Call the next witness - 5.The Witness of Abraham (26/9/10)

The Witness of the Father

Sunday 26 September 2010

The fifth part of the ‘Call the next witness’ series at Cafe Church.

John 8: 31-38, 48-59

Despite it being Back-to-Church Sunday we were continuing with the theme of 'Call the next witness'.

The outrage of the Jews was about Jesus' assertion that they were not free. They regarded their ancestry as freedom enough (although of course the Jews had been slaves in Eygpt, Babylon, and at that time, to the Romans).

Jesus, of course, is speaking about a freedom from Slavery to sin. Abraham is not an ancestral get-out.

Sin is something of a joke word in our society. Yet it resonates with all people - we all have an innate sense of wrongs we commit - what in reality is an action against God. The breaking of God's law of love leads to guilt, fear and death.

Following Jesus, however, is about 'continuing in his word', which in turn sets us free, and "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (v.36). This is a freedom to be truly ourselves, who we really are. Jesus goes on to say that "whoever keeps my word will never see death" (v.51). This is as plain a promise of eternal life as one could imagine.

So plain, indeed, the Jews react passionately, accusing Jesus of being demon possessed. Once again they look to Abraham for their benchmark - he was dead, their great Father. So if he, the one chosen by God, noone else could expect to be exempt from the requirement to face death.

Of course, there is a sad irony here. For Jesus in promising life to us who believe, he knew that he would have to also chose death - when his life was such that it was not a requirement.

The most profound verse in Jesus response to the Jews accusation of madness is his reference to Abraham's hope: "Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad" (v.56). Abraham knew that his standing with God was purely a consequence of his FAITH, not in an inherent goodness. And the Jews mistakenly assumed that God imputed this same righteousness onto all Jews, by virtue of their racial credentials. In fact, Abraham knew that faith alone saves - faith in God. And Jesus has alluded to this - faith in him, and an adherence to his words - it is this that saves.

Abraham is testifying in his life that one would come who would bring righteousness to all men, and that righteousness is not ours, but Jesus', and we receive this as a free gift as we have faith. Jesus has mentioned elsewhere that prophets and righteous people longed to see him (Matt. 13:17).

The inheritance the Jews longed for was not to come through the law/the seed (the geneaological line) but in FAITH (Romans 4:13).

Application: I wonder whether this is a straight reminder to obey Jesus' words - to follow and walk in his way, rather than other religious leaders, however much they might be examples. This is a real challenge - do I daily seek to encounter and follow Jesus knowing that in him is true freedom.

The second challenge is the degree to which I can see how the ENTIRE Old Testament looks to Jesus!

And finally, am I pointing to this freedom, or do I get caught up in the worry of freedom of economic, social, conscience, speach, poverty, war, abuse or famine. These are noble concerns for anyone - and freedom for those oppressed in these areas is a calling on all Christians. But above these present concerns is the biggest battle of all - the freedom of our souls. Have I sworn allegiance to Jesus, and am I seeking to make this freedom known.

For truly, a society that is freed from sin, is a society free from all the terrors listed. Do I work to bring this sort of societal transformation? Do I point all I know to Jesus?

Call the next witness - 2.The Witness of the Father (5/9/10)

The Witness of the Father

Sunday 5 September 2010

The second part of the ‘Call the next witness’ series at Cafe Church.

John 5: 30-47

Paul Tudge, from Farsley, was leading the service in Paul Ayers’ absence, which was somewhat unfortunate given the complexity of the passage. Nevertheless, Paul encouraged those present to grapple with the theme of both the Father’s witness and our witness.

We used the song 'Why does my heart feel so bad' by Moby as our confession.

Come the sermon, part of the challenge was to consider the words of the poet Jude Simpson, 'You won't find Jesus on Myspace'. Although some people were somewhat puzzled as to what Myspace is: follow this link.

Paul's talk was fairly brief, desiring the groups to try and unearth some truths from the passage. To this end he gave us six questions:

1. Spend 3 minutes thinking alone. What do you speak about? Think of your conversations before the service began. What about the rest of today? What about last week? Try to put your words into categories e.g. work, hobbies, religion, domestic arrangements, chat about friends, Jesus, stories of the past, questions, arguments, ...
2. Share briefly what you have discovered
3. (esp vv 31-40) From what is in THIS passage what/who speaks about Jesus (testifies about him)? Nb. This is quite a complicated passage so don't worry about getting it wrong or missing something out!
4. How does your life testify about Jesus? How might it?
5. What question(s) do you want to ask about this passage?
6. What would you put on Jesus' MySpace page?

In our group, we found the passage quite confusing, however, here are some general conclusions.

Jesus is concerned to speak of himself (as a man) and Him (God). Jesus states that anything he (the man) says about himself is not true - it is God's (another v.32) testimony that is true.

