Out of the Mouth of a Fish

Peter just shook his head. That was all they wanted was money. Couldn't they see the bigger picture? That there was more at stake then just money. They had just arrived back in town and before they could even get settled the church was there with its hand out. Well it wasn't actually the church, but close enough. They wanted to know if Jesus had paid his share of the temple tax for the year. Well I don't think Peter knew so he did what most of us would do, he bluffed. "Of course he has, what type of pagan do you think he is?"

 

You see the tax had been established 1400 years before when the people of Israel were still in the wilderness and its purpose was to provide for the upkeep and maintenance of the tabernacle which was like a portable temple where the high priests performed the required sacrifices. And while the average Israelite probably never thought about it there would have been considerable expense in maintaining the Tabernacle.

 

Traditionally there has been the tithe or the one tenth given to the Lord, began back with Abraham and continued throughout his family and descendants. However the people now were escaped slaves, wandering through the desert in search of the land that had been promised them, thus the name "The Promised Land." And as escaped slaves wandering through the desert in search of the land that had been promised them they had very limited earning power, as a matter of fact they had no earning power. Therefore 10% of nothing was nothing and nothing wasn't enough to maintain the tabernacle. What the people did have though was the accumulated savings that they had brought with them. And so a tax was levied on them, one half of a Shekel. This wasn't a paltry sum in that day, but if they were going to maintain a place of worship then sacrifice was needed and they would have to give beyond what was easy.

 

Once the people of Israel reached the Promised Land the tithe was reinstated, because now the people were farming, fishing and conducting business and the ten percent they gave back to God, notice that I said gave back because the presumption of the Jews was that all things came from God. Interesting comment don't you think? The ten percent they gave back to God would pay for the ministry of the tabernacle and later the temple, would provide for the priests and all the other expenses that go with worshipping God.

 

Now I'm sure that there were those in Israel who felt that they should be able to worship God for nothing, and while that is a neat thought it wasn't all that realistic. The temple was a costly place to run. There were the daily morning and evening sacrifices which each involved a year old lamb. Along with the lamb were offered wine and flour and oil. The incense that was burned every day had to be bought and prepared.

 

The temple itself was filled with costly hangings, not out of vanity but because it was seen as a way to tell God "This is how much we value you". The robes the priest and high priests wore had to be maintained, and the priests had families to support and so they had to draw a salary. And so God's temple was supported by God's people, novel thought.

 

Even after the tithe was reintroduced though the temple tax continued to be paid, and unlike the civil tax which was paid with some grumbling this one was usually paid quite willingly and was almost seen as a patriotic exercise as it remembered the people's deliverance from Egypt.

And so the tax continued to be collected for fourteen hundred years until this story was recorded. The tax continued to be collected until the temple was destroyed by the armies of Rome in 70 AD, and at that time the Roman Emperor Vespasian decreed that the temple tax should still be collected and used to finance the temple of Jupiter in Rome.

 

However by the time of Jesus not everyone was happy paying the taxes. As a matter of fact some nationalist and zealots refused to pay the taxes as long as Jerusalem was occupied by a foreign army, in this case a Roman Army. And so the tax had become an issue of religious commitment vs. national commitment.

 

The real question was whether those who questioned Peter were really interested in getting the temple tax or if they were setting Jesus up? Did they want their half shekel, which was the equivalent of two days labour or were they testing Peter to find out where Christ loyalties lay? We will never know, but we do know that probably the reason that Peter was asked was because he owned the house that Christ was staying in, at least that's a pretty fair assumption seeing we are told elsewhere in the Gospels that is where Jesus stayed when he was in Capernaum. We do know that this story probably happened right around this time of year because the tax was collected on the first of the month Adar, which is March on our calendar.

 

And so when Peter was asked "Doesn't your teacher pay the Temple tax?" (Notice how the question was formed in the negative?) Peter immediately states "Of course he does." And then he went to ask Jesus if he had paid the temple tax. But even before Peter can open his mouth to ask, Jesus begins to teach him.

 

"Say Peter, what do you think, who do kings tax, their own family or commoners?" I wonder if Charles pays tax? Jesus knew that and Peter knew that and he said so Peter said "the commoners?" I couldn't find that out, but I discovered this about the Queen. On the official website of the Royal Family I read this "In 1992, The Queen volunteered to pay income tax and capital gains tax, and since 1993 her personal income has been taxable as for any other taxpayer."

And Peter responds "Well that is a dumb question the reason that Kings charged taxes was to help support their families" And Jesus said "my point exactly, the King's children are free." You understand what he was saying at this point right? The tax was for the temple, and time and time again the temple is referred to in the Bible as the House of God. 1 Chronicles 9:26 The four chief gatekeepers, all Levites, were trusted officials, for they were responsible for the rooms and treasuries at the house of God.

 

Ecclesiastes 5:1 As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.

