Responsibility
Church & State, 18 April 2021
Church & State
Series—Mark: The Real Jesus
Mark 12:13-17
Series Big Idea: Mark’s gospel is the most concise biography of Jesus.
Big Idea: Ultimately, everything we have belongs to the King of kings.
We’ve been going verse-by-verse through the book of Mark, the shortest of the four gospels or “good news” that tell the story of Jesus.
If you joined us last week, Jesus retold an ancient parable to the religious leaders, making them the bad guys in what Isaiah prophesied about Israel. Put simply, Jesus called them out, adding fuel to the fire of these wicked leaders who wanted to see the Messiah killed. They were successful in getting Christ crucified, but their victory was short-lived.
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Our text today is short…only five verses. Before we look at them, it’s helpful to understand some historical background. As a Jew, Jesus spent most of his life and ministry among Jews living under Roman rule in a culture that had many gods. The people of Israel were somewhat unique in their monotheism, their belief in one God.
The shema—the most essential prayer in Judaism, often prayed each morning and evening—begins
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
One God…who exists in three Person: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ day, some leaders were considered gods. This may seem odd in our culture, but that’s how much power they possessed among the people. Caesar was not an elected official like we have presidents and governors. But he ruled and taxed and was not exactly admired by the Jews!
Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. (Mark 12:13).
We’ve heard about the Pharisees. They were the conservative, legalistic Jewish leaders. Here Mark also mentions the Herodians. They were a political group who supported Herod. The Pharisees and Herodians are strange bedfellows! It’s amazing how people can come together over a common enemy, in this case Jesus. These religious leaders are ruthless! They have already determined to kill Jesus. They are doing everything possible to destroy his credibility, to “catch him in his words.”
Have you ever had someone “out to get you?” Do you walk on eggshells, so to speak, when you’re around certain people? Imagine your greatest critics were literally seeking to kill you!
In our text for today, a question is brought to Jesus, but they were not seeking knowledge. They were trying to trap Jesus.
Why do you do the things you do? I’m a big fan of the “why?” Motives matter. We often do things without even realizing why we’re doing them. Good and bad habits dictate many of our actions. It’s possible to even do good things with bad motives. This is a perfect example. Mark tells us from the beginning the “why.”
They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. (Mark 12:14a)
Notice they begin by buttering him up, praising him for his integrity. Their sarcasm—or anger in a clown suit!—is actually true. Jesus is a man of integrity. He wasn’t swayed by others. He taught the way of God in accordance with the truth. They were masquerading as genuine followers of Jesus and the truth, but they weren’t. Are you ready for the question?
Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” (Mark 12:14b-15a)
You have to admit it’s a good question! After all, the law of Moses written hundreds of years earlier which guided Jewish conduct knew nothing of Rome or Caesar or imperial taxes. It was a different era, much in the same way we face questions today which are not explicitly spelled out in the Bible.
Again, it’s a practical question, but it was asked with impure motives. I’m sure they were excited, placing Jesus in a no-win situation. Or so they thought!
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” (Mark 12:15b)
There are a lot of people who look, act, and sound impressive. They know the Bible. They go to church. They have the perfect family. Everyone knows about their generosity. But some simply know how to put on a show. The word for “hypocrite” is from the same root word as “actor.” Jesus knew their hearts…and he knows ours, too. One of my favorite verses in the Bible involves the selection of the next king of Israel.
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1Samuel 16:7)
As I’ve said, these religious leaders were impressive. Their books were on the bestseller list. They had thousands of followers of social media. Their podcasts were hugely popular. Their tv shows had great ratings. But their hearts were wicked.
By the way, some things never change. Like many of you, I’ve been deeply disappointed seeing various Christian leaders fail over the years. They are impressive, but fail to finish the race well. Their charisma attracts great crowds, but their character is corrupt. The outside of the cup is shiny, but inside it’s filthy.
Jesus asks them for what we would call a penny. He may not have even had one himself. He had no credit cards!
They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied. (Mark 12:16)
If Jesus said give to Tiberius Caesar, the Roman emperor, that would imply Caesar was greater than Moses, and they would’ve accused him of idolatry. If he said don’t give to Caesar, the Roman authority would have great concern! That would be insurrection. One response would offend the Pharisees, the other the Herodians.
You may know the Jews were not allowed to make carved images, yet the Roman coin had Caesar’s image on it…along with writing that said in Latin, “Augustus Tiberius, son of the divine Augustus.” On the other side, it said, “High Priest.” This coin was more than just a way to buy goods and services. It was a statement of power the Jews found downright offensive.
Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
God is sovereign and in control over all, including Caesar!
And they were amazed at him. (Mark 12:17)
I’m sure they were also very disappointed for their trap failed. They were flooded in divine wisdom regarding stewardship, but found no evidence to support their quest to end his life.
Jesus is amazing! Jesus’ teachings are amazing. His life and death and resurrection are amazing. His prayers and intercession for us now are amazing. His return will be amazing. Best of all, spending eternity with Jesus will be amazing!
So What?
- We have a responsibility to government.
Paul wrote to the church in Rome:
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1)
Obviously there have been times throughout history when a choice must be made between following Jesus and following the government. Our first allegiance must be to God, but He has created three institutions for human flourishing: the family, the Church, and government. As much as we criticize government, we would be far worse without a defense, schools, roads, and other services they provide. I rarely hear people say their taxes are too low, but they are needed to fund the government.
Jesus said to give to Caesar—or the government—what belongs to Caesar.
Columbus takes 7% of nearly everything we buy. Lucas County takes ¼% of our purchases. Washington DC takes…too much!
But the message is about more than money. It may include obeying laws, including speed limits! We may have a responsibility to the government to apply for the draft when such a thing is required. We give our time to the government and to one another when we vote. Good citizens can do many things to partner with and serve the government for the sake of the community.
One of the challenges in our culture is hyper individualism. The attitude of many is it’s all about them. We’ve even brought this into the church, saying Christianity is all about me and my personal relationship with Jesus. A personal relationship with Jesus is incredibly important, but we were created for community. Following Christ is a team sport. That’s why we have the Church.
- We have a responsibility to the Church. We are to give. We are to serve. We are to love one another. We are to do life together. When it’s good, it’s really good! I admit when we get it wrong, it’s really ugly. In fact, the gossip, judging, condemnation, hypocrisy, and even hatred of so-called Christians has called many to end their pursuit of God. Few things break my heart more than hearing of people who have walked away from God because of a bad experience with the Church.
If you’ve been hurt by Christians—and we all have—I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Please forgive us. Saying we’re not perfect is no excuse, though it’s true! We all need Jesus. I sometimes wonder why God entrusted His Kingdom to broken ragamuffins like us instead of Jesus spending more than three years of ministry here on earth.
But we have responsibility to one another. I need you. You need me. None of us has all of the spiritual gifts. Give to the church what belongs to the church. Yes, that includes not only time but also talents and treasures. Now that we’re opening up more, I encourage you to get in a Life Group, serve on the Hospitality Team, join the Music or Tech Teams, …and support God’s work here and around the world with your finances.
Some religions have what are essentially dues in order to participate. We don’t sell tickets around here! But one of our newly adopted core values as a church which we’ll reveal in the coming months is generosity. God is generous. He gave us the most precious possible gift…His son Jesus. Jesus gave us his life. What more could he give? The Holy Spirit fills the planet in every follower of Jesus.
Again, the message from today’s text is more than just money, but it certainly includes money. In a few weeks we’ll look at Jesus’ teaching on investing in God’s Kingdom.
I’ve had people over the years ask me if tithing is a command for us today. Tithe literally means ten percent and it was prescribed in Old Testament worship, not only of cash but crops. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth:
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
We are a generous church. We have people that give dozens of volunteer hours each month. We have people generously sharing their talents and expertise. We have people who use their wealth to give extravagantly to bless our community.
I think ten percent is a good starting point for generosity, but it is by no means the max. Honestly, I can’t think of a better investment of finances than First Alliance Church and its work in Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria, and the ends of the earth through our Home Missions, Faith Missions, and Great Commission Fund partners. I love investing here!
By the way, in addition to giving cash online or in person, we can accept other assets and potentially save you substantial money on your taxes. If you have stocks, bonds, real estate, cattle, a business, or most any asset, we have the means of receiving them and using them for God’s glory.
As I said, the government, church, and family are the three institutions God created.
- We have a responsibility to our family. Parents, train your children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus:
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:1-3)
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)
Spouses,
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)
Ultimately all of our responsibility to government, church, and family can be summarized in one command we’ll look at in two weeks:
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31)
I realize that verse is missing a bit of context…and it relates to our greatest responsibility…our responsibility to God.
Everything is created by God, for God, and for God’s glory.
