Narrabri Anglican Church Podcast

John's Gospel is a little different to the other three Gospels. Remember that ‘gospel' means ‘good news announcement'. And remember that the four Gospels are ‘good news biographies' (g.n.b.) of Jesus. As John's g.n.b. begins, we take a walk, if you like, down a long hallway. It is kind of like entering a hobbithole (for those who love ‘Lord of the Rings') – a long hallway, with rooms and artifacts off each side, leading to the main dwelling. In this sense, John's ‘prologue' (1:1-18) is a long hallway into the main account. And here, in this hallway, all the main themes and ideas are laid out as we begin to consider the key question of John's g.n.b.: ‘Who is Jesus?' You see, once we have answered that question, then the succeeding question is clear: ‘What does this mean – what should we do with him?'

‘Culture' is ‘the way we do stuff around here'. It describes our life as a community of God's mob. Last week, we spent time looking at that internally – intentional inter-generational relationships around the proclamation and practice of God's good news in Jesus. This week, we are going to look at our ‘culture' as we relate outwards, externally, to the world around us. At heart, this is a discussion of our culture of ‘evangelism' – proclaiming and practicing the good news of Jesus so that others come to meet him. Daniel 6 gives us a snapshot in the life of one man, Daniel, doing this. It is not an explicit text on evangelism. It is not a ‘how-to'… it is ‘just' a snapshot in the life of a man living as one of God's people in this world. And, yet, Daniel proclaims and practices God's good news – and this is displayed in his consistent and costly prioritising of God, his rule and reign, in all things. The result is a remarkable proclamation of God and his good news in a hostile world!

‘Culture' is as simple as ‘the way we do stuff around here'. It covers not just what a mob of people do, but also why they do those things. It covers both what a mob proclaims (about who they are) and what they practice (how they live it out). Every mob of people has one. It is worth thinking about our culture as we start the year. And that is the purpose of this short two-week series. This week, we are looking at our ‘Titus-culture' – the culture we have inwardly, as God's mob, who do life together. At the heart of this culture, which we see Titus establishing in Crete, is ‘sound teaching' – the good news of God's salvation in Jesus, which creates a people for God that are completely transformed. This ‘sound teaching' is preserved, nurtured, passed on across generations, as men and women meet together, talk together, and encourage each other. It is the proclamation that creates the practice that is ‘the way we do stuff around here'.

The last request that Jesus outlines in the Lord's Prayer completes our picture of who we are as God's children—we need his provision, we need his pardon… and we need his protection. The request for God to ‘lead us not into temptation' sits parallel with the request for ‘the evil one' to be kept at bay. Both are a plea for spiritual protection, for God to walk us away from the allure of sin and the work of the devil. And in both areas, we must be alert to the very great danger we face, a danger that we can often be unaware or unwilling to confront. And in both areas, because Jesus met the devil and commanded him to ‘go away' - and then beat him at the cross—we have complete confidence that our Father hears our prayer, and can and will act on it. And in both areas we are given all that we need to resist temptation and flee the devil—just look at the suit of armour that Jesus has tried and now given us (cf. Is.59:15ff; Eph.6:10ff).

‘Forgiveness' always makes for a headline in our world. Just recently, online, there was a headline proclaiming the remarkable nature of ‘forgiveness' that was offered by a sibling of one of those killed at Bondi. Our world marvels at such a notion… but ‘forgiveness' is central to nature of God's kingdom. And so it is central to the relationship between God and his children. That all being said, how do we define ‘forgiveness'? What does ‘forgive' mean? How does our forgiveness by God affect our relationships with each other? All of these questions are connected to the next request that Jesus outlines in the Lord's Prayer: ‘And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors'. As we read this request, please be aware of two truths. First, this is a request spoken our Father—the relationship with our Father exists, and is displayed in how we live that out. This request is not one of ‘condition' but of ‘consequence'. Second, please note that this request captures the essential vertical-horizontal nature of being children of God—it starts with God (vertical) and plays out with others (horizontal).

