Why We Don't Commit Murder

I spoke at our church North Branch a couple weeks ago. Pastor Frank is doing a series on the Ten Commandments, and he wanted me to fill in on a Sunday when he needed to be away.
 

Introduction: Plots and Murder

There is an ongoing narrative in Genesis about struggles between brothers.

There is the story of Jacob and Esau. First Jacob deviously traded a pot of stew for his brother’s birthright. He turned an chance to serve his brother into a plan to gain something for himself at his brother’s expense.

Later Jacob deceived his father Isaac in order to fool Isaac into blessing him, rather than his older brother Esau. You can hear the pain and anguish in Esau’s voice as he pleads to Isaac to bless him, too. Esau was so angry about this that he plotted to murder his younger brother, and he might have done it if Jacob hadn’t fled the country.

And there’s the story of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph’s brothers were envious of their father’s favoritism toward Joseph. You might remember the colorful coat that his father gave him. This envy and jealousy leads Joseph’s brothers to a plot to murder him, and they claim close to doing it. Instead they ultimately sold him to a group of traders.

These are examples of envy, jealousy, bitterness that almost led to murder. They’re fascinating stories. Lots of intrigue. This is material for Dateline, or 20/20, or 48 Hours. The idea of brothers plotting to murder their brothers is unsettling at best, and really is appalling to us. Murder is always upsetting.

All civilized societies, whether Christian or Christianized or not, consider murder to be abhorrent. The penalties for murder are always the most severe compared to penalties for other crimes, as they should be.

The Sixth Commandment

A number of weeks ago Frank gave me a call and asked me to think about speaking today. He asked if I wouldn’t mind taking on one of the Ten Commandments in order to continue working through the series. I said, “sure.” He flipped through the calendar and said, “Okay, you’ve got murder. You just missed adultery.” Well okay, that’s fine.

Now normally we have a text to work with. We think about who the passage was written to originally, what it meant to them, what the principles are that it communicates, and how they apply to us.  We can pick the passage apart a little bit, see how the paragraphs and sentences work together and so on.

But Frank assigned me a passage with four words. In fact, it’s only two words in Hebrew, I guess. “You shall not murder.” Pretty clear. I think we get that. When we study through the various commandments they sting a little, or a lot. Frank has been speaking a lot of truth. But when we get to this one we often kind of let out a sigh of relief. Here’s a commandment I know I haven’t violated. So what’s to talk about?

“You shall not murder.” Some have wondered what exactly is meant by the word used for murder here. Older translations of the Old Testament tended to use the word “kill.” More recent translations tend to use the word “murder.” You have to ask whether this commandment could be prohibiting all killing, including killing as punishment for serious crimes, or killing enemy combatants when a nation is at war?

It seems clear that the commandment is referring to murder, the willful taking of a human live for an unlawful purpose and not all killing. If we consider this commandment in the context of the rest of the Old Testament it’s clear God intended for human life to be taken in certain circumstances, whether in battle or as a consequence for serious violations of the law.

With regard to killing, there is a distinction between the state and individuals. The state engages in war, enforces laws and punishes infractions (up to and including capital punishment). Historically, society has considered that acceptable. But we don’t condone individuals taking another person’s life on their own accord. That’s murder and it’s what this commandment prohibits.

We’re into the last five commandments. These are the “shall nots.” You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not covet.

These are all things that, when committed, damage relationships between human beings. They’re violations of community. But it’s important to remember that our relationships with each other are so significant and important, because of the fact that each one of us stands in relationship with God. When I violate one of these “you shall not” commandments I am violating a horizontal relationship with someone else, and as a result I offend God because that person has a relationship with God and is valuable to him.

Thinking specifically about this commandment, you shall not murder, leads me to ask a question: “Why not?” There are three principles I want to share with you.

First Principle: God Values Life Itself

Why not murder? Because God values life itself. Reading through the Old Testament we see that God prescribed for Israel capital punishment for those who committed murder. It’s the severest of penalties for the severest of crimes. But why did God prescribe such a severe penalty for murder?

God creates life. He breathed life into Adam when he created him. In Acts, Peter referred to Jesus as the “author of life.” The fact that I still had breath in my lungs when I woke up this morning is because God, in his sovereignty has granted me life for today. Life belongs to God.

Why did God prescribe capital punishment for Israel? It’s punishment for disregard for life. In the Old Testament, we don’t see the death penalty prescribed for crimes against property. This points to the higher value God places on life, over property or possessions. God created and values life.

The death penalty in the Old Testament dates all the way back to Noah. Genesis 9.6: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; (Why?) for in the image of God has Gad made man.” We are each made in God’s image. If that’s true, what does it mean to take the life of another person? To murder someone is to destroy something created in God’s image.

The murderer’s life is taken because he failed to respect the sanctity of human life; life that God created.