If we are to properly give to Caesar’s, what do we give to God? When asked which of the commandments is the greatest…
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:29-30)
Did you catch Jesus quoting the shema? The Lord is one. We worship one God. How do we worship Him? With everything! All of our heart. All of our soul. All of our mind. All of our strength.
One hundred percent of our time, talents, and treasures belong to God. They’re on loan. We must be good stewards of what’s He’s entrusted to us.
How do your finances bring God glory?
How does your calendar bring God glory?
How does your physical body bring God glory?
How does your mind bring God glory?
What do I need to submit to God? Where is Jesus not LORD in my life?
Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar…and give to God what belongs to God…which is everything…including Caesar!
One more thing
You might think God is awfully demanding. You mean I have to give up everything to follow Jesus? Yes! You mean I have to die to myself and my desires and passions to serve God? Yes!
“Why would I give up everything for God?” Because He gave up everything for you. He loves you. He knows you. He created you. He knows your name. He wants nothing but the very best for you, even when it doesn’t feel good, even when the storms come, even when it’s not popular or politically-correct. God’s ways are perfect and so much higher than ours. He can be trusted.
We can do life our way. We can hoard our money. We can cheat on our taxes. We can rob God. We can be selfish with our talents and time. But disobeying God harms us more than anyone else. Eventually we’ll discover we don’t have all of the answers. We really need God. We need love.
I want to encourage you…you are loved, you are known, God is here, and He wants everything from you…and He wants to be your everything.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
Series—Mark: The Real Jesus
Mark 12:13-17
Series Big Idea: Mark’s gospel is the most concise biography of Jesus.
Big Idea: Ultimately, everything we have belongs to the King of kings.
We’ve been going verse-by-verse through the book of Mark, the shortest of the four gospels or “good news” that tell the story of Jesus.
If you joined us last week, Jesus retold an ancient parable to the religious leaders, making them the bad guys in what Isaiah prophesied about Israel. Put simply, Jesus called them out, adding fuel to the fire of these wicked leaders who wanted to see the Messiah killed. They were successful in getting Christ crucified, but their victory was short-lived.
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Our text today is short…only five verses. Before we look at them, it’s helpful to understand some historical background. As a Jew, Jesus spent most of his life and ministry among Jews living under Roman rule in a culture that had many gods. The people of Israel were somewhat unique in their monotheism, their belief in one God.
The shema—the most essential prayer in Judaism, often prayed each morning and evening—begins
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
One God…who exists in three Person: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ day, some leaders were considered gods. This may seem odd in our culture, but that’s how much power they possessed among the people. Caesar was not an elected official like we have presidents and governors. But he ruled and taxed and was not exactly admired by the Jews!
Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. (Mark 12:13).
We’ve heard about the Pharisees. They were the conservative, legalistic Jewish leaders. Here Mark also mentions the Herodians. They were a political group who supported Herod. The Pharisees and Herodians are strange bedfellows! It’s amazing how people can come together over a common enemy, in this case Jesus. These religious leaders are ruthless! They have already determined to kill Jesus. They are doing everything possible to destroy his credibility, to “catch him in his words.”
Have you ever had someone “out to get you?” Do you walk on eggshells, so to speak, when you’re around certain people? Imagine your greatest critics were literally seeking to kill you!
In our text for today, a question is brought to Jesus, but they were not seeking knowledge. They were trying to trap Jesus.
Why do you do the things you do? I’m a big fan of the “why?” Motives matter. We often do things without even realizing why we’re doing them. Good and bad habits dictate many of our actions. It’s possible to even do good things with bad motives. This is a perfect example. Mark tells us from the beginning the “why.”
They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. (Mark 12:14a)
Notice they begin by buttering him up, praising him for his integrity. Their sarcasm—or anger in a clown suit!—is actually true. Jesus is a man of integrity. He wasn’t swayed by others. He taught the way of God in accordance with the truth. They were masquerading as genuine followers of Jesus and the truth, but they weren’t. Are you ready for the question?
Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” (Mark 12:14b-15a)
You have to admit it’s a good question! After all, the law of Moses written hundreds of years earlier which guided Jewish conduct knew nothing of Rome or Caesar or imperial taxes. It was a different era, much in the same way we face questions today which are not explicitly spelled out in the Bible.
Again, it’s a practical question, but it was asked with impure motives. I’m sure they were excited, placing Jesus in a no-win situation. Or so they thought!
