Making church safe
Mark 10:42-45
How does correct use of authority become misuse of authority, and what should we do about it?
#biblicaltheology
#church
#Gospel
Published March 16th, 2022
Matthew 23
1 Peter 5
Sermon 2
Matthew 23
NT
Matthew 23:1-39
esv
Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees 23 1 Then Jesus t said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 u “The scribes and the Pharisees v sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, w but not the works they do. x For they preach, but do not practice. 4 y They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, 1 and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 t They do all their deeds z to be seen by others. For they make a their phylacteries broad and b their fringes long, 6 and they c love the place of honor at feasts and d the best seats in the synagogues 7 and d greetings in e the marketplaces and being called f rabbi 1 by others. 8 g But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are h all brothers. 1 9 i And call no man your father on earth, for j you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, k the Christ. 11 l The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 m Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. 13 “But woe n to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you o shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you p neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 1 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single q proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a r child of s hell 1 as yourselves. 16 “Woe to t you, u blind guides, who say, v ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or w the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by x the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or y the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by z him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by a heaven swears by b the throne of God and by c him who sits upon it. 23 d “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For e you tithe mint and dill and f cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: g justice and mercy and faithfulness. h These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing i a camel! 25 j “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For k you clean the outside of l the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of m greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of l the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27 n “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like o whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and p all uncleanness. 28 So you also q outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of r hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 s “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are t sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 u Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, v you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to w hell? 34 x Therefore y I send you z prophets and wise men and a scribes, b some of whom you will kill and crucify, and b some you will c flog in your synagogues and d persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all e the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous f Abel to the blood of g Zechariah the son of Barachiah, 1 whom you murdered between h the sanctuary and i the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, j all these things will come upon this generation. Lament over Jerusalem 37 k “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that l kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have m gathered n your children together o as a hen gathers her brood p under her wings, and q you were not willing! 38 See, r your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, s ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
lookup
1 Peter 5
1 Peter 5:1-14
Shepherd the Flock of God 5 1 So I exhort the elders among you, m as a fellow elder and n a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 o shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, 1 p not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; 2 q not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not r domineering over those in your charge, but s being examples to the flock. 4 And when t the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the u unfading v crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. w Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for x “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 x Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 y casting all your anxieties on him, because z he cares for you. 8 a Be sober-minded; b be watchful. Your c adversary the devil d prowls around e like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 f Resist him, g firm in your faith, knowing that h the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And i after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, j who has called you to his k eternal glory in Christ, will himself l restore, m confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 n To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Final Greetings 12 By o Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, p I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is q the true grace of God. r Stand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does s Mark, my son. 14 t Greet one another with the kiss of love. u Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Sermon 2
Making church safe, part 2: How does correct use of authority become misuse of authority, and what should we do about it? Intro Last week: 'why we need to talk about this'. This week: 'spotting and responding to unhealthy patterns. Brief review of 5 foundations. In particular today we'll focus on the cross-shaped life as the shape for all Christian use of authority. What matters most is the shape of authority, not scope or sphere. 1. When does correct use become misuse? The key principle: when authority is used selfishly rather than to serve. Examples. Biblical support. Why 'shedding blood' is not always literal shedding blood, or anger is murder, or lust is adultery, etc. The shape determines it, not the scale. Key passages: Mark 10.42-45; Philippians 2; Matthew 23. White, grey, black: Correct, misuse, abuse. Four or five-fold progression. We actually tolerate a lot in the grey. Deception of the heart: Rule of dysfunction: everything is about the sin/unbelief/idolatry issue, overtly or covertly (to cover or deflect from it). Pulls everyone in, whole communities. Wisest and most loving thing is to draw it into the open so that it can be restored, confronted, healed. 'Meta' diagrams about God, the gospel, our hearts, our ways. The micro-details matter, since we become what we tolerate, not what we talk about. And since the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. 2. Early warning signs of shameful gain and domineering, and how to respond to each: [DM long list to insert here...] What if no harm was intended? Sinful and unhealthy behaviours can still be done unintentionally – e.g., Lenny in Of Mice and Men. They still need addressing, since people are getting hurt. What if it's just my/his/her personality? We all need to be committed to having what we call our 'personality' re-formed under Jesus' rule, learning his ways. Cf the disciples are already 'pre-discipled' when they start following Jesus. They make certain comments about Samaritans, respond to children in a certain way. We all come pre-discipled, and discipleship is not about adding mere forms and knowledge, it is about learning Jesus' ways of being. No one gets a free pass on fruit of the Spirit. But how can you ever get anything done? Wrong question. Firstly, the work has been done. Our call is to come and die to ourselves, and come and live in Jesus. Every moment of our lives is a discipleship opportunity; a chance to trace out the life of Jesus in real time. Christian ministry is one of patient endurance; the work patience is constantly overlooked. How does impatience benefit a farmer or shepherd or athlete? 3. Let us learn the ways and pace of Jesus Be the change. No matter what others are or aren't doing, you pursue healthy following of Jesus. Let us trust and trace the ways and pace of Jesus. How we learn the ways and pace of Jesus. Examples and Bible passages. Wrap up : Jesus came to not for the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance. We the church are the community of sinners, trusting in our Lord and learning his ways together.
notes
Comments
Disclaimer: The opinions and conclusions expressed on this page are those of the author and may or may not accord with the positions of Biblearc or Bethlehem College & Seminary.