By What Authority? (Part 1)

January 29, 2025.

….These are the things you are to teach and insist on. 3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

-1 Timothy 6:2-10 (NIV)

By what authority and by what power do we expect good things to happen?  Last Sunday I preached a sermon on the whole “name it/claim it and prosperity gospel” movement.  I’m still surprised at how prevalent this false gospel is within the world.  Be warned – some of you reading this may be caught in a form of this false gospel and have been exposed to it without even realizing.  For this reason and for some people, it may take you a while to understand you’ve been following and practicing this false gospel without knowing it.  As with most things in Christianity, it’s a long process to become more Christ-like.  Here’s some examples of how the name It/claim It movement sounds like.

I declare God will bless you in 2025.

I decree God will shield you from harm.

You will gain God’s favour and you will not be in ruin.

No tear shall come your way and you shall rise over your obstacles and enemies.

Read those examples again and with sober judgment, please reflect on the types of sermons, help books, theology books and devotionals you’re subscribing to.  Are you caught in the name It/claim it and prosperity gospel movement?  Do you see a pattern with the above examples?  All of the above examples wrongly place yourself or another person at the centre of sovereignty.  By saying these statements you’re falsely claiming a “godly authority” for yourself and thinking you can wield God’s hand for yourself and for your selfish desires.  Here are better examples to reflect on.

God, I hope you will bless me in 2025.

God, I hope you will shield me from harm.

God, I hope I have your favour and please do not allow me to be ruined.

God, please spare me from tears and allow me to rise over obstacles and enemies.

With all these examples, the complete emphasis is on God’s sovereignty and the expectation is not guaranteed because God has never promised, declared or decreed any such favour.  This is not a matter of a lack of faith, but this is a matter of elevating God and placing your life in God’s hands.  Give your requests to God and let him deal with the outcomes.  However, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).  Therefore, we know God wants good for us, but we can never place ourselves in God’s seat of authority and power!

Like our text implies, we must cling on to sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and godly teaching.  Once again, we are reminded that the focus is on Christ Jesus, and not on ourselves.  Moreover verse 5 might be an eye opener to some.  Godliness is not a means of financial gain, but godliness (by itself) with contentment found in godliness IS actually a tremendous gain!  Do not be fooled!  Seeking comfort in food, clothing, bank accounts, houses, cars, even relationships or health is a loss for the sake of the gospel and all can be idols.  I said last Sunday that God is not opposed to you having these things and nice things, but God IS opposed to those things having you (as idols)!  Seeking these things plunge people into ruin and destruction, and not to Christ.  May we all want God’s authority and nothing else, even if it means living less comfortably, knowing that God does want and intend good for us.

Philippians 3:7-11 (NIV) says the following:

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

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Leader and Nation

January 22, 2025.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

-1 Timothy 2:1-7 (ESV)

Mark Twain once said, “Never discuss politics or religion in polite company.”  Generally, people use that quote to avoid conflict.

**Warning and Spoiler Alert: I’m going to talk about both!**

Have you been following Canadian and American leadership news lately?  On Monday, January 20, 2025, Donald John Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president.  Since America is a global superpower and whether you like him or not, he now becomes arguably the most powerful person in the world again (since his 45th presidency term).  Will he proceed with raising tariffs on all Canadian goods coming into America?  I’m not sure.  I can’t even conceive of America annexing, purchasing or acquiring Canada or Greenland due to “national security” reasons as he so eloquently stated in public interviews.  Sure, he definitely says a lot of eye-opening things to say the least.  Are some of his policies and some of his actions questionable to say the least and do several people not like him?  Of course.

However, our neighbours south of the border are not the only ones going through major leadership changes, because we as Canadians are too!  On January 6, 2025, Justin Pierre James Trudeau announced his resignation as prime minister of Canada effective when a replacement as prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party is chosen.  Justin Trudeau has been the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada since 2013.  During his tenure is he clean and free from wrongs?  No sir!  Is Mr. Trudeau clean and free from controversy and disapproval?  Absolutely not!

The fact of the matter is this: With any political candidate no matter where you are in the world, you’re going to find faults because they’re not God and they’re not perfect.

Would you be surprised to know that God has either placed these people in leadership for reasons we’re not aware of or has allowed their leaderships to happen under his sovereign reign and wisdom?  That’s a scary fact and it’s not the first time God has made such moves or allowed such things to happen.  Take for example the ancient Israelites.  God has allowed the Babylonians and Assyrians to conquer and rule over their lands in the Old Testament.  God also allowed Egypt to rule over the Israelites for 400 years during the time of Exodus.  At times God has allowed wicked leaders to rule over the Israelites in the period of the book of Judges.  Still at other times in the history of the Israelites, Godly people were selected, and things went well.