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” (Mark 12:15b)
There are a lot of people who look, act, and sound impressive. They know the Bible. They go to church. They have the perfect family. Everyone knows about their generosity. But some simply know how to put on a show. The word for “hypocrite” is from the same root word as “actor.” Jesus knew their hearts…and he knows ours, too. One of my favorite verses in the Bible involves the selection of the next king of Israel.
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1Samuel 16:7)
As I’ve said, these religious leaders were impressive. Their books were on the bestseller list. They had thousands of followers of social media. Their podcasts were hugely popular. Their tv shows had great ratings. But their hearts were wicked.
By the way, some things never change. Like many of you, I’ve been deeply disappointed seeing various Christian leaders fail over the years. They are impressive, but fail to finish the race well. Their charisma attracts great crowds, but their character is corrupt. The outside of the cup is shiny, but inside it’s filthy.
Jesus asks them for what we would call a penny. He may not have even had one himself. He had no credit cards!
They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied. (Mark 12:16)
If Jesus said give to Tiberius Caesar, the Roman emperor, that would imply Caesar was greater than Moses, and they would’ve accused him of idolatry. If he said don’t give to Caesar, the Roman authority would have great concern! That would be insurrection. One response would offend the Pharisees, the other the Herodians.
You may know the Jews were not allowed to make carved images, yet the Roman coin had Caesar’s image on it…along with writing that said in Latin, “Augustus Tiberius, son of the divine Augustus.” On the other side, it said, “High Priest.” This coin was more than just a way to buy goods and services. It was a statement of power the Jews found downright offensive.
Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
God is sovereign and in control over all, including Caesar!
And they were amazed at him. (Mark 12:17)
I’m sure they were also very disappointed for their trap failed. They were flooded in divine wisdom regarding stewardship, but found no evidence to support their quest to end his life.
Jesus is amazing! Jesus’ teachings are amazing. His life and death and resurrection are amazing. His prayers and intercession for us now are amazing. His return will be amazing. Best of all, spending eternity with Jesus will be amazing!
So What?
- We have a responsibility to government.
Paul wrote to the church in Rome:
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1)
Obviously there have been times throughout history when a choice must be made between following Jesus and following the government. Our first allegiance must be to God, but He has created three institutions for human flourishing: the family, the Church, and government. As much as we criticize government, we would be far worse without a defense, schools, roads, and other services they provide. I rarely hear people say their taxes are too low, but they are needed to fund the government.
Jesus said to give to Caesar—or the government—what belongs to Caesar.
Columbus takes 7% of nearly everything we buy. Lucas County takes ¼% of our purchases. Washington DC takes…too much!
But the message is about more than money. It may include obeying laws, including speed limits! We may have a responsibility to the government to apply for the draft when such a thing is required. We give our time to the government and to one another when we vote. Good citizens can do many things to partner with and serve the government for the sake of the community.
One of the challenges in our culture is hyper individualism. The attitude of many is it’s all about them. We’ve even brought this into the church, saying Christianity is all about me and my personal relationship with Jesus. A personal relationship with Jesus is incredibly important, but we were created for community. Following Christ is a team sport. That’s why we have the Church.
- We have a responsibility to the Church. We are to give. We are to serve. We are to love one another. We are to do life together. When it’s good, it’s really good! I admit when we get it wrong, it’s really ugly. In fact, the gossip, judging, condemnation, hypocrisy, and even hatred of so-called Christians has called many to end their pursuit of God. Few things break my heart more than hearing of people who have walked away from God because of a bad experience with the Church.
If you’ve been hurt by Christians—and we all have—I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Please forgive us. Saying we’re not perfect is no excuse, though it’s true! We all need Jesus. I sometimes wonder why God entrusted His Kingdom to broken ragamuffins like us instead of Jesus spending more than three years of ministry here on earth.
But we have responsibility to one another. I need you. You need me. None of us has all of the spiritual gifts. Give to the church what belongs to the church. Yes, that includes not only time but also talents and treasures. Now that we’re opening up more, I encourage you to get in a Life Group, serve on the Hospitality Team, join the Music or Tech Teams, …and support God’s work here and around the world with your finances.
Some religions have what are essentially dues in order to participate. We don’t sell tickets around here! But one of our newly adopted core values as a church which we’ll reveal in the coming months is generosity. God is generous. He gave us the most precious possible gift…His son Jesus. Jesus gave us his life. What more could he give? The Holy Spirit fills the planet in every follower of Jesus.
Again, the message from today’s text is more than just money, but it certainly includes money. In a few weeks we’ll look at Jesus’ teaching on investing in God’s Kingdom.
