Produce fruit – fruit that will last.

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 Graduation Parade, Royal Military College Duntroon

The Gospel according to Luke 3: 7-18 (NIV)

⁷ John said to the crowds coming out to be baptised by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ The axe has been laid to the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
¹⁰ “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
¹¹ John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
¹² Even tax collectors came to be baptised. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
¹³ “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
¹⁴ Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely – be content with your pay.”
¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. ¹⁶ John answered them all, “I baptise you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” ¹⁸ And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

When people wondered “if John might possibly be the Messiah”, he answered, “I baptise you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

The difference is significant. John called people to repentance. He baptised them with water. This signified their rejection of sinful living. But John could not forgive sin; “who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luke 5: 21).

The one more powerful who was to come would baptise with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to his disciples. He taught that, after his departure, he would send the Counsellor. On that first post-ascension Pentecost, they were anointed with the Holy Spirit.

John’s prophecy of fire could refer to that occasion. The context suggests another meaning however. John then said, “His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” John’s message anticipates a judgement yet to come.

Jesus’ earthly mission led him to the cross. Through his crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection we have forgiveness of sins. Jesus ascended to be with the Father – but that is not the end of the story.

“He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.”* As judge, “He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

What of the “wheat”? John urged, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance”. Jesus requires the same of his people. “I … appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last” (John 15: 16). What a huge mission is that!

* From The Nicene Creed

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A baptism of repentance

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 Mountain biker

The Gospel according to Luke 3: 1-6 (NIV)

¹ In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar – when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene – ² during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³ He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.
⁵ Every valley shall be filled in,
    every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
    the rough ways smooth.
⁶ And all people will see God’s salvation.’”

Some scholars date the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar to between 27 and 29 AD, depending on which dating system Luke applied (Roman or Syrian or Jewish – all started their years on different dates). Others consider the period to be 25-26 AD. Sometime in this span of years (by Gregorian calendar calculations) “the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness”. Of John, Luke has already stated, “the Lord’s hand was with him” (1: 66) and that “the child (John) grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel” (1: 80).

John’s preaching in the country around the river Jordan was a sign to Israel of the revival of prophecy. After many centuries with scarce presence among them of prophets, the people believed that John’s appearance was highly significant – and it was! John knew that one more powerful than he was would soon follow (Luke 3: 16). John had been called to prepare the way.

John’s purpose was to call people to repentance. As a symbol of that repentance he baptised them with water. By this means, John was preparing the way for the Lord. He was calling on all people to recognise how they had strayed from following the God of Israel. Kings and prophets in the past had regarded such straying as a national error requiring correction at the national level. It appears from both John’s ministry of baptism and from his answers to the people who came to him for baptism that the preparation of the way that God required of John was in individuals’ hearts.

Today you and I might be highly critical of the ways in which our own countries stray from the clear purposes of God. But can we claim that, as individuals, we have not also strayed? Do we need to invite God to correct us, one person at a time, including through deliberate repentance, before we can hope that our own countries can be made ready for the return of Jesus?

Overflowing love

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 Excavator! A sulphur-crested cockatoo

First Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians 3: 9-13 (NIV)

⁹ How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? ¹⁰ Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. ¹² May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. ¹³ May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

The Apostle Paul spoke and wrote often about the return of the Lord Jesus. Paul may have expected that the return of the Lord in glory would occur in his own lifetime however his frequent reference to the coming of “our Lord Jesus … with all his holy ones” is likely to reflect his earnest desire that the church be ever-watchful and ever-ready for that day.

His encouragement for the church in Thessalonica is touching. We can believe that his joy was genuine because of the faith in God which these people clearly demonstrated. The good news of Timothy’s report back to Paul (1 Thessalonians 3: 6) brought out his expressions of gratitude. His gratitude was not to them nor to Timothy but to God because of the work God had achieved in them.

Paul’s outburst of prayer (verses 11-13) extols their love for one another and for everyone else. As great as their love was, Paul asked that the Lord would make it increase and overflow. How different would our own worshipping communities be if we made the same prayer for one another and for those in neighbouring communities of faith!

Can we resolve to pray more intently for one another, that our love for God will increase and overflow and that this love for God will be matched by overflowing love for one another?

The One “who is, and who was, and who is to come”

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 Glass artwork in Australia’s Parliament House: “A” to “Z” in the Hansard Office (which officially records all Parliamentary debates)

The Revelation to John 1: 4-8 (NIV)

⁴ John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
⁷ “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
    and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
    and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.
⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The first and last verses of this passage refer to God the Father as him “who is, and who was, and who is to come.”

We are reminded of the occasion when the God of eternity revealed himself to Moses. Moses questioned God (Exodus 3: 13), “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God said to Moses (Exodus 3: 14), “I am who I am (or ‘I will be what I will be’). This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

The greeting from John in this book of the Revelation is clearly Trinitarian. Seven, the number representing completion and perfection to Hebrews, appears throughout the book. In the context of “the seven spirits before his throne”, commentators believe John was referencing the completeness and perfection of the Holy Spirit. So John’s greeting of “Grace and peace to you” is from the Father (“the Almighty” – verse 8), the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ, “the faithful witness”.