How can we respond to our leaders whether we agree with them or not?

PRAY FOR THEM!  Keep praying for them and do not cease in prayers!

In fact, and when we expand 1 Tim. 2:1, make supplications (ask and even beg God), pray (commune with God in communication, worship, submission and humbleness), intercede (plead with God on behalf of others) and be thankful for all people.  This applies when thinking about leaders but also for everyone else!  In particular for our kings and “people who are in high positions” a.k.a. leaders, pray that these people will lead from a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified (worthy and respectful) in every way.  Our text goes on to say that our God wants all to be saved and come to know the truth and this applies to our leaders as well.  In fact, I believe leadership reflects one’s personal life.  Pray that our leaders will lead from a place of the truth (Jesus through his Word).  It’s true that not often we get leaders in society that are Christian or go through scripture, but that doesn’t mean God can’t change our leaders to become that way or at the very least, derive thoughts, speech and actions from biblical truths, Godly compassion and Godly justice (not as how the world defines it, but as God defines it from scripture).

Whatever you do, keep praying for our leaders because they need our prayers!

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Feeling Blue?

January 15, 2025.

29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.  32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”  33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”  34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.  “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”  35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

-Matthew 15:29-39 (NIV)

We currently find ourselves “In the bleak midwinter”.  The sun is hidden behind clouds, all the leaves have fallen a while ago, it’s cold and we’re blanketed with layers of snow.  It’s during this time of year when some people are affected by something called Season Affective Disorder (SAD) usually occurring during the year when there is shortened daylight that may contribute to feelings of sadness, lack of energy, loss of interest in usual activities, etc.  Some people have found job prospects run dry or they’re not satisfied with where they are in their careers or even stage of life.  For others during this time of year, it may also be socially difficult as some people may feel extended loneliness or isolation – at times it may lead to “cabin fever” where one feels distress, claustrophobic, irritable or restless from prolonged confinement.  To make matters worse and for a few newcomers to Canada, the government hasn’t been helpful in suddenly changing their immigration status without warning.  Others are just tired from working long hours with little gratitude or companion, or going through a health, safety or financial crisis.  At the same time, perhaps you’ve experienced a lot of great highs in your walk in faith in the past – you’ve experienced your mountain top moments, but currently you’re going through a deep and dark valley.  For all of the above reasons and for some others, you may find yourselves “feeling blue.”

Before I proceed and whenever there is a crisis or a bout of negativity, I want to ask you a profound question that one of my closest friends once asked me when I had a hard day of work (back when I was working in the construction industry). – Where is God in all of this?

Can you imagine how the crowds of Gentiles felt following Jesus?  Surely like a number of you they already experienced “mountain top moments” when they went through the highs in their faith.  They witnessed or were directly a part of Jesus healing the lame, blind, crippled, mute, etc.  Verse 29 also tells us that they were actually up on a mountainside, so they were actually physically elevated in addition to spiritually.  Can you imagine the rush and excitement they all felt?  It would’ve been an amazing scene!  However, all of that is over now!  Now is a different story!  All of that is behind us and behind these followers when we get to Matthew 15:32. When we read both Matthew and Mark’s account in Matthew 15:32 and Mark 8:2, it says the crowds were journeying with Jesus for three days and have nothing to eat!  Mark’s account is more urgent and dire where Mark 8:3 tells us since they had nothing to eat, they were going to collapse (not may collapse as mentioned in Matthew 15:21).

Following after Jesus and being a disciple of Jesus is never easy, and nobody said it would be (Jn. 16:33).  This next question goes to the crowds of Gentiles and also to us going through any hardships:  Do you know who is actually with you during these times?  The living bread that came down from heaven is here with you (Jn. 6:51)!  As long as we have Jesus, we don’t need to fear ANYTHING or ANYONE!....So the crowds were hungry? HELLO, the living bread is with them!....So you’re going through a distress right now?  HELLO, Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).  So you’re going through other trouble?  HELLO, our God is our refuge and strength, and he is our EVER-present help in trouble! (Psa. 46:1)

He knows your every need, he is not a god that is far away.  He is God with us, the Immanuel (Isa. 7:14).  He will provide, he will take care of you, he feels your pain and he wants you to trust in him and rely upon him and only him.  He is the miracle maker and all things are possible with him.  In the case of the four thousand people our text tells us, “I have compassion for these people…” (Matt. 15:32).  Jesus provided the way as he always has and always will.  I don’t know how he multiplied the fish and loaves, and I certainly can’t explain it.  At times faith doesn’t demand explanation, but every time faith demands trust!  In your times of feeling blue and every other time, trust him!

Where is God in all of this? Near you, you just have to find him by focusing on him and trusting him!