The last Federal election was described as the ‘cost-of-living election'… but, to be truthful, every Federal election has this aspect—and we worry constantly about how to afford this, whether we can have that, where will this come from. And the first request of the Lord's Prayer that ties directly to us confronts this head-on: we are dependent upon God for our daily needs, and our eternal future… and he never fails to provide what his people need to pursue his kingdom. In this sense, the order of the Lord's Prayer flows naturally—it begins with an address that moves to the vision of God that we desire the world to see, and out of this we call for his rule and reign in our lives (and in this world) to begin… and, as we pursue our obedience to his rule and reign, we recognize that he gives all that we need to pursue that kingdom. It could be summarized in another, balder way: if the cost of living is so high (namely, Jesus), then our Father will certainly not neglect what we need to live...

What is your greatest desire for the year ahead (even for the day ahead)? This next verse in the Lord's Prayer covers two requests that strike at the heart of our most fervent and deeply held desires—and state publicly that our desire as God's people aligns with His desire for the world to be ruled rightly by His King! Coming straight after our request that the world know God's name, this is a statement that we desire God to work obedience to His will, in our lives, as we live as the outpost of His kingdom in this world. Within this, there is an inherent tension that NOW, we are citizens of God's kingdom and His King rules in our lives as God's mob; but, NOT YET do we see the full consummation of this in all the universe. The temptation, then, is to either take matters into our own hands and create His kingdom here… or, to throw our hands up and give up, and pursue our own desires. Neither is a right or good expression of what these requests desire. Rather, as God answers our request here, He works the proclamation and practice of His kingdom in our lives, individually and corporately!

‘The vitality of prayer lies largely in the vision of God that prompts it. Drab thoughts of God make prayer dull' (J.I. Packer, quoted in: K. DeYoung, The Lord's Prayer., p.33-34) That quote is a striking and confronting observation by Packer—and it captures the immense vision of God that opens the Lord's Prayer. The opening address of the Lord's Prayer approaches God personally and immanently (‘our'), approaches God communally and relationally (‘Father'), approaches God in a Trinitarian recognition (He is our Father because of the work of His Son, and this is grown in us by the Spirit), approaches God recognizing His awesome transcendence (‘in heaven'). And this opening address leads to the natural first request: that the whole world know this God as the only God, the most significant person in all of creation in all of time (‘your name be honoured as holy'). That is NOT a drab vision or thought of God, is it!

Prayer is a thorny topic for many of God's mob—not because we disagree with it, not because we think it fails… but because, for something so essential and non-negotiable for God's mob, it is something we fail to do so often! And, more often than not, when we read a book on prayer, we often finish so laden with guilt that we are even more disenchanted! The aim of this series is to look at what Jesus said on prayer; specifically, when he was asked about ‘teaching' his disciples to pray (Luke 11), and when he taught on what it meant to be a citizen in God's kingdom (Matthew 6). In both instances, it is striking what Jesus does say, and what he doesn't (perhaps the latter is more striking!). As we spend time together, we want to be encouraged to pray more, to be more consistent in our praying, because we know that God is our Father. Moreover, we want to grasp a little more the character of the God we pray to—who he is, and what he is like. In this we want to encourage and not discourage...

Message from Bernard Gabbott on Thursday, 25 December 2025

We have come, if you like, the full circle in Exodus. We began with God's mob under attack from the forces of ‘anti-life': Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt. And we saw the goodness of God, who is for life, in the way in which He provided for His people who are exactly where He planned for them to be (in slavery). And now, as they leave Egypt, as the Exodus is underway, the forces of anti-life (defeated and destroyed) thrash and lash out. God, who has done as He said, reassures His mob that they are exactly where He planned for them to be (in the wilderness) so that they might see His salvation, and know His glory (significance). God's mob need this demonstration, this reminder, because they are a frail and faulty lot, who respond with the cry of complaint as God works their good in the wilderness. And so it all takes place: God's salvation happens, the enemies of God are destroyed… and God's mob behold His significance… and rightly fear Him.