That God gave up Jesus to die in our place is evidence that God places a high value on our lives. Jesus suffered and was crucified so we could have life. So what does it mean then to murder someone? It is destroying someone for whom Jesus died. It disregards God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice for that person.

Second Principle: God Values His People

We talked earlier about how these last five commandments deal with things that damage or destroy the horizontal relationships between people. Thinking specifically about the sixth commandment, murder is the ultimate example of the destruction of those horizontal relationships, not only between me and that person but also between that person and all the others in their circles of relationships. It’s not just ending a life; it’s ripping apart a hundred, or even hundreds, of human relationship, all of which also represent vertical relationships with God.

I said we sometimes breathe a sigh of relief when we come to this commandment. I don’t think we can get off so easily. When Jesus taught, he didn’t abolish the Old Testament law. Instead, he brought it to a higher level. He took the letter of the law and said, “Here is the spirit of the law.” And when he did that he led us away from legalism toward living out God’s intent in every aspect of our lives.

Matthew 5.21-22: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

Why so harsh? Because God values his people. Not only are we not to take life, we’re to honor the lives of our brothers and sisters, We don’t need to physically take someone’s life to be guilty of murder. Hate, anger, contempt are violations of the sixth commandment.

John wrote in 1 John 3.15 – “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer.”

I have a watercolor painting here [describe it]. Maybe I start making negative comments about this painting perhaps to a friend but in the presence of the one who painted it. Wow, I don’t really like this painting. I can’t believe she chose those colors, they’re all wrong. I think these are supposed to be trees but they don’t look like trees. The perspective is all screwed up. I hate this thing. It’s worthless. Every statement is a stab to the heart of the artist. So what am I doing when I demean or degrade another person? It’s an offense to the one who created them. So what if I just throw it out with the trash or burn it. I’ve destroyed the artists’ creation; something that was of value to the artist.

God values his people, his creations, and so should we. Sometimes it’s easiest to be hardest on the people closest to us. To some degree we violate this 6^th commandment when we fail to honor the people God places in our lives. Sometimes we can let those harsh words fly and we forget the damage they can do.

Third Principle: God Values our Relentless Pursuit of Him

There’s another pair of brothers mentioned in Genesis. Maybe you thought of them already. There are similarities to brother stories we talked about earlier. Two of the sons of Adam and Eve were named Cain and Abel. Abel was a rancher. Cain was a farmer. At one point they chose to offer sacrifices to the Lord. Abel brought the best parts from some of the firstborn of his flocks. Cain offered some produce. Although Scripture doesn’t tell us specifically why, God looked with favor on Abel and his offering, and not so much on Cain and his offering.

Perhaps it was Cain’s attitude in worship. Maybe it was that Abel brought his best and Cain brought something ordinary. We don’t know for sure but we do know that it made Cain angry with his brother. Some seeds of bitterness were planted in his heart. God challenged him about that.

Genesis 4.6-8 “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

As is always the case, God was providing a way out for Cain. He could make the choice to do what was right. The Lord cautioned him and then he challenged him. If you make the wrong choices Cain, there’s trouble ahead. This sin is going to grab hold of you. Instead, do what’s right. Master it. Cain had an opportunity right there to change his heart.

He chose otherwise. He let the anger and envy and bitterness take hold. And he murdered his own brother.

READ Genesis 4.9-14: ⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

¹⁰ The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. ¹¹ Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴ Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

The cause? Anger, envy, bitterness. The consequences? A dead brother, loneliness, isolation, expulsion, failure.
Cain had at least two chances to do the right thing. First, he could have brought a proper offering with the proper attitude. And second, he could have changed his heart and mastered the sin that was crouching at the door. God wanted Cain to pursue him, rather than let this sin take hold.

Holding the wrong things in our hearts , whether it’s anger or bitterness or envy, leads us down a dangerous path.

In June of 2012, Carl Ericsson, a 73-year-old South Dakota man, was sentenced to life in prison after admitting to the murder of a former high school classmate. Friends and family members were shocked that the once-successful insurance salesman seemed to snap. Ericsson had been married to his wife for over 44 years.

But after the murder, Ericsson's secret finally came out. For over 50 years he had simmered with a belated grudge: He was still mad about a classmate who had once pulled a jock strap over his head during a high school locker room prank. Norman Johnson, the classmate and murder victim, was a star athlete on the track team. Ericsson was a student sports manager. According to Ericsson's confession, on one occasion Johnson put a jock strap on Ericsson's head, humiliating him and planting the seed of resentment that would continue to grow for over half a century. Apparently, throughout their lives, Norman Johnson continued to outshine Ericsson. Prior to his murder, Johnson had competed in college football, earned a degree, and then taught and coached at his alma mater for more than three decades.

After holding the grudge for over 50 years, Carl Ericsson rang Johnson's doorbell and shot him dead. Ericsson told a judge, "I guess it was from something that happened over 50 years ago. It was apparently in my subconscious." During his sentencing, Ericsson turned to Johnson's widow and apologized, saying, "I just wish I could turn the calendar back."

