details of that submission? First of all, we are called to be subject to one another in the church. Then, as we read on in Ephesians we notice that this matter of submission has implications in the most intimate and most daily relationships in life. Submission must be practiced in the relationship between husband and wife, between parents and children and between slaves and masters. So let's think about what that submission looks like in each situation.

            Barth affirms this way of thinking when he says, "The single imperative of vs. 21…anticipates all that Paul is about to say not only to wives, children and slaves, but also to husbands, fathers, and masters, about the specific respect they owe because of Christ to those with whom they live together either by choice, or by birth or by historical circumstances."

A.   One Another

            The phrase "to one another" in verse 21 tells us that submission is to be the method of living in all our relationships to one another in the church. To even say that and for someone who is in leadership in the church to say that is very difficult. So often power has been abused in the church. The church has a terrible record. The martyrdom of our Anabaptist forefathers, the Inquisition, residential schools, shunning and church discipline have all given numerous examples of situations in which churches expected that people would submit but it became an abuse of power. So how does the church teach submission in such a context?

            The church can continue to teach submission only because it is "in the fear of the Lord." As we talk about submission, we recognize that we submit first of all to God. If we trust Him, we are able to submit to His way of doing things.

            It is also critical to recognize that submission can never be forced. Submission is a voluntary choice that we make in regards to one another, not something that the church or anyone else forces on someone.

            What are the implications of this kind of submission in the life of the church?

            Many years ago when this congregation was talking about buying the church on William and Juno, my great-grandfather was in leadership in the church. The way I heard the story is that he was not in favor of purchasing that building. The issue was debated and the decision was made to purchase the building. At that point, even though he had voted against it, my great-grandfather supported the decision. That is one of the practical examples of submission which has influenced me from the stories in my family.

            A week ago a member of our church who has moved and is beginning to attend another church, came to talk to me about the transition he is making. He was concerned about how he could remain a member, support Portage Avenue, but for good reason, attend another church. I appreciated his concern and it showed me his willingness to submit to the church.

            When planning the work of the church, things sometimes take a long time to process. Those in leadership sometimes get impatient and choose rather to go ahead of the church on the assumption that it is easier to get forgiveness than permission. I have always been uncomfortable with that strategy and it would be an example of not being willing to submit.

            One of the things which is quite common today is to treat the church as another consumer product. If we don't like what is happening, we just go to another church or if the church is involved in some program which we don't agree with, we refuse to support it. In my understanding of this command to submit, the way to handle these things is to engage with the body, since we are members of one another. When an issue is being discussed, we should fully engage in the debate about whether or not we will do it. When the church agrees with a proposal, then it is up to us to find a way to support it. That also is submission. It means that we trust the guidance of the Spirit through the functioning of the church body.

            We could think of many other examples and I suppose, all kinds of objections, but somehow we have to deal with this command because submission is important. Neufeld says, "This is one realm in which the church’s redemptive difference should show itself most dramatically."

B.   Wives

            In the verses which follow, Paul lists some of the most practical and intimate life situations. To speak of submission as a theory is fine and to talk about it in relationships in the church is important, but our imitation of Christ will be most significantly lived out in those relationships that require dealing with real, day to day issues.

            The first of these relationships is that between husband and wife. The first person addressed is the wife. If we are faithful to the whole text we have to say that in the matter of following Christ, each wife must choose for herself how imitating the submission of Christ works in her relationship with her husband. The headship of the husband mentioned here is difficult to understand with the negative history of abuse of power that has often happened. What was Paul's intent in saying this? Headship can mean several things. It can mean having authority or it can mean taking the lead or taking the initiative. What is the intention here? Several things are certain about this command. It is not a command regarding women in general to men in general. The submission spoken of here refers to wives to their husbands alone. Another thing which only makes sense in the context is that the mention of headship does not mean that the husband is given authority to demand submission from his wife. We must keep in tune with what is happening in this whole passage and insist that submission is the choice of each wife and it is in regard to her relationship to Christ that she must choose how she will live imitating Him. Barth says, "Only the Lord Jesus Christ is the source, standard, and motivation of a woman's subordination."

C.   Husbands

            For husbands, submission means loving their wives. We have often spent so much time on wives being subject to their husbands or the headship of the husband that we have missed the full power of the submission expected of the husband. Lest we miss it, this passage is very clear that the husband is also required to submit to the wife. The model for the husbands submission is none other than Christ Himself of whom it is said that "He gave up his life for her(the church)." If that isn't submission I don't know what is. I personally believe that the mention of the headship of the husband means that he must take the initiative in submission, he must be the first one to practice submission by making sure that he is willing to lay down his life for his wife and to do those things that will allow her to be the best person, the best follower of Christ and the most honored one in his life. If husbands are not living self sacrificing love in relationship to their wives, I believe they have not understood what this passage means. Yet, just as with submission of "one another" and the submission of the wife, this is also a call to voluntary submission. So the question for husbands is, "How will you sacrifice your life for your wife?" Barth says, true love is "self-giving, not devouring; creative, not analytical; passionate in the sense of uplifting – rather than condescending, compassionate." Neufeld says, "A husband’s love finds expression in the liberation, not of himself, but of his spouse.

D.   Children/Parents/Slaves/Masters

               I won't take much time on the rest of the relationships because I think we get the idea. Each person, in the station in life in which they find themselves must answer the question. "How will I imitate the submission of Christ?"

               The text tells us that for children this means obedience to parents. the promise is that if they live this out, it will go well for them.

               For parents it means not provoking children to anger. This should warn all parents that there is no place for the abuse of power in their relationship to their children, but rather doing all they can to raise them in the Lord. Neufeld says, "As terse as this is, the word provoke covers all the types of abuse of power committed by people whose culture has given them unquestioned authority." He also says, "In short, fathers are to behave toward their children as fellow members of a covenant community that is marked by mutual subordination, but also by mutual and joint accountability before God..."

               For slaves this means serving God by serving their masters. They are not to be eye-pleasers, but God pleasers. All service is to be done for God. We should also note that if this pertains to slaves, surely it pertains even more to every person is free, but who works for another.

               For masters, this means remembering that they are all under the judgment of God. The phrase, "in the same way" suggests that the hierarchy we often assume between masters and slaves does not exist in the eyes of God. If you are a manager, what does it mean to imitate the submission of Christ as you manage your employees?

Conclusion

            When we had been married for one year we participated in the Northern Missionary Training Camp which was a program of Northern Canada Evangelical Mission. We hadn't been there very long before we were taught the phrase which we would be expected to say in every situation in which we were asked to do something. We were taught to respond, "I shall be glad to." Were we being forced to submit? We didn't look at it that way. We had come in obedience to Christ and our intention was to serve Christ and so the idea of willingly serving in those areas in which we were asked to serve was exactly what we wanted to do. This has been a lesson I have remembered ever since and have tried to live.

            When it comes down to it, submission is first of all an attitude of submission to Christ. Then it is an attitude of humility in relationship to one another and an attitude of servanthood.

            Neufeld quotes a poem that I think concludes it nicely:

Gather us in—the rich and the haughty,

gather us in—the proud and the strong.

Give us a heart so meek and so lowly,

       give us the courage to enter the song.