I guess it is probably hard to forget an event like the Exodus, and the moments of the Passover – at least in the short term. But, God knows his mob. He knows that they forget quickly. He knows that they will be rebellious, and wander in the wilderness for forty years. He knows that he needs to command them to remember, especially when it is only Joshua and Caleb who will enter the land of Israel from the slavery of Egypt. And so, as they leave, God commands ‘statutes', laws to enforce remembering – remembering the night of the Passover, remembering the strength of God who saved them, remembering their identity as ‘my firstborn'. The God who commands this remembering is the God who knows them, and so he orders their route as they leave. He is the God who follows through faithfully and relentlessly on his promises – just look at the bones of Joseph. And he is the God who is their constant companion, even as they wander in rebellion. He is our God!

The Passover is one of the seminal moments in God's commitment to reverse the curse of sin in this world. It is the climax of His work to save His people from Egypt – for people to know Him, for His ‘firstborn son' to be saved, for them to dwell with Him and be His people. In this sense, the last of the signs and wonders is both a salvation and a preparation. As the LORD sweeps over Egypt, delivering His judgement of death on those who have refused Him, in each of the households of His people, a perfect lamb has died. This lamb's death is a substitute for God's firstborn son, taking the judgement of death. This lamb's blood protects God's people, preparing them to be acceptable to live with God. As God's mob obediently do as He commanded, they are trusting in His provision – they are trusting in His kind mercy. And so, they are both saved out of Egypt, and they are made acceptable to dwell with the God who has visited this world. Can you think of any other event that is similar to this?

Last week we considered why God saves His people. But God's salvation and judgement often go hand in hand. Indeed God' s judgement of His enemies is often the means by which He saves His people. In Exodus 7:8-10:29, we are given three reasons why God judges the Egyptians; To reveal Himself to the world, to display His power and authority and humble both His enemies and His people. The implication for God's enemies is that they should repent and turn to Him for salvation while His people should learn to serve Him in humility because they recognise that except by His miraculous power, no one can be saved from his judgement.

Why does God save His people? There are several reasons that the Bible gives for God saving His people; to rescue us from sin, because of his mercy and goodness towards us, because He loves us, to spare us from his judgement, to restore our broken world. All these are right reasons for God saving His people, but they are deficient. They are deficient because they reduce God's saving purpose to our comfort. In Exodus 5:1-7:7, God lifts our eyes beyond ourselves and shows us that the primary reason He saves His people is to reveal himself so that He might be worshipped by all.

God's people are exactly where God planned. God himself knows, and has committed to dealing with, their God-issue. God has commissioned Moses for the job at hand, because of God's own character. And then we get these three strange, seemingly disconnected episodes, before all the fireworks begin. What are we to make of them? I think they emphasise the seriousness with which God, and his commitment, and his work, and his nature, are to be taken. God is holy and glorious. To meet God face-to-face is to be struck with fear. To truly understand the revelation of God is to be confronted with our own sinfulness. This means that we must take God himself, God's commitment to his people, and what God deserves seriously. In a culture where being serious and sensible is not a sought-after character trait, in a world where relationships are measured in seconds, news is communicated in tweets, and self dominates everything, these three strange episodes remind God's mob of the seriousness of God.

We come, today, to the moment of Moses' commissioning and motivation for the work of God. It is a moment in Exodus which is awe-inspiring, confronting, humorous – and much discussed. And at the heart of it is the commissioning and moving of Moses to be the instrument of God's commitment to his people. There is much we could say here, but I think this much is crucial: it is God's holiness and glory that is both the foundation, and fount, of Moses' work. In this sense, we have a pattern for ministry throughout God's word: it is the nature and reputation of God himself that is the foundation, the wellspring, the motivation, the equipping, of all forms of ministry by God's mob. Anything else will be counterfeit, will be broken, and will be driven (ultimately) by a concern for our reputation and significance, and not God's.