I’m not suggesting any of us are going to take that path. But the point is clear. Holding these things in our hearts can destroy us. The Lord will give us opportunities to make our hearts right, to pursue him instead of the sin that’s crouching at the door. When the Lord pokes you about something, pay attention. Maybe he’s trying to get your attention right now. Pursue him.

Maybe you need to do a little attitude check and see what’s hiding in here, what’s crouching at the door. Maybe you need to get some things squared away with the Lord. Maybe you need to make a phone call this afternoon and clear the air with a friend or family member. Don’t let those issues fester until they destroy you or someone else.

Good Grief

I've been thinking about grief lately. Not such a happy topic, I know. It would probably be nicer to think about happy things. I do that more than I think about grief, but grief is so much a part of life here. As we move through the years we experience different kinds of losses and those things become part of us forever. Family members and friends die, we lose a job, we move away from friends and communities we love, we lose a pet, sometimes relationships end painfully. Our lives are impacted and shaped by all of these experiences. Time can take the edges off the pain but if we sit still and think about one of those losses we still feel it. A little sadness, maybe some tears.

We've moved a few times. Along with the excitement of a new adventure, there is grief over what we left behind. We lost Karen's dad very suddenly and unexpectedly some years back. My sister's husband lost his battle with cancer about six years ago. Then a year later we lost Mom, also due to cancer. I lost a job a couple years ago. At that same time we had to have our Sheltie put to sleep. And we lost Dad just a few weeks ago. It doesn't make any sense to deny those things or the pain they brought.

Rather than denying them it seems to make more sense to embrace them. These are the things, along with countless blessings, God has sent my way to shape me and make me the man he wants me to be. He was there in the middle of these painful experiences just as much as he was through all the happy ones.

Thanks, God, for every experience, adventure, loss and blessing you send my way. You are Lord. I will grieve, but not "like the rest of men, who have no hope."

Some Thoughts I Shared at Dad's Funeral

Thank you for being here today. We’re encouraged that you came to help us celebrate Dad’s life and his coronation.

Dad loved people, including his family, he loved to have fun and he loved Jesus.

Dad loved to talk with people. When we camped as a family he would inevitably take a walk around the campground, visit other campsites, and engage people in conversation. It didn’t matter who they were or where they were from. He wanted to hear their stories and tell his. I expect that’s part of the reason he drove street cars and buses for 15 years. He had a steady stream of people to engage, all day long. And working at Bethel for 17 years he was surrounded by students who often heard him whistling his way down the hall on the way to take care of some electrical issue.

Now that Dad is his old self again I expect that, if he takes a break from praising Jesus, he’ll know half the people in heaven before the week is up.

Dad loved to travel. He satisfied that wanderlust by taking us camping. The vacation trips took us all over. Back east to visit New York City (pulling a popup camper right down through the heart of the city) to see the Statue of Liberty (and setting off some sort of alarm because we almost pulled that little camper with its forbidden propane tank through a tunnel), and Boston to walk the Freedom Trail, and Concord, and west to the Badlands and the Black Hills (one of his favorite places) and Mount Rushmore, and Yellowstone and Glacier and Banff, and farther west to Oregon and the Sequoias and San Fransisco and down to Los Angeles and San Diego and to Arizona and the Grand Canyon, and north for a trip around Lake Superior. In a tent and then a bigger tent and then a small camper and then a little bigger one. I’m so grateful for those adventures and those very special times together as family. 

And there is the property on Green Lake. Those days at the lake were special to him and to all of us. Now five generations have spent some of their happiest days there. Building the house there helped satisfy his need to always be doing something with his hands -- tinkering, inventing, building, helping someone. When I was little I used to sit in church and play with hands. They seemed really big and strong to me.

Dad wasn’t shy, and he wasn’t shy about his faith. He loved Jesus. He was actively involved at church and made it an important part of our lives, too. He set an example of service by being so being involved in so many ways. (And I really have forgiven him and mom and my siblings for forgetting me at church one Sunday and not realizing it until they pulled into the driveway at home.)

Dad bounced back so many times from challenges to his health but a little while back he seemed to turn a corner. Several times in recent months Dad told us he was ready. And we got the sense he was simply waiting. The Apostle Paul, toward the end of his life said, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Dad knew that. He had 93 good years. To live was Christ, but to die was gain.

Following the example of a friend from New England, I shared this passage from Job with Dad the afternoon before he passed away: "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes - I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19.25-27)" Dad did yearn for heaven over the past several months. He’s finally home.