 

1 Chronicles 6:48 Their fellow Levites were appointed to various other tasks in the Tabernacle, the house of God.

 

So the tax was for the temple, the temple was the house of God, you still with me? Ok, do you remember in Luke chapter 2, Mary and Joseph have taken 12 year old Jesus to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover? And on the way back to Nazareth they realize they've forgotten Jesus back in the big city. And they rush back and discover that he is in the temple confounding the priests with his knowledge. And do you remember what he told his parents? No? It's spelled out in Luke 2:49 "But why did you need to search?" he asked. "Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" Ahhhh!

 

What about when Jesus returns to Jerusalem as an adult and he enters the temple to find merchants and money changers have filled the outer courts, and have turned the temple into a carnival like event. Do you remember what he said as he turned tables upside down and freed animals and scattered coins across the pavement? John 2:16 Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, "Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father's house into a marketplace!" Ahhhh!

 

What Jesus was asking was: "Should I pay tax to support my Father's house?" And then just as quickly he said, "But let's not offend them, let's pay the tax."

And that's where the story gets really interesting because Jesus tells Peter to go down to the lake, throw a line in the water and catch a fish. I'm sure that Peter is thinking "Ok, I come to tell him about the tax and he tells me to go fishing." But Jesus wasn't finished, "and as soon as you catch a fish, open its mouth and there will be a coin that will be enough to pay the temple tax for both of us."

Cool. But the story ends there, it doesn't tell us that Peter goes fishing, catches a fish and finds a coin in it's mouth, and it doesn't tell us that Peter went fishing caught a fish and there wasn't a coin in it's mouth. And it doesn't tell us that Peter went fishing and caught nothing but a cold. It doesn't even tell us that Peter didn't go fishing at all, it just stops.

 

Another one of those heaven questions right?

So what do we learn?

1) Church Has Always and Will Always Cost Something. It would be really nice to think that God's church would never have to worry about money. But that's not the way it is. As long as the church is on this earth there will be expenses. There will always be cost for the physical building in our case it's the mortgage and utilities, snowplowing and lawn mowing etc. If you own a house you know that it's not free. There will be salaries that have to be paid. I bet you thought I worked for nothing right? Wrong. The Guptill's have to eat, and need a place to sleep, and have to have cars to drive, just like real people. And so as much as I'd like to work for nothing it's not going to happen. And the neat thing is the Bible says I don't have to. 1 Timothy 5:17-18 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain." And in another place, "Those who work deserve their pay!"

 

And well Cornerstone Wesleyan Church doesn't have all the fancy tapestries and altars that the temple had we do have video projectors and computers, pianos and drums and sound systems and all the other things that are part of the worship experience today, and they all cost money.

Then as I already mentioned there's mortgage payments, utilities, material for children's church, licensing fees for the music, not to mention the governments share and the denominations share, and toilet paper, let's not forget the toilet paper. So understand that when I preach on money it's just a statement of reality.

 

2) God's People Are Called To Respond To the Need

And just as 2000 years ago God expected his people to provide for his house and those who minister there, he still expects it today. When the tax for the temple was first established and then when the tithe was used for the temple it wasn't expected to come from the Amorites or the Hittites, or the Jaborites or it was expected to come from the Israelites. They were God's people and they were expected as part of their remembrance and thanksgiving to God to provide for his house.

When Jesus walked the earth, the reason they approached Peter about the temple tax was he was a Jew and it was still up to the Jews to support the temple. It wasn't up to the Romans or the Samaritans or the Greeks it was up to God's people to provide the funding for God's house.

And in 2011 the story remains the same it's not up to the Government to fund churches nor is it up to those who never attend Church, it's up to God's people. It's not an admission charge, it's not a tip for a good service, it's acknowledging that God is our God and that we are his people and sometimes it's giving beyond what was easy.

And you may have noticed that we don't do fund raising in the church for the general fund, there are no raffles, no bingo, no bean suppers, we just have an offering box in the back, just like they had in the temple, remember Mark 12:41-42 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

 

You know the story, and how when Jesus saw what had happened said Mark 12:43-44 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on."

 

3) God Has Already Provided. There has been a lot of debate through the years over just how the story ended. Some folks maintain that Peter did what Jesus asked him to do, that he went down to the lake, threw his line into the water, caught a fish, found a coin and paid the taxes. That would be cool, and it could have happened. But the bible doesn't tell us it did happen. Most people can tell of a time when God miraculously provided for them. And he does that, it might not be as dramatic as finding a coin in a fish's mouth, but money has come from an unexpected source and your need was met, someone offered to fix your car for nothing, your neighbour was replacing their appliances, and gave you their old ones which worked and you were able to replace your fridge that didn't.

There is another school of thought that says that wasn't what Jesus really meant. Don't you love it when people say that "What the Bible really means." Just a hint on communications here, doesn't have anything to do with the sermon but consider it a bonus. "If you always find yourself saying, "In other words." Start using other words." That was free.