What kind of ‘saviour', what kind of ‘deliverer', do God's people need? The need for their deliverance is not in doubt – by the end of Exodus 1, God's people are oppressed by the profoundly anti-life forces of those arrayed against God (who is fundamentally pro-life and good). In slavery, with the lives of their children threatened, God's people need a deliverer. And the implication is that they need a deliverer who is mighty and magnificent. We meet Moses – a baby, threatened, remarkably saved, taken into Pharaoh's household. And we are meant to notice his uniqueness, but his confused cultural heritage is problematic. As he reaches mature adulthood, our hopes are raised… but then he moved progressively away from his people, to the margins of society, and rejected by his own. What kind of deliverer is this? But it is the parallel ‘seeing' of God that returns our hopes to the right place. Moses has potential but it is God who is powerful, because of his promises. In this way, Moses is both a tie to what God has already done (a people created by him) and the shadowy template for the Saviour still to come.

Reformation Sunday—the Anabaptists There is so much that we enjoy as a wider society, and as a church, that we take for granted. The whole idea of the nation-state, the process of liberal-democracy, the wonderful privilege of religious freedom, accessibility to information, education, a free-market economy, the Bible in English...and all of these privileges can be traced to the Reformation. This cataclysmic event of the 1500s was really the climax of a long period of fermentation, and it's consequences remain vitally active—and debated—even today. Within the Reformation, there is a wing that has been labelled ‘the radical reformation'. And within that wing, there is a group that was pejoratively described as ‘the Anabaptists' - the ‘rebaptisers'. There is much about this group that I love, and which we can applaud and agree with—their wholehearted view of Jesus and God's word and making decisions in line with that, and their embracing of the notion that the church is on the outside. But there is also much that is problematic … and today we will be looking at the Anabaptists.

‘I will sing the wondrous story' is one of my favourite Christian hymns. In the second verse it has lines that capture the truth of so much of our experience as God's mob: ‘Days of darkness still may meet me, sorrow's path I oft may tread'. For anyone of God's mob, those words ring true – and even more so when the very promises of God – and our good obedience to them – have led us to such a situation. In fact, Jesus could have sung those lines at any moment. God's mob, at the start of Exodus, could sing those lines in a choir of slavery. But, F.H. Rowley knew the truth of God's word – perhaps even Exodus 1 itself. That is why the lines just quoted are paired with these lines: ‘but his presence still is with me, by his guiding hand I'm led'. God is not absent in those moments – the continuity and unity of his promises guarantee us of this. Moreover, his presence is not passive but active – and so, in Exodus 1, we have the great battlelines made clear, and God's people assured. The salvation, and the triumph, is about to unfold!* *Credit to Alec Motyer (‘The Message of Exodus (Bible Speaks Today commentary)) for making this connection for me.

What is the Bible? What makes it so special? What use is it? Why do I, do we, need it? As we have been hearing – in this brief interim between sermon series – from Psalm 119, it struck me that these basic questions are questions with answers we have assumed. But, how we answer these questions is crucial for how we understand and handle God's word. In fact, it would be fair to say that these are first principles questions and answers. You see, if we do not understand these questions, and their answers, then the Bible becomes a book of advice, a set of guidelines, a magic formula, something wise, even something man-made. And when we start down this path, we start down the path where we are returned to the centre of the universe, and God is marginalised. So, how would you answer those questions – and what does that actually mean?

It's coming up to storm season and no doubt we'll have a blackout or 3. During a blackout, what's the first thing you do? You reach for a light. No one just sits there in the dark saying, “Well, I guess we'll just wait it out.” No, you grab your phone, a torch, or you light a candle or if you are really flash, you'll turn on a generator. Spiritually speaking, we live in a dark world. But too many people are stumbling around, trying to make decisions, handle trials or afflictions and find joy without reaching for the only light that works. According to the Psalmist the Word of God is that light. And even more, we know now that Jesus is that Light—the Light of the World, who stepped into our darkness to show us the way home to Heaven. God's Word is not just a book—it is a lamp, a sword, a shield, a treasure, and ultimately, a person: Jesus Christ. It's not enough to just have God's word, you must use it, believe it and trust it. Don't be living in the darkness when the light is right there.