This seems crucial to Jesus. John the Baptist's testimony is important and valid (vv.33-35), but it is not necessary. Rather God himself proves who Jesus is. Knowing Jesus was speaking to Jews his words are challenging, for he accuses them of not knowing God: "His teaching does not live in you, because you don't believe in the One the Father sent" (v.38).

It's this issue again of God verifying who Jesus is to us only when we take the step to believe in Jesus, which is more than Biblical knowledge (v.39) but relationship. It is the process of relating to Jesus that gives us the life (v.40) promised by Jesus.

The challenge is whether we allow God to testify to us about Jesus? Do we try to relate to Jesus on our own? This is a hopeless exercise (v.30)

Our walk with Jesus will be effective when done trusting God, for then God will testify to Jesus through and in us also. We do not testify simply by quoting Scripture (v.39), nor do we speak for ourself (v.43). We are asked to believe in the One.

Today - right now - am I actively seeking a personal, living relationship with Jesus? Am I seeking an encounter with him in my reading of Scripture? If so, am I then allowing the transformation of my life to give God glory, and the world the opportunity to hear God's testimony about Jesus - the way!

CALL THE NEXT WITNESS

In John's Gospel there is a strong emphasis on witness. The writer is keen to make sure we know that those who testify about Jesus are reliable.

He also reminds us that the job of the apostolic church is to continue to witness to Jesus. The power to do this comes from the Spirit.

'Cafe Church' provides a safe space for us to practice witnessing to each other. We share food and drink, sit at table together, and have conversation with each other about the gospel and how it relates to our lives.

This is the blurb on the church flier for the latest series for the evening service at Pudsey Parish Church, in Pudsey, West Yorkshire. Cafe church is a fascinating beast. It is steadily becoming more defined, although it is a shame so few people come. The worship tends to be more intimate and prolonged. There is food provided at 6pm to give plenty of time to eat and drink before the service starts properly at 6.30pm, although tea, coffee, etc are available throughout. Here are the dates/themes/readings for this latest series:

29/08/10
Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity
The Witness of John
Isaiah 33.13-22
John 3.22-36

05/09/10
Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
The Witness of the Father
Isaiah 43.14 - 44.5
John 5.30-47

12/09/10
Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity
The Witness of the Bread
Isaiah 60
John 6.51-69

19/09/10
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
The Witness of Moses
Ezra 1
John 7.14-36

26/09/10
Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity
The Witness of Abraham
Nehemiah 2
John 8.31-38,48-59

03/10/10
Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity
The Witness of a Healed Man
Nehemiah 5.1-13
John 9

10/10/10
Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity
The Witness of Apostles
Nehemiah 6.1-16
John 15.12-27

17/10/10
Twentieth Sunday after Trinity
The Witness of the Counsellor
Nehemiah 8.9-18
John 16.1-11

Call the next witness - 1.The Witness of John (29/8/10)

The Witness of John

Sunday 29 August 2010

The first part of the ‘Call the next witness’ series at Cafe Church.

John 3:22-36

Paul Ayers preached on two points:

1. Who John the Baptist is not
John explicitly states he is NOT the messiah (Jn 3:28)
Application: All people should point away from themselves to Jesus. Do I, by my actions, try and claim the glory for myself, failing to give Jesus the honour due him?

2. Who Jesus is
John points to Jesus as the bridegroom of his people. Three great claims:

a. Universal REVELATION (v. 34)
“The one whom God has sent [Jesus] speaks the words of God”
There is a fullness to the revelation of Jesus, both his words and life. There is no one else on earth we might turn to; it’s not ‘Jesus +’. The key word: UNDERSTANDING
Application: As revelation we can learn new things about Jesus and from Jesus, in his word. We should also be deepening our understanding of his thing. Are we receiving fresh revelations? Are we deepening our understanding?

b. Universal AUTHORITY (v.35)
“The Father…has placed everything in his hands”
(cf. Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1-3)
Jesus has been given authority in creation, in judgement, but also in everything between. God in Jesus is at work in events now. The key word: PROVIDENCE.
We show our belief in God’s activity by a) Thanking Him, and b) praying to Him.
Application: Do we act in full belief that Jesus is in control of every circumstance, situation and crisis. Or do we act as though we are unwittingly tossed about by the storms of life waiting for heaven?

c. Universal SALVATION (v.36)
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life”
Having eternal life is not a transaction. I turn up to heaven with a card proving that I believe Jesus and am therefore saved. I do not get saved because I had faith in Jesus. The act of believing in Jesus is the act of salvation, for it is by grace we are given the faith to trust Jesus. Key word: RELATIONSHIP.
Therefore, to have a relationship with Jesus is to be saved.
Application: Do I see my salvation as a by-product of my beliefs, or do I seek to cultivate a relationship with Jesus?

In conclusion, it is important that we are reminded that the words quoted above are John the Baptist’s. It is as though he is stood before us saying: “The one whom God has sent [Jesus] speaks the words of God. The Father…has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life”. We are called to respond to this witness.