Back to the message, some people think that Jesus was just telling Peter that he could find what he needed in his work. Peter was a fisherman, just as his father had been a fisherman. And Jesus was saying "Peter you have the ability to pay the tax, go catch a fish and sell it, it will be like you found the money in its mouth." And while that isn't what Jesus said to Peter, it sounds like something that Jesus would say. He had an incredible sense of humour and irony. If you don't believe that then you haven't read the gospels lately and listened as Jesus drew word pictures about blind men leading blind men, about camels leaping through the eyes of needles and a man straining a little fly out of his glass of water and then drinking a huge hairy two humped camel without noticing. Don't try to turn Jesus into an always serious, never laughing humourless individual. Because that wasn't who he was.

Back to the sermon.

How often has God provided for us and for the church through who we are? We say "where would we ever find the money to give to the church?"

For seven of the first 10 years that our church was around I worked outside the church to keep it afloat. For five of those years I was a freelance writer for a half a dozen magazines. You might have read my stuff long before you started coming to Cornerstone. So, when we needed to cut expenses and I was wondering where we could do that Jesus said "Denn go to your computer and open Microsoft Word, and if windows doesn't freeze up then you will find a dollar there." And Angela teaches piano and so Jesus says to her, "Angela go to your piano and lift the lid, and there you will find the money." And for a mechanic he might say "Lift the hood of that car" and for someone in the insurance business he might say open that actuary table.

And while Jesus commended the widow for giving out of her poverty, if we were honest that isn't what Jesus is calling us to do. I've heard people say that the church shouldn't ask for money. And I agree, the church shouldn't have to ask for money. But I'm coming at it from a different direction then they are. They mean that the church should never do anything, never attempt to change anything never have an impact on the world. As a matter of fact, what they mean is that the church shouldn't exist. What I mean is that if everyone who is a part of God's church did what God called them to do financially our concern wouldn't be where to get the money but where to spend the money.

And so where are you at this morning? This is the third week in a row I've spoken about stewardship in my message, although it probably seems like the thirtieth week. And last week and the week before I asked that you would pray and consider two things. 1) Easter Offering 2) Step Up Sunday. And perhaps you've asked "God where will it come from?" And my question is; where is he telling you to look?

Cain and Abel

So here we are. Week two of Money Month!  In case you weren’t here last week or if you are new to Cornerstone I made a decision a number of years ago that instead of responding to financial crisis in the church by preaching on them that I would take one month each year and develop a theology of giving.  That if you could handle me preaching on stewardship for three or four Sundays each April I would leave you alone the rest of the year. 

Now I’m sure some of you are thinking “Why do you have to speak about money at all?”  Because it’s an important topic.  Moses spoke about it, David spoke about it, Solomon spoke about it, most of the prophets spoke about it, the New Testament authors spoke about it and Jesus spoke a lot about money.  How we make it and how we spend it .  So we can’t arbitrarily not speak about it.   I guess in the truest sense a church could operate without money, if you were willing to meet in your living room and not have a paid pastoral staff, but I think to truly worship God there would need to be a financial element, even if it meant you gave to give it away.  Because from the very beginning of time worship has contained an element of sacrifice. 

And really it’s not about money it’s about how we deal with our money, and our time and our talents.  Jesus told us in Matthew 6:21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.  And basically that means that our treasures, whatever they might be, are a barometer of our spiritual condition.  That if we want to see what is important in someone’s life than we need to look at what their treasures are, what they do to obtain their treasures, what they do with their treasures after they have them and where they keep their treasures.

So our theme this month is “Treasures of the Heart” 

So we are going to start by going back, way back, back to the beginning of the story of man. 

The scripture that was read this morning is a portion of a full passage about faith, and the heroes of faith as recorded in the Old Testament.  A veritable “Faith hall of Fame”, you had to be pretty special to get into this group.  And in particular we are looking at the first inductee.   Hebrews 11:4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

Maybe you know the story and maybe you don’t, so let’s highlight it for you. 

It’s a story of two brothers,  Cain the older brother was a farmer, he toiled in the dirt and raised crops, his younger brother, Abel, was a shepherd, and he raised sheep.  And by all indications they were good at what they did.  They were the first children of Adam and Eve after they had been expelled from the Garden for disobeying God. 

Now I know everyone is sitting there thinking “I wonder who they married?”  Well we really don’t know do we?  Maybe God created more people, that would be an interesting theory wouldn’t it.  Bible doesn’t say Adam and Eve were the only, just the first?  Or the other option is that Adam and Eve had more children and the siblings married each other.  You understand that there were no genetic flaws at the point in history; they were only one generation from creation, no time for the gene pool to get a little murky.  The reason that siblings marrying one another has been prohibited through the years is that there are all kinds of problems associated with their children, but that close to creation there were no genetic problems that would be amplified in that situation.  It will be interesting to see what happens in our culture when a brother and sister want to get married.  What would societies’ answer be?  “It’s wrong.”  And the response would be “But who says it’s wrong?”  That was just an aside.