The Psalter was compiled, most likely, when God's people returned from Exile – remember Daniel being left in Babylon? It was probably compiled as the community songbook to remind God's mob of who they are, and who they serve (that is why Psalms 1 and 2 serve so clearly as the introduction). And Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm. It was sung every year to remember Pentecost – the festival 50 days after the Exodus, celebrating God giving his word to his mob at Mt Sinai. And at the heart of Psalm 119 is this word of God – and it is good. Composed as an acrostic, the Psalm covers, as one commentator says, ‘the A-Z of God's word'. And in todays' chunk, God's word is eternal and God's word is the sweetest thing!

We have reached the end of Daniel – and, can I just say, it has been a terrific time with a bloke who is a wonderful discerning disciple. And even the confronting chaos of the last six chapters has proven revelatory! In this last section, Daniel receives his final vision – two years after God's mob have been given permission to return home, and to rebuild the Temple! And Daniel remains in Persia. Here, he receives the revelation of God, the hope of the resurrection that only God will bring, and the required response. All of this is given within the context of Daniel 7-8 – God remains in control, and God's mob will inherit his kingdom. It is helpful to remember this big picture context, because without it, the grimness of Daniel 11 is overwhelming! And, yet, the whole chaotic cycle remains firmly under the control of God, and the hope that God assures is wonderful: the full resurrection of his people, to dwell with him. In this context, Daniel is required to do one thing: ‘to go on your way', reading God's word and praying God's word, as he waits for God to do as he promised. It really is that simple!

The ‘normal' part of Daniel is finished—the six highlights from his life as an exile in Babylon. And now the apocalyptic—the revelatory—section begins. And I want to encourage us not to be scared of handling this section, even if parts of it might be beyond our comprehension. This is God's word, and it pulls back the curtain of history so that we can see the reality: the grim and repetitive violence of human aspirations to be God, the cool and reassuring comfort of seeing God and his chosen king in control, and the exhortation to keep on plodding by praying in line with the promises of God, so that his significance is proclaimed. This, in itself, provides great practical exhortation. As you wake each morning, and the news feeds scare the living daylights out of you, what can you say? ‘The Son of Man is enthroned, and I will approach today on my knees!'

The Bible calls us to be strong in the face of opposition by following the example of Jesus (Heb 12:3). In Daniel chapter 6, Daniel shows remarkable confidence in God in the face of three formidable opponents: the King, Darius, his governors and his lions. What gives Daniel such confidence is his discernment of human opposition against God's people. Daniel knows that his struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual rebellion to God. Knowing this allows him to wear the right spiritual armour in battle so that he can stand when the day of evil comes.

The Jewish exiles must have been pitiable – at least at the outset. They had been defeated, decimated, deported and degraded. Some might have risen up the Babylonian food-chain, but they were still described as ‘Judean exiles… brought from Judah' (5:13). And, yet, time and time again, God used these ‘foolish' people to declare his significance. Time and time again, they pointed to the significance of God in how they conducted themselves. Here, at the reign of the last ruler of Babylon, Belshazzar, the evidence is inscribed in the records of history… and this king has ignored all the evidence, truth and fact that he has seen. He grabs significance for himself, he demeans God… and God continues to use the ‘foolish things' to shame the proud, and to save those who listen. Does that sound familiar?

In every generation, the task of Christians is to work out how to live as God's people in a world rebellious against him (John 17: 15-16). The book of Daniel equips us for this task by giving us a worked example of a discerning disciple but more importantly points us to Jesus, who is the perfect discerning disciple for us. So, if Daniel 2 instructs us in how to be discerning about human wisdom and chapter 3, how to be discerning about human religion, chapter 4 helps us to be discerning about human authority. For if God is in control of all human authority, then all our lives are to be lived for his glory.

If ‘The LORD is my shepherd – I lack nothing' was the principle of the discerning disciple in Daniel 1, then Psalm 23:4 is the principle of Daniel 3. Three young men are faced with the opportunity to save their necks, to progress their careers, to move in the right social circles – they don't have to deny God, but they do have to bend the knee to someone else. And yet, these three men trust in God – he is their Shepherd, they lack nothing. Their faith works in obedience to the revelation of God, even if the will of God at that moment might be their death: they will give God, and God alone, what he deserves. Jesus was exactly the same in the Garden of Gethsemane – kind of like the second act of the temptation of Jesus. And he obeyed God perfectly.