When Life Whittles You Down

Quoting Ben Patterson, from his book The Grand Essentials:

I have a theory about old age...I believe that when life has whittled us down, when joints have failed and skin has wrinkled and capillaries have clogged and hardened, what is left of us will be what we were all along, in our essence. Exhibit A is a distant uncle...All his life he did nothing but find new ways to get rich...He spent his senescence very comfortably, drooling and babbling constantly about the money he had made...When life whittled him down to his essence, all there was left was raw greed. That is what he had cultivated in a thousand little ways over a lifetime. Exhibit B is my wife's grandmother...When she died in her mid-eighties, she had already been senile for several years. What did this lady talk about? The best example I can think of was when we asked her to pray before dinner. She would reach out and hold the hands of those sitting beside her, a broad, beatific smile would spread across her face, her dim eyes would fill with tears as she looked up to heaven, and her chin would quaver as she poured out her love to Jesus. That was Edna in a nutshell. She loved Jesus and she loved people. She couldn't remember our names but she couldn't keep her hands from patting us lovingly whenever we got near her. When life whittled her down to her essence, all there was left was love; love for God and love for people.

Karen and I visited my dad today. He's 93. We woke him up so we could chat for a few minutes. I helped him sit up and swing his legs around so he could sit on the edge of the bed. Life has whittled him down. When I was little I used to sit in church and play with his hands. They were big and strong. There is still strength in his hands but he's frail now.

My dad has led a rich, full life. Ninety-three years -- the stories he can tell of growing up on a South Dakota farm during the depression to serving in World War II to raising a family in Minneapolis. The adventures, the careers, the vacations, the friends, the churches. Ninety-three years. Few regrets.

Dad is not senile by any means, but he is so much more like Edna than like Ben Patterson's distant uncle. There is not a hint of bitterness in Dad these days. Sure, he misses Mom. We all do. But he has a deep, abiding faith, even now. When I look at Dad's essence, I like what I see. Dad has told me several times in recent months that he's ready. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippian Christians, tries to decide whether it would be better to remain here or to depart and be with Jesus. He says, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Dad is ready...and waiting. When he walks into the presence of Jesus I expect he'll hear "Well done." Then he'll fall on his face and worship. Then he'll go look for Mom.

The Destination

I started a journey about 26 months ago. I called it my "Intergalactic Journey" because the careers I've had (only two at that point) have been so much more than jobs. They have been experiences that encompassed our lives. So I've been on this journey and now the destination has come into focus. When I was ten years old I started attending a summer camp for boys near Hinckley, Minnesota. I remember bumping up to camp riding with friends in the covered back end of a pick-up truck. (Thanks Wes for bringing me there and setting the course of my life.) We travelled along Highway 65 because Interstate 35 didn't exist. Our excitement escalated as we got closer to camp and we made up some sort of silly song just to vent all that built-up excitement. Isn't it amazing how God directs the course of our lives? In his providence my journey brings me right back to Camp Nathanael. Conversations with the folks at Camp Nathanael started just days after this journey started two years ago. In the meantime, I have submitted my resume to dozens of organizations, had numerous phone interviews, and travelled for interviews in Iowa, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Minnesota (three times). Early on, a Camp Nathanael board member shared that she had a strong sense that we would be working together at Nathanael in the future. Apparently Diana's intuition is Spirit-led. I attended camp at Nathanael starting at age ten. I was on the summer staff there all through high school and college. I have said many times that the ministry at Camp Nathanael shaped my life. If I have any leadership ability at all, the roots of it were planted at Nathanael. It was a young camp when I started attending, and now as the first full-time Executive Director I'll get to help the camp celebrate it's 50th anniversary next year. I'm grateful for the confidence and trust the Nathanael board has placed in me and I'm very excited about the adventure in front of us. I need a silly song...

Waiting for Jesus to Show Up

This was my sermon for last Sunday. I arrived early and sat in a lawn chair up in front, with a newspaper and a pew Bible that I picked up on the way in. During the service, I moved my chair from the floor to the platform (to get a better view).

WELCOME: I’ve already been waiting here for quite a while. My name is Zach, by the way. I’ve got some time, so I can wait a little longer. I see you’re all waiting, too. We’ll just have to see how it goes. I got this list of things you’re going to do in the next little while. Some singing, I think. Not sure why you do that, but I suppose it will sound nice. Sounds awful pretty when she plays that piano. And an offering. That’s good. It will help keep the lights on and pay the Pastor, who apparently isn’t here. And it says “Sermon” down here. I don’t know how that’s going to happen when the preacher doesn’t show up. But I expect all of this will happen just fine. Most of you have probably been here and done this before. If you don’t mind I’m just going to wait and you’re welcome to hang around and wait, too, or do whatever it is you do when you’re here. I found some things to read to pass the time. I heard Jesus was going to be here, and I’m going to wait to see if he shows up.