So where were we?  Oh right, the two brothers and they both offered a sacrifice to their God, we don’t know exactly what all their sacrifices involved or didn’t involve. The writer of Hebrews makes this statement: Hebrews 11:4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did.

Well the story continues, the scriptures tell us that God found Abel’s offering acceptable but didn’t accept Cain’s.  And that ticked Cain off, and he reacted by killing his brother.  Took him out in the field and attacked him and stole his life. 
Now we don’t know if that was the intent all along or if things just got out of hand.  Maybe he just planned on laying a good whoopin’ on his little brother but hit him a little too hard. “I didn’t mean to hit you that hard bro, come on get up.  Come on Able this isn’t funny anymore, no more fooling around, Ok?” 
In thinking about it I kind of lean toward that theory I think it was an accident, Cain wanted to hurt Abel but I’m not convinced that he wanted to kill him.  After all Cain’s punishment was banishment and I’m thinking that had his actions been pre-meditated with malicious forethought and planning that God being a just and righteous God would have demanded a greater punishment.  It is interesting in the first case of murder in the bible capital punishment wasn’t demanded.

So what is it we learn from this story?  Let’s go back to the original story in Genesis 4:3-4 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD.   It Started With Greed  If you wonder why Abel’s gift was more acceptable the answer lies in that verse.  And it is summed up in this one statement:   Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord.  We don’t know what Cain gave or didn’t give maybe it was brussel spouts, which would explain a lot.   It’s not so much what was said about Cain’s gift but what was said about Abel’s gift that explains what happened.  Listen to the full account,  Genesis 4:3-4 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD. Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock.   

Cain brought some of his crops, Abel brought the best of the first born lambs. Some. . . The best of.  Did you catch it?

You see ultimately when it comes to our giving we are concerned with one of two things.  Either we are wondering what we are going to be able to give or we are wondering what we are going to be able to keep.  Abel gave the best, Cain kept the best. 

Collins Dictionary defines Greed: Excessive Desire, especially for wealth or food.

American Psychologist Erich Fromm said “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.”

But not everyone agrees, Ivan F. Boesky said “Greed is all right, by the way … I think greed is healthy. You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself.” And Donald Trump said “The point is that you can't be too greedy.”

On the other hand one of the things that Jesus condemned the Pharisees for was greed.  And when he was describing sinful behaviour listen to what he clumped greed together with in Mark 7:21-22 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.  Wow, if you are known by the company you keep greed isn’t keeping very good company..

And listen to this warning that Jesus gives in Luke 12:15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”   Which is diametrically opposed to the philosophy of the world today that says “The man with the most toys when he dies wins”  Which by the way truth in advertising should insist that it read “The man with the most toys when he dies, is still dead”

 So with all due respect to Donald and Ivan maybe greed isn’t all right.  But it’s something that most of us have struggled with, that ever-consuming quest for more.  After all most of us would agree with Woody Allen when he said “Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.”

And that is why Jesus warned us that Matthew 6:21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.  Once you decide what you want, it’s only a matter of time that you have figured out what you are going to have to give to get it.

Let’s go back to the story.  Genesis 4:4-5 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

What started as greed It Turned Into Envy.  You understand that Cain had the choice of how much he gave to God.  And it was because he made the choice to only give a little that his gift was not accepted.  So it was the result of his own actions that he became bitter.  It was his choice to give what he gave and it was his choice to react in the way he reacted.

Although it doesn’t say in the story I’m assuming that Cain had it within his grasp to give a gift that would please God and that he would have known what that gift should be.   God would never ask for something we were incapable of providing or would never ask us to guess what it was he required.  So who was to blame for what Cain gave?  Cain!

But Cain blamed his brother.  When Abel gave a more acceptable offering and was counted as righteous because of that Cain became envious of what Abel had received and that was God’s approval.  The produce he had held back was no longer enough, now he wanted the favour that his brother was shown.

When you stop and think about it this was heredity at work.  Do you remember what caused Adam and Eve to sin and rebel against God?  Sure you do. They rebelled because they wanted what did not belong to them.

We are told in the account in Genesis that Adam and Eve had everything they could possibly want and they could do whatever they wanted to do except for one thing, they could not eat from one tree.  They could do anything they wanted to with the tree.  They could look at it, they could touch it, they could climb it, they could chop it down and burn it, but God had told them very specifically in Genesis 2:16-17 But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

Pretty plain, pretty clear, no ambiguity there, this is what you must not do.  And when Satan came along to tempt Adam and Eve, what ploy did he use.  Sure, in Genesis 3:4-5 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

What was he saying?  He was saying “Don’t you want what God has?  If you just had what God had, then you’d be really happy.  Right?”   Look across the Bible what is it that gets people in trouble?  Wanting what somebody else has.  And it’s not just a matter of wanting something like the one they have, it’s wanting what they have, so they can’t have it anymore because it’s yours.