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Celebrating God’s Victories

January 8, 2025

12 Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, 15 while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

-2 Samuel 6:12-16 (NIV)

My goodness what a year it’s been!  God’s power and providence never ceases to amaze me!  And when God makes his presence known and when God delivers his power and providence to save and bless his people, let’s not forget to celebrate and give glory to God!

Have you ever sat back and reflected on all the times God was visibly or audibly good to you?  Let’s make the first point clear: If you get to wake up, congratulations because God caused or allowed it to happen, because at any given moment God could’ve struck you dead in your sleep!  This is God after all and he is the author and perfector of time and life itself!  All life is in his hands and as long as we have breath in our lungs, we are to give God the glory!  Further to that, if we actually sat and thought about all of the times God has been good to us, the list of events would be extensively long. 

In my short-term memory with my experiences and amongst many stories, I’m particularly amazed at Gods power and providence regarding my last living situation in Toronto before moving to Moncton.  My wife and I were looking for a condominium suite to rent.  Rent prices kept going up and we didn’t want to live in a shady part of the city.  My wife and I randomly responded to an online ad to contact a landlord owning a small 1.5 bedroom condominium suite in Toronto, but in a nice part of the city.  In person we met with the landlord’s husband, and I told him that I’m an Ordained Minister and to my surprise he mentioned his wife (the landlord) is a full-time church worker serving a church not too far away and because I mentioned my unique occupation and calling, the landlord decided to cancel every other showing for other potential renters and just committed to us.  Now the odds that we’d randomly connect with another full-time church worker is incredibly small to me and I just took it as God’s favour, power and providence, but that’s just one of my stories and surely you all have your own great stories.  I thank God for all the events where I really experienced God’s favour and blessing.  In the event with my condo rental, I remember we celebrated by having a potluck dinner with some of our friends and thanking God for taking care of us.

I also want to thank God and the people of St. Andrew’s for coming together and making our church budget work for 2024.  We were down quite a lot leading into December 2024 and in 31 days, we made budget!  With God’s help we will continue to be vibrant and relevant in our communities and help people both near and abroad, by making disciples of Jesus Christ.   In my opinion this is worth celebrating!  The people of St. Andrew’s felt God’s call and answered!  Perhaps we don’t celebrate these kinds of victories enough! 

In today’s biblical text, let’s look at a major victory and how David celebrated.  The Philistines were one of the major enemies of God.  There are multiple stories of the Israelites doing battle with the Philistines.  In our text today, David’s army claims a major victory in bringing back the once stolen, Ark of the Covenant.  It wasn’t easy beating the Philistines in battle and it wasn’t even easy bringing the ark back to Jerusalem.  We know that in Num. 4:15 the Old Testament law required the sons of Kohath to carry the ark back.  When David’s men and oxen stumbled on their journey back with the ark, Uzzah grabbed the ark to help the men (2 Sam. 6:6).  It seemed like an innocent and “goodwill action”, but dealing with God is terrifying and this is the perfect example.  Out of wrath, God struck Uzzah dead in his tracks (2 Sam. 6:7) because he wasn’t meant to carry the ark.  Violating God’s law means death (Num. 4:15), no matter what the case.  Thank goodness Jesus came to save us by grace!  Here we not only see God’s sovereign power and majesty, but we also see God’s holiness!  It’s also a healthy that God sees everything we do, but also a reminder at how important Jesus is to save us from God’s wrath!  Out of fear, David and his men took the ark to the house of a Levite, Obed-Edom.  It stayed there until God’s wrath subsided and God blessed Obed-Edom’s entire household for three months!

We know how important God’s Word is (in this case, God’s law given on the tablets within the ark).  God’s Word always has a profound effect on people.  Within our text, Obed-Edom’s entire household was blessed simply because the Word of God stayed with him.  It was a major victory to defeat the Philistines and it was a major victory just to bring it back to Jerusalem and David celebrated!....but look at how David prepared before the celebration and leaving Obed-Edom’s house.  In 2 Sam 6:13, David demonstrated his reverence for God’s holiness.  The sacrifice following the first six steps represented a fresh start and a clear commitment to do things God’s way!  He wanted to make sure the rest of the journey would be right in God’s eyes!

Next, David celebrated, and boy did he ever!  He probably looked like a “dancing fool” to the eyes of the world and to Michal (daughter of Saul).  What’s that saying? “Dance like nobody is watching?”  David didn’t care that Michal was watching and upset.  David’s mind was fixated on God and that’s all that mattered.  David did right in God’s eyes (though not at first) and that’s all that mattered.  Other people may get jealous, other people may twist the narrative around.  What’s right with God is often not right with the world.  The Word of God is foolish to the world but precious to God’s followers.  I don’t know about you, but I think we need to celebrate God’s victories more, no matter who’s watching!

 
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