Bible Talks - Sunday Night Church
Series: 40 Days With The Risen Lord
Blessing from the Proclamation
Sunday, 24 April 2005
Have you ever wondered which is the most popular radio station. Some say 2UE, others 2FM, 2GB or maybe one of the FM stations like 2TRIPLE J or 2CBAFM. My own personal favorites are 92.9 ABC Classical FM I’ve had to learn to like it because it’s Margaret’s favourite. When the music on that sounds too much like they forgot to kill the cat before they strung the violins I switch to 2CH, the station that still plays the pop music I grew up on. Then again, during the cricket season I like whichever station that broardcasts the cricket.
But the ruly and truly most popular station, is one known as WIIFM. You won’t find it on your radio dial. I can’t tell you its frequency allocation but more people tune in to this station than any other. Not only that, it’s not restricted to the Sydney metropolitan area or NSW or even Australia. It enjoys world wide popularity. WIIFM stands for ‘WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME.” The advertising industry know about the popularity of this station. Why should I do this? Why should I buy that? What are the advantages? What are the gains? ‘WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME.”
Now contrary to a lot of popular opinion the bible doesn’t actually condemn this active self interest. What it does is redirect it towards the outcomes that are truly worth having. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 Jesus said, “when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
It’s not that there should be no thought of reward but a redirection to reward from God rather than from men. A bit further on in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Again a redirection to the rewards that really matter.
The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9, “25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
And again in 2 Timothy 4, “7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
WIIFM, What’s in it for me? What’s in it for you? It’s the crown of glory, the treasures of heaven, eternal life with God in heaven. When people respond to the proclamation of the risen Lord what’s in it for them is forgiveness of sins, redemption from hell, reconciliation with God and all the glories of eternity in heaven.
Remember at the start of our 40 days series. In Luke 24 we saw that the disciples, Cleopas and his companion, had rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the others that they had seen the risen Lord on the Emmaus road. As they were talking Jesus suddenly appeared amongst them and told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations.”
What’s in it for you and me goes right back to the reason why Jesus had to die in the first place and this has been progressively revealed to us in the scriptures. Back in Genesis we saw that God made the world as the good, or better still perfect, place for mankind to live. In the early chapters we saw God and man in close fellowship, walking together in the garden in the cool of the evening. The world was perfect and God gave man a few simple rules to live by. But man blew it. He didn’t trust God. He wanted freedom not just to do what he wanted but also to choose the consequences. God put man out of the garden and under a curse and then the rest of the Bible is the story of what God has been doing to restore that broken relationship.
He chose one man, Abraham and promised that through his descendant he would redeem mankind. That one man became a nation and God looked after that nation down through history. In spite of the close relationship between that nation Israel and its God, expressed in the covenant or agreement between them and God, we see the nation going down the tubes as it turns its back on God time and time again. Yet in his faithfulness God sticks to his side of the relationship and sends the promised descendent of Abraham. His own son, Jesus Christ.
In this 40 days series we’ve seen how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises and so he came and gave his life and rose again so that mankind, and more particularly you and I could be reconciled with God through the repentance and forgiveness that has been proclaimed in our risen Lord.
The disciples were told by Jesus the to proclaim the repentance and forgiveness that can be had through faith in the risen Lord. They were to start in Jerusalem then all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
Our Bible reading thjis morning from acts Acts 17 is taken from the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey when he was doing just that. Going out into the world to proclaim the risen Lord. We see him at Thessalonica and Berea in Macedonia. In each place the reception of the proclamation of Jesus as the risen Lord was much as we saw last week when Jesus sent the 70 out on a mission. “2As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he said. 4Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.” Notice that what he proclaimed was the same as Jesus had explained to his disciples in his post-ressurection appearance. Jesus is the Christ. He had to suffer. He rose from the dead. The response was similar as well. Some believed and received the blessings of the proclamation, repentance and forgiveness and incorporation into God's Kingdom. Paul moves on to Berea because of those who rejected the message. Again some believe and others don’t and he moves on again to Athens.
Superficially this polarization of people’s attitudes that comes through the proclamation of the risen Lord may appear to be counter productive. People rose up against the apostles and drove them out of town. These days we hear people saying why can’t we just proclaim a message of peace and love, instead of all that business about repentance and faith.
But when we look at the letter Paul wrote to the Thessalonians just a few months later we see why the full gospel must be proclaimed.
“We know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”
The benefit to the Thessalonians had both an immediate and a future aspect. Immediately they had joy at the forgiveness of their sins, they had the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives that enabled them to resist the persecuition they were suffering but above all they had that sure and certain hope that would be fully realized at the return of Jesus.
So what are the blessings that come from the right reception of the proclamation of the risen Lord. WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? What’s in it for whoever we proclaim the risen Lord to.
Immediately: The joy of sins forgiven, Release from guilt. Awareness of God’s love. Reconcilliation with God and others. The love and fellowship of our Christian brothers and sisters. Some measure of victory over sin in our lives. A sense of thankfulness and a desire to tell others. Freedom from the uncertainties and anxieties of this world.
Future: Heaven. Reconcilliation and restoration to fellowship with God and Jesus. Eden restored. Glory, riches, rule. Eternal life. Freedom from even the possibility of sin.
The first Thessalonian Christians responded to the proclamation they had received from Paul and his companions by, proclaiminh the risen Lord to those around them. So much so that not just Macedonia and Achaia, that is Greece, but the surrounding territories too heard the proclamation.
We have heard the proclamation of the risen Lord. We have responded in repentance and faith. Who is hearing about the risen Lord from us?
Let us pray.
Our triune God,
We call upon you for an outpouring of your Spirit upon us.
Assure us of your love and acceptance received by faith in the gospel of your Son. May your words come alive in our inner experience sop we confidently call Christ our lord and God our Father. Draw our hearts to your love, to have a faith that rests, truly rests on the death of Christ for salvation, which will empower and liberate us to do good. Clothe us with the fruits of your Spirit. Annoint us with the gifts of your Spirit. Renew us in the ways of your Son so that we see your people, your church filled with sacrificial compassion for the lost.
AMEN