We could go through example after example in the Bible, Jacob wanted Esau’s inheritance and he was willing to cheat and lie to get it.  Joseph’s brothers wanted the love that their father bestowed upon Joseph and they were willing to kill him or sell him into slavery to get it.  David wanted Uriah’s wife Bathsheba and he was willing to kill Uriah to get her.  The religious leaders who had Jesus executed didn’t do it because of what he did, they did it because of what he had.  He had the power of God, and he had the ears of the people, and if the high priest couldn’t have what Jesus had then he couldn’t have it either and so they killed him.

Think of any of the crimes and atrocities that have been committed throughout history, they happened because somebody wanted what somebody else had.  Why do so many people in the world hate the United States?  Because the US has what they don’t have.  And it’s not just the nice cars and big TV and fancy houses. It’s the freedom and the peace and the ability to say what they want about the leaders and not end up in jail or dead.

There is a story told about Abraham Lincoln walking down the street with his two boys, both of who were howling to beat the band.  A friend happened along and asked Lincoln, “Abe, what’s wrong with the boys?”  “What’s wrong with the boys?” came his reply, “The same thing that is wrong with the world.  I have three chestnuts and they both want two.”

And Cain was warned about the consequences of his envy  Genesis 4:6-7 “Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

God was telling Cain that if he continued down that road that there would be consequences.  We know that nothing good can come from envy, it eats you up, you hate your friend because they have what you want and hate yourself because you don’t have what they have.  Nothing good can come from envy. 

It was Confucius who said  “A person is born with feelings of envy and hate. If he gives way to them, they will lead him to violence and crime, and any sense of loyalty and good faith will be abandoned.”

So let’s continue with the story.  Genesis 4:8 One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

And what started with Greed led to Envy and It Ended in Murder  Now that is the extreme,  but it didn’t have to be murder, it was the willingness to do what was wrong.  Do you remember Paul’s warning in 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

I know Cain didn’t kill Abel over money but it began with stuff.  Maybe it makes more sense this way 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of stuff is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving stuff, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

It was because Cain wanted to keep more of stuff for himself that he gave less of his stuff to God.  And it was that decision that led Cain to envying his brother, and eventually it was that envy that caused him to murder his brother.  And we don’t know how long of a period that was over, it’s a fairly tight narrative but we don’t know if it was days, weeks or months from the beginning to the end.

Only you know what you would be willing to pay to get more stuff or to keep the stuff you have.

I have referenced this before, In 1990 James Patterson and Peter Kim wrote a book based on extensive surveys of the American Public, the book was called; “The Day That America Told The Truth.”  Questions were asked concerning a wide range of topics from morality to work to family life.  The results are really quite surprising.  And while it’s easy to write off the results as being American I’m sure that many of the results would have been the same on this side of the 49th.

One of the questions asked was “What would you be willing to do for Ten Million Dollars?”  A follow up survey was done asking about 5, 4, 3 and 2 million dollars and the results remained fairly consistent.  It was only under $2 million that they began to see a falloff in what people would do. So it would appear the price for many Americans was $2 million.  Out of the ten questions asked 2/3 of the respondents agreed they would be willing to do at least one, and some several of the deeds.  What were they? Would abandon their entire family 25%, Would abandon their Church 25%, Would become prostitutes for a week or more 23%, Would give up their American citizenship 16%, Would leave their spouse 16%, Would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free 10%, Would kill a stranger 7%, would change their race 6%, would have a sex change operation 4%, or would put their children up for adoption 3%.

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

You say that you have no interest in a million dollars, come on?  At least be as honest as Mark Twain who said “I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.”

This story is a warning about how we view our stuff, and what it does to our attitudes and behaviours. 

So what made Abel’s offering more acceptable?  His attitude. His motives.  His desire to please God.  The same thing made Cain’s offering less acceptable.  His attitude. His motives.  His desire to please Cain. 

What  do our offerings say about us?  About our God?  About our relationship with God?

Green Eggs and Ham

 This should have been posted earlier it was preached on March 7th, 2011

(Read from Green Eggs and Ham pages 1-16)

Do you know the story?  I bet you do.  It's one of Dr. Seuss greatest works.  “Green Eggs and Ham”.  You know I hate that book.  Didn't always hate it though, no sir when I was a kid I loved Green Eggs and Ham, and when Stephen was born I promised myself that I'd buy that classic for my children, and I did.  And my kids love it and I have read it to them let's see, at last count, 3,123,789 times approximately.  And I have come to hate that book.

“Green Eggs and Ham” was published in August 13, 1960, exactly 2 months after I was born.   Written by Theodor Geisel, who we all know as Dr. Seuss.  Actually we pronounce it wrong, what we refer to as Seuss, was his middle name and it’s German.  A friend of Seuss’s Alexander Liang wrote:            You’re wrong as the deuce

                        And you shouldn’t rejoice

                        If you’re calling him Seuss.