I’ve had people over the years ask me if tithing is a command for us today. Tithe literally means ten percent and it was prescribed in Old Testament worship, not only of cash but crops. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth:
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
We are a generous church. We have people that give dozens of volunteer hours each month. We have people generously sharing their talents and expertise. We have people who use their wealth to give extravagantly to bless our community.
I think ten percent is a good starting point for generosity, but it is by no means the max. Honestly, I can’t think of a better investment of finances than First Alliance Church and its work in Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria, and the ends of the earth through our Home Missions, Faith Missions, and Great Commission Fund partners. I love investing here!
By the way, in addition to giving cash online or in person, we can accept other assets and potentially save you substantial money on your taxes. If you have stocks, bonds, real estate, cattle, a business, or most any asset, we have the means of receiving them and using them for God’s glory.
As I said, the government, church, and family are the three institutions God created.
- We have a responsibility to our family. Parents, train your children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus:
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:1-3)
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)
Spouses,
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)
Ultimately all of our responsibility to government, church, and family can be summarized in one command we’ll look at in two weeks:
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31)
I realize that verse is missing a bit of context…and it relates to our greatest responsibility…our responsibility to God.
Everything is created by God, for God, and for God’s glory.
If we are to properly give to Caesar’s, what do we give to God? When asked which of the commandments is the greatest…
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:29-30)
Did you catch Jesus quoting the shema? The Lord is one. We worship one God. How do we worship Him? With everything! All of our heart. All of our soul. All of our mind. All of our strength.
One hundred percent of our time, talents, and treasures belong to God. They’re on loan. We must be good stewards of what’s He’s entrusted to us.
How do your finances bring God glory?
How does your calendar bring God glory?
How does your physical body bring God glory?
How does your mind bring God glory?
What do I need to submit to God? Where is Jesus not LORD in my life?
Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar…and give to God what belongs to God…which is everything…including Caesar!
One more thing
You might think God is awfully demanding. You mean I have to give up everything to follow Jesus? Yes! You mean I have to die to myself and my desires and passions to serve God? Yes!
“Why would I give up everything for God?” Because He gave up everything for you. He loves you. He knows you. He created you. He knows your name. He wants nothing but the very best for you, even when it doesn’t feel good, even when the storms come, even when it’s not popular or politically-correct. God’s ways are perfect and so much higher than ours. He can be trusted.
We can do life our way. We can hoard our money. We can cheat on our taxes. We can rob God. We can be selfish with our talents and time. But disobeying God harms us more than anyone else. Eventually we’ll discover we don’t have all of the answers. We really need God. We need love.
I want to encourage you…you are loved, you are known, God is here, and He wants everything from you…and He wants to be your everything.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
You can watch this video and others at the First Alliance Church Video Library here.
Kingdom: Joseph, 14 September 2014
16 09 14 Filed in: Sermons | Covenant & Kingdom
Big Idea: God challenges us to represent Him in His Kingdom as we make Him LORD and King.
Introduction
Last week we said the Bible is a big book. It’s actually a library of 66 books. We usually study it verse-by-verse, like looking through a microscope. This series will look at it through a telescope, examining the big idea of the Bible.
Our new series this fall is called Covenant & Kingdom. It is based upon ideas from Mike Breen and 3DMovements, a ministry that has been quite influential in the life of Scio in recent days. The book, Covenant & Kingdom, is available through Amazon or from 3DMovements.com. I encourage you to get a copy and read ahead as we look at the big picture of the Bible.
Covenant and Kingdom are woven throughout the Scriptures like a double helix is woven in DNA.
Covenant is a sacred treaty in which two parties become one. In ancient times, this always involved the shedding of blood by an animal to to imply consequences for failure to fulfill the agreement.
God made a covenant with Abram, promising blessings to him and his offspring in order for them to bless the world.
Covenant is about relationship. Being.
Kingdom is about responsibility. Doing.
Life is filled with tension between being and doing, relationship and responsibility, being invited into relationship with God while also being challenged to represent Him and bless the world.
Invitation and challenge.
As we look at this idea of challenge, of kingdom, of doing God’s work in the world we are going to look at one of the most important characters in the Bible—Joseph.
Pray
Abraham has a son named Isaac who has a son named Jacob who has twelve sons, the eleventh being his favorite son, Joseph.