INTRODUCTION: Okay, I’ve been here about an hour and I still haven’t seen him. I’m beginning to think I got bad information. I know this is a church but maybe I went to the wrong one, but I was sure I would see Jesus here.
I came here because something needs to be different in my life. I’ve been looking for something for a long time but I’m not even sure what it is. The days just click by. I get up, go to work, come home and eat dinner, watch TV and go to bed. I sometimes wonder what the purpose of my life is, where I’m headed (right now, and after I die). I know there should be a spiritual dimension to my life so I’ve read some of the Bible. I think a deeper connection to God might be what I’m missing. That’s why I’ve been waiting here.

I read a story while I was waiting this morning. It’s about this man named Zacchaeus. Here, I’ll read it to you. [READ: Luke 19.1-10 (NIV).] When I read this I thought, “That’s me!” I think Zacchaeus knew he needed something in his life, too. He collected taxes. In fact, it sounds like he had a staff of collectors who worked under him. But folks didn’t like him much. The tax collectors abused the people. They over-collected and kept too much for themselves. I don’t know why Zacchaeus wanted so badly to see Jesus. But apparently he had heard about Jesus and wanted to at least see him walk by.

There are a few things that struck me when I read this story about Zacchaeus.

WAITING: Zacchaeus waited where Jesus would be.

First, there’s this whole business of waiting. Zacchaeus ran ahead, and climbed up into a tree to wait. That doesn’t sound like a very dignified thing for a man in his position to do, but I guess when you want something bad enough you do what you have to do. So he was in the tree, and he waited.

Nothing wrong with waiting, I suppose. I think it’s good to be still now and then. It can kind of make us uncomfortable sometimes…to be still. Maybe being still makes us feel guilty because we don’t feel like we’re being productive. Maybe we don’t like the places our minds take us when we’re not being entertained by something.

But I’ve read Bible verses that tell us to be still. When the Israelites had left Egypt they were up against the Red Sea with the Egyptians pursuing them. There was nowhere to run. But Moses told them, “The Lord will fight for you, you only need to be still.” In the Psalms it says, “Be still and know that I am God,” and “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” It’s hard to be still and wait, but sometimes it’s the right thing to do. If we’re willing to wait for God, that shows that we trust him.

True story -- Twenty years ago this summer I waited for someone famous. I happened to be driving through Minneapolis and heard that Mikhail Gorbachev’s plane would be landing at the Minneapolis airport and his motorcade would be taking him to the governor’s mansion. Somehow I figured out where they would be driving out of the airport and I joined a small group of people on the corner, waiting for him to drive by. After a few minutes the motorcade came by and as they turned toward the onramp to the interstate they stopped. His car window came down and he put his arm out to wave at all of us. I didn’t care that much about politics, and I cared less about his politics, but he was famous and I was curious so I went and waited. So I’ve seen the former president of the Soviet Union, from his fingertips to his elbow.

I don’t know if Zacchaeus just wanted to see someone famous, or if there was something else going on in his mind. But I think it’s interesting that he didn’t wait just anywhere. He waited where he knew Jesus would be. It wouldn’t have made sense to go and wait in a different town or on a different street. So if I want to see Jesus, I should probably go where he would be.

I know the Bible says God is everywhere, but I wonder where Jesus would be if he came here to Pittsfield. Something makes me think he’d be at Third Thursday on North Street. That might not be a bad place to look for him. It seems like he’d be wanting to meet some of those folks who visit there, and who live there and work there. I wonder if Jesus would be at the Christian Center there on the corner of Linden Street and Robbins Avenue. He’d probably want to help get some food to the folks who stop in there looking for help. And I think maybe he’d stop by the Redfield House to encourage those moms and kids. And maybe he’d be at my neighbor’s house.

It might not be a bad idea to go to some of those places to look for him and we probably could do something helpful while we were there. Waiting for Jesus to show up is one thing. But going to where he would be seems to make a lot of sense.

I think we can be waiting while in our service to others, waiting in prayer, waiting in worship, waiting in relationships, waiting in the Bible, maybe even waiting in a lawn chair. In each place we are saying, “Jesus, this is where I think you would be. I am here. Come, Lord Jesus.”

SEEKING: Zacchaeus was looking for Jesus, but Jesus was looking for him (a divine appointment)

In this story about Zacchaeus there is a curious twist to the idea of seeking Jesus. Jesus came down the street, I suppose with at least some of the disciples around him and probably a crowd following along. He stopped by Zacchaeus’ tree. And instead of Zacchaeus calling out, Hey, Jesus,” Jesus says, “Hey, Zacchaeus!” The big surprise was that Jesus came to see him! Zacchaeus wasn’t in that tree because he wanted to see Jesus. He was there because Jesus wanted to see him.

This changes things, doesn’t it? There is something going on here besides a short guy climbing a tree to see a celebrity. Jesus said, “I must go to your house today.” I must go? Zacchaeus thought he had come up with this idea to catch a glimpse of Jesus, but this is really a divine appointment planned by Jesus. There is a verse in John that says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him (John 6.44).”