He pronounces it Soice.

But finally Seuss gave up went with the flow and he started pronouncing it the way everybody else did and Dr. Seuss was born.

The book came about when Geisel’s editor wagered him that he couldn’t write a book using only 50 words.  And he did and it has gone on to become the third bestselling children’s book of all time.

You know the story.  Sam keeps trying to get his friend to try green eggs and ham.  Would you eat them in a box?  Would you eat them with a fox?  And at every rejection he tries something new.  And his friend keeps saying, no, no, no I don't like them, until finally it would seem that Sam has tried everything because his friend says: (Read from Green Eggs and Ham pages 46-50)

Read

My eyes were opened almost 20 years ago when we went on vacation to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  Deborah was allowed to take some books for bed time stories and you guessed it she took Green Eggs and Ham.  And so as I settled down one night to read my daughter this childhood classic I saw something that I had never seen before.  If Sam had of been your typical Christian from you typical church than when his friend said, “I do not like them Sam-I-Am, I do not like green eggs and ham.” then Sam would have said, “OK.  No problem” and that would have been the end of the story. Sam would have happily gone on his way and his friend would never have experienced the joy of eating green eggs and ham.  But no, Sam wasn't content to take no for an answer.  Luckily for his friend, Sam wasn't like a typical Christian in a typical church; he wasn't worried about offending his friend or driving him away.  All he knew was how important it was that his friend make the decision to try green eggs and ham.

Now I am not trying to trivialise this sermon, but think about it, if a character in a Dr. Seuss story book knows the importance of being persistent when trying to convince someone to try something new, how come we don't?

Well needless to say I determined that if I ever got a chance to start a church from scratch it would be firmly grounded in the principles of Green Eggs and Ham.  About this time you must be getting ready to lean over to your spouse and say, “I knew it was a cult Margaret, let's get out of here”   Just bear with me OK? What can we learn from Sam-I-Am this morning, March 6, 2011?

1)  We Need To Care About People.  Sam I Am wanted his friend to try green eggs and ham.  Why?  Because he liked his friend and he felt like his friend was missing something in his life, in this case it was green eggs and ham.  But he cared enough that he not only asked his friend but he continued to ask his friend.  His friend mattered to him.  Cornerstone Wesleyan Church needs to put people number one.  We need to care that people need Jesus or they will go to hell, in essence

2) We Need To Be Convicted Of The Validity Of The Gospel.

That's always the kicker isn't' it?  Just how convinced are we that this book is true?  How convinced are we that there is a heaven to be gained and a hell to be shunned?  If what this book says is true, then those who accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives will spend eternity with God.  But by the same token those who don't accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life will spend a Christless eternity in torment.  Now I realize that heaven and hell can be a little abstract to grasp, but somehow we as a church need to become convinced of the value of Jesus Christ in the lives of people, not only for the here and now but for the there and then.  And once we become convinced of that then we have to be ready to communicate that to people in a culturally relevant way.  That is culturally relevant to this area, in March of 2011.  And that can be tough, after all if it was easy every church would be doing it and they’re not.  Too many churches are sound evangelically and sound asleep evangelistically.

If we believe the reality of hell and according to the word of God hell is a reality, then we should be heartbroken over the fact that we have friends and family who will in reality be tormented for eternity.  That's what the book says and we don't debate the book.  Did you know that the Bible speaks more about Hell then about heaven?  Listen to how Jesus describes it in Mark 9:48 as a place where ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’ 

and in Matthew 18:9 Jesus speaks of the Fires of Hell and again in Matthew 13:42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

Are we as convinced of the reality of Hell as Sam was convinced of the value of green eggs and ham?  And if we are then the next question has to be: are we that convinced that Jesus is the only solution to the reality of hell?  There are not many ways to heaven, there are not several ways to heaven, there are not even two ways to heaven.  You can't get there by being good, or by being sincere, following Buddha won't get you there, following Mohammed won't get you there, as a matter of fact Jesus said in John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 

And friends that is not being narrow, that is being scriptural.  And until we understand that we will never see the need to tell people about Jesus. Cornerstone Wesleyan Church wasn’t planted so that we could have a Wesleyan Church in Hammonds Plains, we came here to help depopulate hell.  Now along with being convinced of the validity of the Gospel  3. We Also Need To Be Convinced Of The Value Of our Church

Have you ever heard how people talk after they have seen a movie they really liked?  Or have discovered a musical artist that they really liked, or found a great new restaurant?  You can't shut them up; they want to let everyone in on this wonderful secret. 

I am convinced that we have a pretty good thing starting here.  And notice that I said starting even though we’ve been in Bedford/Hammonds Plains for sixteen years we are only just beginning.  Probably one of the speeches that will go down in history is Martin Luther King Junior's speech “I have a dream.”  I love that speech not just for the content but for the sentiment, friends I have a dream, a dream of a church where people are valued for who they are, a dream of a church where that is committed to the reaching of the lost. A dream of a church that will be innovative and relevant, a church that will be bold and exciting. The poet W. B. Yeats wrote But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet;  Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.  When we started Cornerstone we started with a dream, and we still have a dream and so I ask you; tread softly because you are treading on my dreams.