Whenever God speaks, it is worth paying attention. And Nebuchadnezzar is spoken to by God, and it shakes his world, shakes its very foundations. The revelation of God tends to do this—and we can see this right through Daniel. Here, in Daniel 2, we see that it shakes Nebuchadnezzar in two ways—his kingdom will not last, and there is a kingdom coming—God's kingdom—that will last… forever. And this kingdom will not be built by human hands! Moreover, as Daniel reveals both the dream and its interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar, we are given an insight into a man who knows that ‘the LORD is my shepherd—I lack nothing'. Daniel is humble, gentle, generous, and unfailingly obedient to God. Jesus was exactly the same, but perfectly so—and he was obedient to this kingdom that would not be built by human hands… and so he established it! Does such a revelation shake your world, even shape it?

‘Discernment' is making wise decisions. A' disciple' is a wholehearted student-follower. And Daniel is both. Taken in 605BC to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar (in the first act of discipline of God's mob), Daniel was subjected to an assimilation programme by Nebuchadnezzar – his language, education, clothing, name, diet, address and even his name were reworked so that, at least on the outside, his was a ‘disciple' of Babylon. And, yet, in a memorable moment, Daniel ‘draws a line in the sand' – he resists being completely submerged into Babylon by drawing a line in the sand at his diet. Now, I don't think this is a statement about the vegetables he ate, or the meat he rejected. I think this is Daniel stating publicly, ‘I belong to God – with him, I lack nothing'. After all, we have been reminded three times that God is faithful, always doing exactly as he says (v.2, 9 and 17). God has a track record of shepherding his mob faithfully, and Daniel acts on this. Because he lacks nothing because of God, Daniel resists the discipleship programme of Babylon.

I have never read ‘A tale of two cities', but the title captures what we are dealing with in Daniel: how to live as a disciple who is discerning, in the power struggle between two powers. In this sense, much of what we will read here of Daniel's life is strikingly similar to Revelation. And God's people have always faced such a life: living as God's people, in a world that rejects God. This was the case when God's people were made his mob in Exodus 19. It is the case as God's mob go into the land he promised them in Deuteronomy 28-29. It is the case as God's mob are called back by the prophets and remain stubborn, in Daniel. It is exactly what Jesus faced as he expressed his ‘God-ness' by coming into enemy territory (Phil. 2:5-11). And it is what we face now as we live as God's mob (just read 1 Peter 2:9-12). In this place between two powers, every person is subjected to a discipleship (and we will define that soon) programme. God's mob are no different – and so we must be discerning!

Famous theologian Thomas Cranmer said, ‘What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies.' In other words our ambitions in life, our everyday choices and priorities are driven largely by the things that our hearts desire. In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul encourages us to let Jesus be our heart's desire. Let Him be the one that we long for, our goal in life, our treasured possession. Because when he is, Jesus will drive our life's ambitions, our everyday choices in life and our priorities. And to top it off, if we make Jesus our heart's desire, then we're guaranteed to have our hearts satisfied on the day he is revealed in all his glory.

Peter, the apostle of Jesus, writes a letter to Christians facing persecution to comfort them with the truth of who they are in Christ—children of God with every reason to rejoice in their salvation and future glory in eternity. 1 Peter 1:3-12 is one of the most loved passages. It begins as a blessing to God, but also describes how incredibly He has blessed us in Christ. Because Jesus has risen from the dead, our hope is not wishful thinking- it is as alive as He is. Our inheritance as God's children is eternal, full of glory, and secured forever. Even in grief, suffering and persecution Christians have every reason to rejoice. The mystery of God's plan has been revealed to us in Christ. We are being saved! Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

All hope has two related characteristics – it is held prior to the thing hoped for and it always looks forward to something in the future. We might hold a hope that is vague or detailed. We might hold a hope that is unlikely or certain. In addition, hope is usually based on something. We will have some reason for a hope that we hold. That reason might be good or bad. But we don't hold a hope without there being a cause for us to have that hope. Today we are going to look at the particular hope that Paul talks about in his letter to the Roman church. What it hopes for, what it is based upon and how this particular hope changes us and our view of the world.