The story of Joseph begins in Genesis 37
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. (Genesis 37:2b)
Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. (Genesis 37:3-4)
Do you have siblings? Do you have sibling rivalry? Imagine your younger sibling was given three desserts at dinner, triple allowance, and the new iPhone the day it is released? To your parents you would probable say, “It’s not…fair!” You would likely become envious of your sib and despise them.
Joseph had eleven brothers who were sick of him. He was a gifted, handsome, arrogant teenager who believed he was the center of the universe. That alone is recipe for disaster! Then his dad gives him a special coat with long sleeves, a sign of the supervisor’s role!
Next Joseph has two dreams (37:5-10), one in which the grain of his brothers bowed to his, the other in which the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed to him. Joseph is not only the center of his universe, his dreams confirm it!
Jacob sends Joseph to his brothers who are grazing the flocks. They plot to kill him, but Reuben insists they throw him into a cistern instead. The brothers strip him of his robe, throw him into the empty well, and sold him to Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt where he was sold to “Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard” (37:36).
The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. (39:2)
His life had gone from wonderful to dreadful and now things are looking up. It says two things: the LORD was with Joseph and he prospered. What changed? Perhaps Joseph was broken by his rejection by his brothers. He almost certainly cried out to God for help. I’m sure he was a bit confused by his fortunes when he goes from elaborate dreams to being thrown into an empty well. Instead of his brothers bowing down to him, they almost kill him!
Joseph is no longer the center of the universe. God moves to Joseph’s center.
My favorite passage in the Bible says
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
I believe during those difficult moments of rejection by his brothers Joseph began to trust God. He had nowhere else to turn.
Sometimes that’s God’s plan—to get our attention in order to become LORD.
Rarely does someone on top of the world—or the center of their own universe—turn to God. What’s the point?! They have everything they need and want. It’s usually during a crisis that we surrender to God.
Perhaps you were told Jesus died for you so you could pray a prayer, be forgiven, and go to heaven when you die. That’s not the gospel. That’s a plan of salvation, but it’s not the gospel, the good news. It’s merely a part of it.
The gospel is Jesus is LORD. That’s good news because it is more than personal and individualistic. Jesus is LORD of all.
The late Dallas Willard used to talk about how the “Gospels of Sin Management” presume a Christ with no serious work other than redeeming humankind. This fosters “vampire Christians,” who only want a little blood for their sins but nothing more to do with Jesus until heaven.
Jesus wants to be your Savior, but He also wants to be your LORD. It’s not about ego, but wisdom. He knows best. The sooner we can make Him the center of our universe, the sooner He will make our paths straight. He doesn’t promise it will be an easy path, but it will be filled with peace, joy, contentment, and hope because He knows best.
Back to Joseph!
Potiphar loves Joseph and puts him in charge of his household (39:4). Everything is great…until Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce Joseph. When he chooses to honor God rather than give in to her temptation, she accuses Joseph of sexual harassment.
When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. (Genesis 39:19-21)
Remember, Joseph is in prison because he followed the LORD. Is it any surprise that the LORD was with him? It’s terrific to read how Joseph received kindness and favor from the prison warden…but he’s still in prison! An innocent man has been punished! How can Joseph be used by God? He’s stuck in prison!
Have you ever felt that way? How can God use you since you’re stuck…in this job, this marriage, with this family, with these weaknesses, with these limitations?
I heard a great story last week about an actress who moved to Los Angeles. She was certain God led her there to be salt and light in a dark industry. After multiple auditions without a job, she questioned her pastor about what God was doing. She obeyed God and moved to L.A. but was finding no success. Her pastor said perhaps she was sent to California to minister to the struggling actors and actresses that are not finding success. Her own failures would be more connective to starving artists than her own successes.
I can only imagine the conversations Joseph had with God in prison, asking why, questioning his own calling, and feeling even further from the fulfillment of his dreams. Joseph may not have even realized it but he was moving God closer and closer to the center of his universe. Mike Breen says, “Godʼs Kingdom needs the “door” of a humble heart. God wants to work in Josephʼs submitted heart—and ours.
Dreams, Genesis 40
In the next chapter we see the butler, the baker,…but not the candlestick maker! The butler and baker had offended the king of Egypt, their master, and joined Joseph in prison. They have dreams, Joseph interprets them, the dreams come true, the baker is hung, and the cupbearer (or butler) is set free.
The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. (Genesis 40:23)
I wonder if Joseph was fully surrounded to God or just grateful to be given gifts to interpret dreams. Genesis 41 begins by telling us Joseph was in prison for two more years after the butler is released.