That’s God’s grace. Even though he didn’t know it Zacchaeus went out there and climbed that tree in response to a tug at his heart. This whole situation was God’s plan, God’s grace moving in the life of Zacchaeus. I wonder how many other people in Jericho that day had noticed a tug at their hearts but ignored it. “I hear Jesus is going to be coming through the city today. Maybe I should go out and see. No, I’ve got other things to do.”

I’m beginning to see that maybe this isn’t as much about me looking for Jesus, as that Jesus is looking for me. Luke 19:10: The Son of Man came to SEEK and to save what was lost. Jesus seeks us even more than we seek him. Better not to ignore it when grace tugs at our hearts.

BEING TRANSFORMED: Zacchaeus was transformed by his encounter with Jesus

Seeing Mr. Gorbachev’s forearm twenty years ago was interesting, but it didn’t change my life. On the other hand, meeting Jesus transformed Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus, as a tax collector and as a leader of tax collectors no less, was not well-liked. We can tell by the crowd’s disgust when they realize Jesus wants to go to the house of this dirty sinner. The truth, of course, is that Jesus would not be dirtied by the sinner, rather the sinner would be purified by Jesus.

When Jesus called to him, Zacchaeus had a choice to make. He was being offered an amazing gift. Not only did he get to see Jesus, now Jesus was inviting himself over. There are any number of reasons Zacchaeus could have declined. Perhaps this was getting in a little deeper than he was hoping for. Maybe he wanted a glimpse of Jesus, not a relationship with him. He knew that if Jesus came into his house (and into his life) he would have to let go of something else in order to have empty hands to receive the gift Jesus was about to give him.

Here was that tug of grace again. Responding to the tug is what got him into the tree in the first place. Now here’s a bolder tug. A yank of grace, if you will. He responded well. Zacchaeus gladly accepted what Jesus was offering. He let go of something that had no eternal value in order to gain everything. You know what Jonah said at the end of his prayer while he was in the belly of that big fish? He said, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” What am I clinging to that will cause me to forfeit the grace that could be mine?

Jesus came into Zacchaeus’ home, and Zacchaeus was transformed. That’s the way it works, I think. Jesus comes in, and he changes us. Zacchaeus had been a taker. Now he was a giver. He had been an observer of Jesus. Now he was a worshipper.

While I’ve been waiting here this morning, it’s beginning to become clear to me that I really only wanted a glimpse of Jesus. I was an observer of worship, not a worshipper. Maybe I’m not the only person in the room who has been an observer of worship and not a worshipper. I think someone could even sing the songs, sit and stand and the right times, and still be an observer and not a worshipper. Judging by what happened to Zacchaeus, when Jesus comes in he transforms.

Zacchaeus was a rich man. Look at this. On this other page Jesus is talking with another rich guy who wanted to follow him. I’ll read it for you. [READ Luke 18.18-27] Jesus asked that man to sell everything, but he didn’t. He went just went away feeling sad. Jesus said it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. That means it’s basically impossible.

So if Zacchaeus was a rich man how can Jesus say salvation came to Zacchaeus’ house? Zacchaeus goes looking for Jesus, and Jesus says it’s impossible for a rich man to be part of God’s kingdom? Right here (Luke 18.27) Jesus says, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” So in Zacchaeus’ case, the camel has gotten through the eye of the needle, because God can do things like that.

Maybe at times I’ve felt like I’m a hard case, like I’ll never feel close to God. Like I’ll always been an observer, just trying to catch a glimpse. But God can do this. When Jesus comes in, he transforms.

CONCLUSION:
I said at the beginning that something needed to change in my life. I came here to wait for Jesus. From reading and thinking through this story about Zacchaeus I’ve learned that waiting is okay, but it makes sense to wait where Jesus would be. I found out that Jesus is actually seeking me far more earnestly than I could ever seek him. I’ve seen that when someone responds to the tug of God’s grace, they will be transformed.

There are some verses in Romans 8 that seem to be talking directly to me about all of this. They are printed in the bulletin. I’ll read them for you.

[READ: Romans 8.26-39]

Romans 8.26-39 (The Message)
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

29-30God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.

31-39So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

If you are seeking a connection with God, Jesus wants to provide that for you. Even when we don’t know the words to use, even when we’re not sure where to find him, he is looking for us, the Spirit is taking our wordless groans and turning them into eloquent prayers to the Father. God wants that relationship with us even more than we want it. He wants it so bad he gave Jesus up to pay a huge price, in our place. He is offering me an unimaginable gift of grace, and he is offering it to you. I’m going to take it. You should, too.