Two weeks ago, Trace left us asking the question ‘where is our foundation?' It's a question God's people grapple with in chapter 4, and it is answered in chapter 5. When all is stripped back, where else are God's people to go? In the midst of suffering, in the confusion of judgment, what is the people's request of God? Our natural assumption would be the restoration of their material possessions and social structures… their land, the temple, homes, basic living supplies, health, safety and security. It's striking that none of those are asked for. As God's people face exile at the hands of the Babylonians, they turn in prayer to the only one who can aid them. They turn to Yahweh, their covenant keeping God. Lamentations 5 ends with a longing that God would restore His people to Himself. Hope that their covenant-keeping God who kept His promise of judgment would also keep His promise of restoration.

The psalms were written across the history of God's people. But they were composed as God's people returned from the Exile. And Psalm 107 poses this question: what were the words on their lips? At the heart of their time under judgement was their coming to know two truths: only the LORD rescues because only the LORD transforms. And this meant that they could return with thanks on their lips and in their hearts – because of the LORD's work. Jesus himself knew this truth, lived this truth, sang this psalm. And this means we can, too. And so, what words are on your lips today?

Message from Rod Chiswell on Saturday, 21 June 2025

Message from Rod Chiswell on Saturday, 21 June 2025

Message from Rod Chiswell on Saturday, 21 June 2025

Message from Rod Chiswell on Saturday, 21 June 2025

On first reading, it seems fair to ask why Lamentations 4? It's a fair question to ask because, for the most part, the poet simply rehashes chapters 1-3. But upon further meditation on the poem, one comes to appreciate its value for God's people in helping them process and respond rightly to his judgement in repentance and faith. In his judgment against Judah, God is not only reversing their fortunes but also restoring their hope in Him alone.

‘I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God's wrath' (Lam.3:1). In the third poem of lament, we hear from the poet himself – and his description is striking. He is a man. He is obviously in the middle of this tragedy. He has experienced it personally, and yet he also seems to speak representatively. Who is this man? I think it is most likely Jeremiah – the prophet who had laboured for 40 years calling God's people back. And he did experience all this personally (just compare Jeremiah 38 with Lam.3:52-57) – and so, he can also speak representatively. As he experiences the immense dissonance of, for example, the ‘rod' of God that guides him safely (remember Ps.23:4) through the ‘valley of the shadow of death' which now brings affliction, where does he turn? What does he consider? Jeremiah turns to the bedrock theological truths of the LORD – and so, he waits patiently on Him, and trusts that His ‘faithful love' will bring deliverance.

Lamentations is not a book many of us have read recently, perhaps ever. And it is not an easy book to digest, to listen to, even to understand in our modern sensibilities. Connected inseparably with the prophet Jeremiah, it is a visceral response to the fall of Jerusalem in 586BC. In that moment, the identity of God's people – that they were safe because the LORD had made a covenant with them – was shattered. It was shattered because they treated the covenant lightly, they took sin lightly, they refused to take seriously the merciful words of the LORD through the prophets calling them back. The response in Lamentations is a ‘lament' – a passionate cry to the LORD, asking ‘who?' and ‘why?'. It is a striking cry for its structure – an acrostic, for its context – the covenant, and its emotion – there is utter despair here as God's mob comprehend and experience His judgement for their sins.