Pharaoh has two dreams, no one could interpret them, and the cupbearer remembers Joseph.
So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” (Genesis 41:14-16)
“I cannot do it.” Joseph has finally moved from the center of his universe to the edge, and God has taken residence on the throne of Josephʼs heart. Joseph is fully surrendered, allowing God to express His Kingdom rule in his life and to fulfill his earliest calling, to rule and to govern.
The rest of the story is quite remarkable as Joseph becomes Pharaoh’s right-hand man and eventually Joseph’s brothers literally bow down to him as they are desperate for food years later. The dreams God gave Joseph are eventually fulfilled.
So What?
Because of God’s covenant, we have a relationship with Him. Our identity is children of the King.
As children of the King, we have a responsibility to represent the King to our world. We are HIs ambassadors, His agents on planet earth.
God’s doesn’t just pick everyone to do His bidding, to be a Kingdom operative. God is looking for humble hearts that seek Him, that put Him at the center of their lives. The Bible says, “Youʼre the child of God and He wants to fashion your heart, so that you can be His representative. But that means a journey into humility and submission to Me.” Like Joseph, we must move from being the center of our world to inviting Jesus to be the center.
Jesus’ first words to His disciples were, “Follow Me.” His final words were, “Go and make disciples.” Invitation and challenge. Covenant and Kingdom. Relationship and responsibility.
It all begins with making our Savior our LORD.
Credits
Ideas for this series taken from book of the same title by Mike Breen and 3DMovements.com.
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Introduction
Last week we said the Bible is a big book. It’s actually a library of 66 books. We usually study it verse-by-verse, like looking through a microscope. This series will look at it through a telescope, examining the big idea of the Bible.
Our new series this fall is called Covenant & Kingdom. It is based upon ideas from Mike Breen and 3DMovements, a ministry that has been quite influential in the life of Scio in recent days. The book, Covenant & Kingdom, is available through Amazon or from 3DMovements.com. I encourage you to get a copy and read ahead as we look at the big picture of the Bible.
Covenant and Kingdom are woven throughout the Scriptures like a double helix is woven in DNA.
Covenant is a sacred treaty in which two parties become one. In ancient times, this always involved the shedding of blood by an animal to to imply consequences for failure to fulfill the agreement.
God made a covenant with Abram, promising blessings to him and his offspring in order for them to bless the world.
Covenant is about relationship. Being.
Kingdom is about responsibility. Doing.
Life is filled with tension between being and doing, relationship and responsibility, being invited into relationship with God while also being challenged to represent Him and bless the world.
Invitation and challenge.
As we look at this idea of challenge, of kingdom, of doing God’s work in the world we are going to look at one of the most important characters in the Bible—Joseph.
Pray
Abraham has a son named Isaac who has a son named Jacob who has twelve sons, the eleventh being his favorite son, Joseph.
The story of Joseph begins in Genesis 37
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. (Genesis 37:2b)
Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. (Genesis 37:3-4)
Do you have siblings? Do you have sibling rivalry? Imagine your younger sibling was given three desserts at dinner, triple allowance, and the new iPhone the day it is released? To your parents you would probable say, “It’s not…fair!” You would likely become envious of your sib and despise them.
Joseph had eleven brothers who were sick of him. He was a gifted, handsome, arrogant teenager who believed he was the center of the universe. That alone is recipe for disaster! Then his dad gives him a special coat with long sleeves, a sign of the supervisor’s role!
Next Joseph has two dreams (37:5-10), one in which the grain of his brothers bowed to his, the other in which the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed to him. Joseph is not only the center of his universe, his dreams confirm it!
Jacob sends Joseph to his brothers who are grazing the flocks. They plot to kill him, but Reuben insists they throw him into a cistern instead. The brothers strip him of his robe, throw him into the empty well, and sold him to Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt where he was sold to “Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard” (37:36).
The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. (39:2)
His life had gone from wonderful to dreadful and now things are looking up. It says two things: the LORD was with Joseph and he prospered. What changed? Perhaps Joseph was broken by his rejection by his brothers. He almost certainly cried out to God for help. I’m sure he was a bit confused by his fortunes when he goes from elaborate dreams to being thrown into an empty well. Instead of his brothers bowing down to him, they almost kill him!
Joseph is no longer the center of the universe. God moves to Joseph’s center.
My favorite passage in the Bible says
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
I believe during those difficult moments of rejection by his brothers Joseph began to trust God. He had nowhere else to turn.