That You Might Know the Lord is God

That You Might Know That the Lord is God
Deuteronomy 4.32-40

We all have difficult days. We get hurt. Things go wrong. A difficult day may turn into a difficult week, or several weeks. We will face crises in our lives. A crisis will throw us off balance, sap our strength, even test our faith. The disciples had set out on the lake in their fishing boat. Jesus was tired so he laid down in the back to rest. When a furious storm came, which I’m told can happen suddenly on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples panicked. They forgot that God was in their boat. Oswald Chambers wrote, "What a pang must have shot through the disciples -- 'Missed it again!' And what a pang will go through us when we suddenly realize that we might have produced downright joy in the heart of Jesus by remaining absolutely confident in Him, no matter what was ahead." Our reaction when the crisis hits will probably reveal whether we believe God is who he says he is.

The fifth book of the Old Testament is one that most of us don’t read very often. But the first Christians loved the book of Deuteronomy. It’s one of the four Old Testament books most quoted in the New Testament (along with Isaiah, Psalms, and Genesis). When Jesus was tempted those three times in the desert, he quoted three passages from Deuteronomy to fend off Satan. When the early church fathers were bringing together the texts that make up our Bible (the Canon), Deuteronomy was likely the first book to be included.

The book is full of sermons, mainly by Moses, to the people of Israel who needed to remember all God had done for them, and to tell them about God’s guidelines for their lives. Imagine the scene. Moses is now about 120 years old. A man of God, respected by the people, who has spoken with God face to face. Moses is telling their story as a nation. The people standing in front of him were a new generation. Their parents, who had witnessed all these things, had died. It is now a few months before the end of Moses’ life. Think of all he had experienced in his lifetime; all the things he had seen God do, from the miracles performed to convince Pharoah to let the people go, to the Passover night when this huge nation of people, long enslaved, simply walked out of Egypt, to the crossing of the Red Sea, to God’s provision of water out of rocks and manna to eat. Moses lived through these experiences and it was important for the nation to hear the stories.

God had preserved and cared for the people of Israel through all the years they were in Egypt. They had grown as a people, but they were slaves, suffering under their taskmasters. In a miraculous way God made it possible for this now huge nation of people to walk away. Here are some of the things Moses reminds them about In the early chapters of Deuteronomy:

• Moses told them about God’s promise to give them a wonderful place to live. Shortly after the Israelites left Egypt, they were right at the border of this new land God wanted to give them. It was theirs for the taking. (1.20) “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. See, the Lord our God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”


• Moses told them about sending the twelve spies in to check the land. (1.23) “I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eschol and explored it. Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, ‘It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.”


• Moses told them about their refusal to go claim this land. Along with the blessings, Moses also reminds them of God’s discipline. When the twelve spies returned with their mixed report about the land, the people were afraid and refused to enter the land. (1.27) “You grumbled in your tents and said, ‘The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.” So God gave them their way. They refused to enter the land, so God said fine, you will not. And that entire generation of people died before Israel was ready to take the land God wanted to give to them.


• Moses told them about their 40 years of wandering in the desert. Most of the people listening to Moses were born during that wilderness journey. Even though they had to wander in the desert for 40 years because of their refusal to go take the land God promised them, God was still faithful and took care of them. (2.7) “The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.”


• Moses told them about victories in many battles. Many times, during their desert wanderings, the Israelites engaged enemies in battle. Time after time the Lord gave them victory. (2.24-25) “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.” Moses reminded them of several other victories, as well. God continually cared for and protected his people.
  In this sermon by Moses, recorded in these first few chapters of Deuteronomy, he cites one example after another of how God had continually protected, provided for, disciplined, and loved his chosen people. And then we come to the passage that we’re going to focus on, Deut. 4.32-40.

32 Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. 37 Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.
39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40 Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.
You might say that all that Moses had said to this point in his sermon, the first three and a half chapters of Deuteronomy, was his introduction. At verse 32, we come to the meat of his sermon. He makes three points.

1. There is no God like the Lord. (32-34)
Moses says, “Now think. Think way back, even before your time all the way to the creation of man. And think all the way east and all the way west. In any time, and in any place, has anything so great as this, as great as the things God has done for you ever happened? Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? 34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?”

The implied answer to these questions is clearly “No!” These things have never happened for any other people at any time in any place. No other nation has a god who has performed these great deeds. No other nation has heard the voice of their god. At no other time has a god led one nation out of another nation, as Israel had departed from Egypt. No other god has performed the miraculous signs and wonders, or given victory in battle after battle, or performed such awesome deeds. The one who Israel called Jehovah is truly God. There is no God like the Lord.

We need to understand the significance of God allowing the people to hear his voice. The Israelites knew enough to be in awe of God’s power and presence. God’s divine holiness was thought to be too great for safe contact with human beings. They were afraid to see God and they were afraid to hear God’s voice. Just after Moses received the Ten Commandments from God the people saw the thunder and lightening, and saw Mount Sinai in smoke. It says in Exodus 20.18, “They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die. Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’” That God would allow the people to hear his voice is evidence of his grace. He wanted to bridge the gap between his great holiness and our sin. That he speaks to us is an amazing thing.