Meals are a great thing! It is often what brings families together and even whole communities together. They gather people around shared values and create a sense of identity. One of the last teaching moments with His disciples before His death, Jesus establishes the Lord's Supper. As we heard last week, meals matter. The Passover held great significance for God's people. Jesus now says what it pointed to—God's salvation of His people from slavery, now would be seen in its fullest sense. That Jesus was going to die on the cross so that He could save God's people from an even greater slavery… the slavery of sin. As we gather around the table of the Lord's Supper, we remember what Jesus has done for us, and proclaim to a watching world Jesus' death until He comes back. It is a wonderful meal that God's people get to share together. But don't let its goodness reduce the gravity of the meal. This is not something for everyone at any time. It is a grave joy to partake of the Lord's Supper. Do we understand its significance, and examine ourselves rightly? Do we treasure its meaning? Does it stir in us a hope for the better things to come?

Meals are so important in the history of God's mob – they shape fellowship and community by remembering the acts of God. The first and greatest was the Passover meal. It marked the remembrance of the great salvation by God, of His people, from slavery. Described in Exodus 11-13, it was a meal that remembered the moment of salvation (when God brought the judgement of death on the firstborn in Egypt), the means of salvation (God's action and the sacrifice of a perfect animal), and the nation created by the salvation (God's people, descended from Abraham, were saved so that they could gather with God and worship him). Celebrated annually, it shaped the people of God, defining them by God's salvation of them. But they could never dwell with Him or worship Him – because of sin. They needed a greater salvation. And so, when Jesus gathers His disciples to celebrate the Passover on the evening of His betrayal, only hours before His death… well, you join the dots!

God's covenant of grace with His people stands: one of Abraham's seed will beat sin, and change the sinful nature of people, so that God can dwell with His mob again. Circumcision is the picture God gave His people, which pointed to this promise. This promise could only happen by God's work alone. At the end of the Old Testament, this promise stands. At the start of the New Testament, there is the hope of a ‘new beginning' (Matt.1:1). This hope is followed by a genealogy which traces the ‘seed [singular] of Abraham' down to Jesus (Matt.1:2-17). Jesus is described as the One who will ‘save His people from their sins' (Matt.1:21). And then He does – through His life, death and resurrection alone, Jesus offers the forgiveness of sins and changed nature for God's people. As Jesus sends His people out to proclaim this to the world, He does so with a picture that points back to who fulfils the promise of God: the picture of baptism points BACK to Jesus! And the work He achieved is received by trusting in what He has done!

In His last days on earth, Jesus instructed His disciples to continually practice two sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper as signs of God's saving grace towards us in Jesus. Jesus here continues God's practice in the Old Testament of using pictures and words to teach His people about His abiding grace towards a sinful humanity. Often in the Old Testament, God gave a sign to accompany His covenant with His people. For example, when God made a covenant with Abraham to bless the whole world through his offspring, He gave him the sign of circumcision. Circumcision symbolized God's promise to cleanse sinners through Abraham's seed.

We are at the end of Matthew's good news biography of Jesus. Matthew started with a statement of ‘new beginnings', as God fulfilled his promise through Abraham and David, to bring outsiders back to God. And now the message is to go out to all the nations, from the one with all authority, creating a community that is connected to all of God, taught all of Jesus' commands, and obeying all of them. This is how Matthew finishes – from new beginnings to the proclamation of the new beginnings, to the whole world, God gathering his people in, through the news of Jesus. And as Jesus gives this command, he promises that he will never neglect his people, always being with them as they proclaim this good news to outsiders everywhere!

As dawn breaks on Sunday morning, women go to view the tomb…but what they see is far greater. An angel announces.. “He is not here. For he has risen..” What wonderful, good news! Some in our passage are gripped with fear, still others are shocked, displaying unexpected joy. But should we be surprised? Isn't this what Jesus was saying all along? As we come to Easter, as we come to Jesus, be expectant that Jesus will do all he says. We can have complete confidence that what Jesus says.. Jesus does! “He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come see the place where he lay”. Death is defeated, the tomb is empty, and for those who trust in Jesus we have the promise of life after death because Jesus has gone before us. Celebrate today that God is faithful and that Jesus now reigns!

The events of Good Friday have significant impact. Jesus, the outsider deals with sin in the only way possible. It involves an excruciating death, burial and is final. There are insults and mockery, confusion and speculation abound. Jesus, the outsider has left His mark.