Can you see that church with me, can you dream that dream with me.  Can you see this building full of people who will dream that dream with us, people that Cornerstone Wesleyan Church has introduced to Jesus?  Can you see a church that reaches out to help other churches dream, to help other churches reach out?  Can you see a church that touches people at their point of need whether it is spiritual, emotional or physical?  In 1845 the Southern Baptist Church was formed and a plaque was placed to commemorate the event and this is what it said about the founders, “Men who see the invisible, hear the inaudible, believe the incredible, and think the unthinkable.”  We need to  see the invisible, hear the inaudible, believe the incredible, and think the unthinkable.

Can you see it?  It will only become a reality when we are ready to invite people out.  Just about everyone here is here because someone invited you?  We need to see the value of Cornerstone Wesleyan Church, not just for us but for our friends, for our family, for our neighbours.  Who do we invite out.  There are four types of people in our world, in a very simplified sense.  Out of those four groups we are really interested in two of them.  Those four groups are a) The Churched believers, pretty basic.  These are people who have committed their lives to Jesus and are regularly involved in a Bible believing church, that is a church that believes and practices John 3:3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 

The next group are b) The churched unbelievers, these are those who haven't made a commitment to Christ but who attend a Bible believing church on a regular basis.  Those first two groups of people are great to have as friend, it's super to be with them, but to be truthful they already have a church home.  It's nice if they come out to a special service or two but I'd like to see them fit into their church home.

However there are still two more groups of people out there, c) The Unchurched Unbeliever, Willow Creek Community Church calls these folks unchurched Harry and Mary, Saddle Back Community Church calls them Saddleback Sam and Sue.  At Cornerstone Wesleyan Church we call them; our neighbours.  These people have never made Jesus the manager of their lives and don't have a church home.  Oh they might have a church they go to at Easter and Christmas but the other fifty Sundays of the year they'd just as soon go fishing or watch TV or sleep in.  It's these people who need to be shown the validity of the Gospel, doesn't' matter who they are, whether they are a friend, family or the guy you work with, they need to establish a relationship with Jesus Christ or they are going to hell, pretty sobering thought isn't it?

The last group of people out there are d) Unchurched Believers.  They have made a commitment to Christ, they are going to heaven, but they are not worshipping on a regular basis with a group of believers in a bible believing church.  How come?  I don't know.  Maybe they were introduced to Jesus outside the church and have never found a church that they felt comfortable in, or maybe they've just moved here from somewhere else.  Or maybe they have been hurt, either intentionally or unintentionally in their last church, spiritual abuse is unfortunately a reality, and they haven't found a church where they can be loved and accepted. 

These people have already discovered the validity of the gospel but they haven't yet learned the value of Cornerstone Wesleyan Church.

Everyone of us knows someone who fits into one or the other of those last two categories.  People who are either Christians or pre-Christians but who have no regular church home.  They are the people who need us and who we need to love.  They are the people that you need to tell about Cornerstone Wesleyan Church.  Why? 

Because you have something to offer them and it's a whole lot more valuable then green eggs and ham.  It's the salvation that only Jesus Christ can offer and it's a loving church family, a church family called Cornerstone Wesleyan Church.

4) We Need to Be Rigidly committed to flexibility.  As I read Green Eggs and Ham I thought “Hey this guy just doesn't give up” You won't eat them with a fox then will you eat them in a box?  No then how about with a goat, uh-huh then on a boat, in the dark, on a train, in the rain.  Sam I Am must have figured that eventually something would click even if his friend ate them just to get him off his back.

I want this church to be rigidly committed to flexibility.  We will do what ever it takes to reach people with the word of God.  If I have to get someone up here to juggle chainsaws and spit fire then that is what I will do.  Although with my coordination I can assure you that it won't be me.

Right now we are trying to provide the very best that we can with that menu we offer, don't like our music then maybe they'll like the preaching, don't like the preaching then maybe it will be the excellent job that Marilyn and her crew does with the kids.  If that doesn't appeal maybe it will be a social event that we plan, or the Great I Hate Winter Beach Party or the Super Bowl Party, maybe it will a Christmas Eve service that we are planning even now, or maybe Easter Sunday, what if we gave out roses on mother’s day and new cars on Father’s Day.  And not everything will work and we’ll learn from our mistakes and go on, it was Mark twain who said, “The man who picked the cat up by the tail learnt 40% more about cats then the man who didn’t.”  Well, we are going to pick the cat up by the tail and we may walk away with some scratches but we will learn what works and doesn’t work.

Denn you're cheapening the gospel by relying on the spectacular?  You mean like Jesus did when he healed the lame, made the blind to see and fed the five thousand?  We will do anything except compromise the word of God.