In his message, Moses was leading the people through an inventory of the many great things God had done for them. We would do well to do the same thing. Take some time in the coming days, maybe even with a pen and a piece of paper, and begin to list the things God has done for you personally. Think all the way back. Has he put godly people in your path who have nurtured your faith? List their names. Has he provided for your basic needs like food, clothing and shelter? List some of those blessings and how they came about. Be specific. Has he disciplined you in ways that have drawn you back to him? Has he protected you from harm? Can you think of some examples? Has he given you encouragement along the way perhaps through some special friend? Has he healed you? Or has he chosen not to heal but given you grace to sustain you? Has he spoken to you at some point in a clear, unmistakable way? Write that down.

If you made a list like that wouldn’t you come to the same conclusion that Moses did? There is no God like the Lord.

2. He reveals who he is by what he does. (35-38)
Why did God do all these things for his chosen people? Why did he bother to bring them out of Egypt, and provide for their daily needs, and give them success in battle, and discipline them, and allow them to hear his voice? And why has Moses taken the time to review all these things for them? One reason (v. 35): “You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God.” God is a god who has chosen to reveal himself. He has chosen to make himself known to us. He doesn’t have to do that. He could remain aloof, unreachable, unknowable. But instead, he reveals himself. He reveals who he is by what he does.

In your life, as well, God reveals who he is by what he does. As you review your list of all he has done for you, you will understand more about who he is. He does those things so we can know who he is.

In verse 35 Moses says, “Beside him there is no other.” This is a significant statement because it is a proclamation of monotheism. Mono, meaning “one.” Theism, referring to God. One God. The Israelites were unique in their time because of their monotheism; their belief that the Lord is God, and he is the only living God. “Beside him there is no other.” Most of us here would refer to ourselves as monotheists. We believe there is only one God. At least we say we do. But we become polytheists every time we put something else before God. If anything at all in our lives is equal to or more important than our relationship with the Lord, we’re no longer serving or acknowledging him as the one, the only, true God.

Let’s take a look at verses 37 and 38, “Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.” Here are several things the Lord did for Israel: He loved their ancestors, he loved their ancestor’s descendents (meaning he loved them!), he brought them out of Egypt, he drove out their enemies, and he was about to bring them into a wonderful, new land that was their inheritance from him.

Hasn’t God done the same things for us? He loved your spiritual ancestors, those who prepared the way for you to come to Christ. He loves your spiritual ancestor’s descendents – meaning he loves you! Just as God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, God has brought you out of the dark place of a life without Christ. In the same way God helped the Israelites win battle after battle, he helps you to fight off Satan’s influence on your walk Christ. And he has given you the promise of a wonderful new home, your inheritance of eternal life. That is the description of a loving, caring God. He reveals who he is by what he does.

3. We need to acknowledge that the Lord is God. (v. 39-40)
Moses concluded his sermon with a challenge. “39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.”

Moses invited the people to acknowledge that the Lord is God. This is an intellectual step, to recognize the truth that the Lord is God; that he is who he says he is. Moses provided plenty of convincing evidence, many reminders what God had done for them, so the people could recognize God’s hand and come to the point of acknowledging the Lord is God. We also need to acknowledge that the Lord is God. This is square one. Examine the evidence. Review your list. Recall what the Lord has done for you. Acknowledge the truth that he is God.

But there is another step. As Moses said, “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God.” This is a step of commitment. We might make intellectual assent to the fact that God is who he says he is. But will you also take it to heart? When the truth gets from our head to our heart we’re talking about commitment, about a changed life, about salvation. In Romans Paul wrote, “9….if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Confess with your mouth – acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart – move from acknowledgement to commitment.

Moses also challenged the people to “keep his decrees and commands.” Obedience follows commitment; obedience not out of obligation but out of joyful gratitude for all he has done for us. Obedience isn’t the prerequisite for a relationship with Christ, it’s the result. God adds blessing to obedience. When you do live a life of obedience, according to Moses, it will go well with you and your children. That’s a promise.

Conclusion
Make it your practice to recall what God has done for you. Then, when the crisis comes you’ll remember that he is God and that he has revealed who he is by what he has done.
If you have your Bible open, look back up to verses 29 - 31. In the verses just prior to this, Moses issued a warning about worshipping false idols once the Israelites are in the promised land. And then he said

“29 But if from there (the promised land) you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.”

This is what the disciples missed in the boat during their storm. God promises that if we look for him with all our heart and soul, we will find him. And then, when the crisis comes, we’ll return to him. Verse 31 assures us: He is merciful. He will not abandon us. He will not forget his promises to us. The next time you face a crisis, or a difficult day, or just a bump, remind yourself that he is merciful, he will not abandon you, and he will keep his promises. Have hope, be confident, because the Lord is God.