Sometimes that’s God’s plan—to get our attention in order to become LORD.
Rarely does someone on top of the world—or the center of their own universe—turn to God. What’s the point?! They have everything they need and want. It’s usually during a crisis that we surrender to God.
Perhaps you were told Jesus died for you so you could pray a prayer, be forgiven, and go to heaven when you die. That’s not the gospel. That’s a plan of salvation, but it’s not the gospel, the good news. It’s merely a part of it.
The gospel is Jesus is LORD. That’s good news because it is more than personal and individualistic. Jesus is LORD of all.
The late Dallas Willard used to talk about how the “Gospels of Sin Management” presume a Christ with no serious work other than redeeming humankind. This fosters “vampire Christians,” who only want a little blood for their sins but nothing more to do with Jesus until heaven.
Jesus wants to be your Savior, but He also wants to be your LORD. It’s not about ego, but wisdom. He knows best. The sooner we can make Him the center of our universe, the sooner He will make our paths straight. He doesn’t promise it will be an easy path, but it will be filled with peace, joy, contentment, and hope because He knows best.
Back to Joseph!
Potiphar loves Joseph and puts him in charge of his household (39:4). Everything is great…until Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce Joseph. When he chooses to honor God rather than give in to her temptation, she accuses Joseph of sexual harassment.
When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. (Genesis 39:19-21)
Remember, Joseph is in prison because he followed the LORD. Is it any surprise that the LORD was with him? It’s terrific to read how Joseph received kindness and favor from the prison warden…but he’s still in prison! An innocent man has been punished! How can Joseph be used by God? He’s stuck in prison!
Have you ever felt that way? How can God use you since you’re stuck…in this job, this marriage, with this family, with these weaknesses, with these limitations?
I heard a great story last week about an actress who moved to Los Angeles. She was certain God led her there to be salt and light in a dark industry. After multiple auditions without a job, she questioned her pastor about what God was doing. She obeyed God and moved to L.A. but was finding no success. Her pastor said perhaps she was sent to California to minister to the struggling actors and actresses that are not finding success. Her own failures would be more connective to starving artists than her own successes.
I can only imagine the conversations Joseph had with God in prison, asking why, questioning his own calling, and feeling even further from the fulfillment of his dreams. Joseph may not have even realized it but he was moving God closer and closer to the center of his universe. Mike Breen says, “Godʼs Kingdom needs the “door” of a humble heart. God wants to work in Josephʼs submitted heart—and ours.
Dreams, Genesis 40
In the next chapter we see the butler, the baker,…but not the candlestick maker! The butler and baker had offended the king of Egypt, their master, and joined Joseph in prison. They have dreams, Joseph interprets them, the dreams come true, the baker is hung, and the cupbearer (or butler) is set free.
The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. (Genesis 40:23)
I wonder if Joseph was fully surrounded to God or just grateful to be given gifts to interpret dreams. Genesis 41 begins by telling us Joseph was in prison for two more years after the butler is released.
Pharaoh has two dreams, no one could interpret them, and the cupbearer remembers Joseph.
So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” (Genesis 41:14-16)
“I cannot do it.” Joseph has finally moved from the center of his universe to the edge, and God has taken residence on the throne of Josephʼs heart. Joseph is fully surrendered, allowing God to express His Kingdom rule in his life and to fulfill his earliest calling, to rule and to govern.
The rest of the story is quite remarkable as Joseph becomes Pharaoh’s right-hand man and eventually Joseph’s brothers literally bow down to him as they are desperate for food years later. The dreams God gave Joseph are eventually fulfilled.
So What?
Because of God’s covenant, we have a relationship with Him. Our identity is children of the King.
As children of the King, we have a responsibility to represent the King to our world. We are HIs ambassadors, His agents on planet earth.
God’s doesn’t just pick everyone to do His bidding, to be a Kingdom operative. God is looking for humble hearts that seek Him, that put Him at the center of their lives. The Bible says, “Youʼre the child of God and He wants to fashion your heart, so that you can be His representative. But that means a journey into humility and submission to Me.” Like Joseph, we must move from being the center of our world to inviting Jesus to be the center.
Jesus’ first words to His disciples were, “Follow Me.” His final words were, “Go and make disciples.” Invitation and challenge. Covenant and Kingdom. Relationship and responsibility.
It all begins with making our Savior our LORD.
Credits
Ideas for this series taken from book of the same title by Mike Breen and 3DMovements.com.
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.