Do you feel like we need a ministry to three legged, left handed bald people?  Drop by the office and I'll buy you a coffee and maybe we can figure out how you can start a ministry to three legged, left handed bald people.  Notice that I said “how you can start” ownership is the key to effective ministry.

One of the biggest mistakes the church has made in it's past has been the refusal to change.  A pastor friend of mine got in trouble with a lady at his church when they put carpet down in their worship centre.  It was blue carpet and every one knows that church carpet is supposed to be red.  Billy Graham tells a story about a young pastor who wanted to leave his mark on his first church so he recommended that they buy a chandelier for the sanctuary.  One of the men in his church said “I'm against it and I'm against it for three reason.  The first is that there aint nothing in the Bible about them there chandeliers, second we haven't got anybody in the church who can play one and thirdly what we really need is more light in the sanctuary.”

There is nothing sacred about how a church looks, there is nothing sacred about whether we sing hymns or choruses, there is nothing sacred about whether we have prayer meeting, bible studies or discipleship groups.  There is nothing sacred about whether the pastor preaches expositional messages or topical messages.  We will use whatever techniques we need to see this area won for Jesus Christ.  But we will not compromise the message.

The Moncton Wesleyan Church Manifesto says, “We might have our personal preferences about a big church or a small church, a formal service or an informal service, a long service or a short service, gospel music or liturgical music, fiery preaching or quiet preaching.  However, if those preferences dictate which church we attend and support, then we can never experience God's greatest blessings, because our motives are selfish.” Is it any wonder that Moncton Wesleyan is the one of the largest Church in the Maritimes?  And if you'd rather go to a church that caters to you as a Christian and your musical taste and taste in sermons then to a church which is intent on introducing people to Jesus then Cornerstone Wesleyan church ain’t for you.  I'd rather start with twenty people committed to our dreams and mission statement then with 200 people who just want to play church.

The word of God is unchangeable, the message of the gospel will be uncompromised, but we need to present the message in such a way that it will reach the people of our community, today March 6^th 2011 not 1971, not 1981 or even 2001 but 2011 the challenge will be for us to be able to present the gospel in such a way that the message is fresh in 2012 and 2013 and 2014.  The concept isn't new, listen to what Paul who was one of the greatest preachers of the church in the New Testament had to say when he wrote in his first letter to the Christians in the city of Corinth  in 1 Corinthians 9:22 When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. 

5) We Need To Be Persistent In Our Invitations.  Wasn't Sam I Am great? Talk about not giving up.  He obviously hadn't heard the admonition, “If at first you don't succeed try ,try again, but don't make a complete fool out of yourself.”  If you were to look in the dictionary under persistence you would find a picture of Sam-I-Am.  If we are going to see people come to our church through our invitations then it will be because of persistence.  Just because somebody can't come out to church the first time you ask doesn't' mean that they won't come the next time you ask, right?  I mean maybe their hair really did fall out after the hot oil treatment.  We're not asking them to cut off their arm we're just inviting them out to church.  And in most cases you need to invite people cause they aren't going to invite themselves, your neighbour probably won’t be driving down the street this week and say, “You know I ought to go to Cornerstone Wesleyan Church on Sunday.” 

Sometimes we even have an open invitation, when someone says, “Someday I’d like to visit your church.” Do you know what they are saying?  Here is the translation, people; I will say it slowly so you catch it, ready? What they are saying translated into English is; “Please invite me to a service.”

You say but Denn what if I drive them away, where are we going to drive them to, Hell number 2.

That’s why we are in this building, it may not be a white church with stained glass windows, but it is a building that will assist us in meeting our goals of winning people to Jesus Christ. 

And you was built because people believed the dream, the fifty people or so people who made up Cornerstone at that time as well as the donations that were made to our building fund from as far west as BC and California, as far south as Florida, from the Midwest and from Australia. Why? Because they believe in our vision and our commitment to reach the people in our community.

Mission Statement

Cornerstone Wesleyan Church exists to reach pre-Christians through dynamic worship and relevant preaching, bringing them to a life expanding relationship with Jesus Christ and guiding them into a practical holiness as evidenced through the fruit of the Spirit. 

Or the shortened version Cornerstone Wesleyan Church exists to reach pre-Christians.  Or the concise version Cornerstone Wesleyan Church exists to help depopulate hell. And that will not happen until each of you has embraced that mission statement as well.  If that isn’t why we are here, if we are not committed to reaching the lost, if the only reason we are here and the only reason we have built is to have a church to attend then we might as well close the doors.  And if that isn’t what you want to do as a congregation then let me know and I start sending out my resume.

But you know how the story ends don’t you?  (Read from Green Eggs and Ham pages 53-62)

And if we do our part some day we will stand in heaven and someone will come up to us and thank us for being convicted of the validity of the Gospel, convinced of the value of Cornerstone and persistent in our invitations.