The Lord God, in representing himself to John, again used “I am” and then “the Alpha and the Omega”. These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The English alphabet’s equivalent is “A to Z” which seems to be a shorthand way of saying “from first to last” or “from beginning to end”. Although “the Alpha and the Omega” hardly seems adequate if we are trying to present a full description of God, perhaps it would help to look at the use of “A to Z” today. Book titles alone yield hundreds of topics covered by the “A to Z” formula, from pets to sport and from cooking to home maintenance. The breadth of “knowledge” can be illustrated in part by Trevor Montague’s book, “A to Z of Almost Everything” which runs to 1360 pages!

Throughout the Revelation to John are glimpses of the glory of Jesus Christ. In this short passage John recognised him as “the ruler of the kings of the earth” and attributed to him “glory and power for ever and ever!” Wonderfully, he “loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood”. He has made us “to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father”. Let us resolve to do so with unrestrained joy.

Stand firm to the end

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 Short-beaked Echidna (Spiny anteater)

Gospel of Mark 13: 1-13 (NIV)

¹ As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”
² “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
³ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴ “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”
⁵ Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁶ Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. ⁷ When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁸ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth-pains.
⁹ “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. ¹¹ Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
¹² “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ¹³ Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

This passage alerts us to four spiritual dangers about which Jesus warned his disciples.

The first danger is to rely on the outward show of religion. Jesus was preparing his disciples for a time when participation in the familiar rites of Judaism would be denied them and when the temple would be destroyed. His warning remains relevant today. God desires humble, obedient and contrite hearts. He wants people to love him and to love one another.

The second danger is to be led astray by the deception of false Messiahs. We must remain on guard against false teaching and attempts to corrupt the message of the Gospel.

The third danger is to be distracted from God’s mission by a world in turmoil. “When you hear of wars and rumours of wars”, Jesus said, “do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come”. Enduring peace between nations seems as remote now as it ever has been. Jesus calls us to focus on him and his mission regardless of current turmoil. “The good news must first be proclaimed to all nations,” he said. Proclaimed by whom? By you and by me.

The fourth danger is to stumble when confronted by the bitter persecution of those who put their faith in Jesus. Jesus’ followers in many countries are persecuted to death. Should we be surprised? Jesus warned that people who love and follow him will be hated by all because of his name. “But,” he said, “the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

The Apostle Paul likened life to running a race, completing the distance, reaching the finish line. Standing firm to the end requires that we heed Jesus’ warnings against these four great spiritual dangers.

Remembrance Day (Armistice Day) 2018

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 Australian War Memorial Canberra – display of woven poppies

Loving Heavenly Father, we thank you for the relative security we enjoy in this country and for the freedom we have to worship you openly and without fear. We thank you for those who have gone before us to ensure this security and freedom. May we never take it for granted.

We carry a burden in our hearts as we think on those who have lost their lives or have suffered physical, emotional, spiritual or mental wounding, and in some instances all of these, as a consequence of war. We include not only those who wore uniform to defend their country but also those family members who now share in the tragedy of loss.

We sense, Father, that our burdens are small compared with the sadness of heart you bear because your children have not yet learned the hard lessons derived from conflict and war. We continue to carry belligerent attitudes. We continue to demand what we wrongly believe to be our rights. We continue to try to justify ourselves and our motives. We continue to fail to live as you would have us live, in loving and obedient service towards you and in harmony with one another.

Forgive us, Father, and change us to be more like your Son Jesus Christ. Help us to love and to respect one another. Banish from the human heart all that resorts to conflict and all that leads to war.

Help us to live sacrificially as did your Son, who lived and died for us that we may be truly free. Amen.

“Unless the Lord …”

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  Preparing for a season of cricket

Psalm 127 (NIV)

¹ Unless the Lord builds the house,
    the builders labour in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
    the guards stand watch in vain.
² In vain you rise early
    and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat –
    for he grants sleep to those he loves.

³ Children are a heritage from the Lord,
    offspring a reward from him.
⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
    are children born in one’s youth.
⁵ Blessed is the man
    whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
    when they contend with their opponents in court.

How many of our projects are exactly that, our projects? Even when we set out to do something for God, be it to plant a new church or to visit somebody in a hospital, are we motivated by the conviction that the Lord has laid it on our hearts to do this or could there be an element of our doing this according to our own agenda?

The psalmist has made it clear: whether the task is to build a house or to secure a city, unless it is the Lord’s initiative and unless the Lord is providing his cover over the activity, the effort is in vain. Toiling for any purpose, even for the simple purpose of earning sufficient to pay the food bills, is in vain if the work is contrary to what the Lord wants to be done.

That such work may be in vain is not always evident. We should not be amazed if the corrupt and the selfish seem to prosper in the short term. The vanity of their effort might be revealed in this life but, in most instances, revelation that their effort was in vain may have to wait until the life-to-come.

In Psalm 90: 17 we read the psalmist’s request, “May the gracious favour of the Lord our God be upon us: prosper the work of our hands, O prosper the work of our hands!”

We must be wary of starting a work and only then asking the Lord to bless it (or “prosper” it) rather than embarking on a work because it is the Lord’s work which he is calling us to undertake. In the latter case we can ask with confidence for blessing and a prospering of the work of our hands in the knowledge that the Lord’s work will not be thwarted.

Let us resolve to pray before planning, to pray before commencing anything and to pray throughout an activity so that the Lord’s work continues unhindered and our obedience is rewarded with progress for his glory and for the advancement of his kingdom.