The Community Church: Sermons and teaching

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We're in Exodus and chapter 21. We're reading from the Revised Standard Version today.

When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years. And the seventh year he shall go out free for nothing. If he comes in single, he shall go out single. If he comes in marriage, and his wife shall go out with him. But if the slave plainly says, I love my master, I will not go out free, then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore his.

It's true with an all, and he shall serve him for life. If the slave plainly says, I love my master, I will not go out free. The master will bore his ear through with an all, and he shall serve him for life. So we've got a picture there of voluntary slavery. And that sounds a contradiction in terms of paradox.

An oxymoron. Slavery has all the wrong connotations, and rightly so. And there's only one explanation for voluntary slavery, and that is love. We notice Paul writing, for example, to the Romans. He's happy to designate himself I, Paul, as slave of Jesus Christ. And writing in that same epistle, he reminds his readers, you were once slaves to sin. That is an appalling bondage, because sin is a terrible tyrant.

But now, now you are slaves of Jesus Christ. That's a wonderful emancipation, because clearly the quality of the life of the slave is determined by the quality of the life of that slave master. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, reminds him, he says, you are not your own. You've been bought. You've been purchased with a price. When a Hebrew buys or purchases a slave, and the price paid to suppress his blood of Jesus, so you don't belong to yourself any more, says Paul.

Traveling the other week out on the road from South Port, depressed, and there's a plant nursery and a large sign in the entrance which simply said under new ownership. The implication is better than it was before. But when we see the sign under new ownership or under new management, that is in fact our testimony in three simple words.

Now when a person buys something, it belongs to them. That Hebrew master, he owned his furniture, his house. He owned his horses and he owned his slaves. And he could do with them what he wanted. They belonged to him. They didn't belong to themselves anymore. It's quite easy sometimes for us to say, well, Jesus is my master. Jesus is my Lord.

Jesus is my suffering. Jesus is my King. But how does that work out in practice? When we say, take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. The danger is, of course, that we crown Jesus as King, but we run to him. That's what I call a constitutional monarch in this country. King Charles is such a monarch.

He reigns as king, but he doesn't govern. He has no executive powers at all. And Jesus doesn't just want to be a constitutional king. He wants also to be a prime minister. So how does that come about? That comes about when we give our lives totally to him, when as it where we yield our independence. We write a blank check and let him finish in the details where we say anything, anywhere he comes from, we're willing to get out of the driving seat of our lives and allow him to take control, to take the steering wheel, and to take the pedals.

So when we do that, of course, we then relinquish all rights to run our own lives. The essence of the life of a slave, if you like, in one sentence says, A slave has no rights of his own any more. And I want to mention seven areas in which that's true and is relevant to our lives. The slave has no right to make his own decisions anymore.

He has no right for self-determination. A slave just asks what to do and does what he's told. He's at the beck and call of his master. Take this scenario. The Hebrew master is entertaining guests at his house and his slaves. During what? Just standing by the door and watching. Now we have a scripture, Psalm 32 verse eight, where God promises, I will teach you and instruct you the way that you should go.

I will guide you with my eye upon you. So the eye of the 70s, upon the master, and maybe there's a knock on the outside door. And the master just looks. And the slave knows his job to go and see who's there. Or maybe just another look. And he knows it's time to bring the food in. He doesn't have the right to decide for himself.

Now we make decisions all the time through life. That's part of life. We make big decisions. Perhaps what job to do, where to live, maybe whether to become engaged to be married or smaller decisions, where to go on holiday, what to buy somebody as a gift, perhaps. Which invitation to accept or decline. And when we have a decision, we need to be in the habit.

The habit of asking guidance, a small decision, just an arrow. Prayer. But if we acknowledge the Lord in all of our ways, the promises he will direct and make straight our paths. The difficulty is not God guiding us. The difficulty is us remembering to ask for that guidance when we have to make a decision. And the danger, perhaps, is that we make the decision and ask God somehow to put his stamp of approval on it.

We've no right to slaves to make our own decision. Secondly, the slave has no right to spend his time as he likes. It's not his to spend. Yes, he will await instructions and follow those instructions. Now, we know that at any given time we are either in or out of the will of God in as far as some place he wants us to be the center of his will, the place of his appointment.

And we want to be in that place because it's a place of blessing, a place he can teach us and uses. Now, sometimes we don't need to ask if I have a job on Monday morning, I go to work. If I have young children, I'll take them to school. I personally don't ask God where he wants me to be on a Sunday morning.

He wants to be with the people of God. I don't ask for in my midweek group, his meeting. I know that's the place he's chosen for me. But there's plenty of other time evenings, Sunday afternoon, weekends, maybe when we're on holiday. And I believe we need to be in the habit of asking God how he wants to spend.

He wants us to spend those times. Often he'll invite us and want us to relax. That's necessary. If he's Lord of our time, we'll have the right balance between rest and activity. Or maybe just read a book, or watch a program on television, or go for a walk. But it is possible for us to waste our time to fritter it away.

And once we've lost money, wasted money, we could maybe recuperate it. But if we waste time and that's gone, it's gone forever. What we can be doing could be quite legitimate. Maybe we watch a certain program for a couple of hours. But while we have no sense of satisfaction or fulfillment, we feel rather restless. And maybe God was wanting us to do something at that time.

So let's get in the habit of inviting him to be Lord of our house. The next area where we have no right to run our own lives is we have no right to spend our money, just as we like, a right to spend our time as we like the right to spend our money as free like because our money no longer belongs to us.

Take my silver and my gold. Not a mite for a liar with holes, says the hymn writer. We manage. Yes, we're stewards of the money God has entrusted us, and he wants to be Lord of our pockets and our purse, Lord of our bank cards. He wants to be counted in on our shopping trips. He knows that which is good value.

He knows that which we need. He will be able to enable us to live within our budget. If he's Lord of our finances, he knows how much we have to spend. So we need to be in the habit of asking him. And just as it is possible to waste time is certainly possible to waste money. And God wants to be Lord of our finances, to order the way we use our finances.

So there's no particular waste. No right to make our own decisions. Spend our time is reliant. Spend on money, is relying. Fourthly, we've no right to give our money as free. Life is not ours to give. Now the Bible is very clear where to bring the full ties into the storehouse, and then see if God does not bless it.

The storehouse being our local church, the place where we're fed. But what do we do? We will say that God will make that 90% we have. Let's go further than that. If we kept it all ourselves. But what do we do with the rest? I happen to believe that God wants to and will, if we allow him enlarge our capacity and a percentage of the money we're able to give, we can give to our own local church.

It needs our offerings we can give to Christian missions or Christian organizations. We can give to individuals. Some of us perhaps can remember times when somebody has given us a gift just in the nick of time. On this, the 59th minute of the 11th hour. And they did that because they were listening to God and obedient to God.

They didn't give it to us before and they didn't give it to us later when we read the story of the prodigal, we learned a lot. We learned that the father gives the son what he demands, and our father will give us what we want. So we need to be careful what we want. We know where that young man's coming from.

Give me. He says he's the center of his universe. Give me. Now, he says to take the waiting out of wanting. I'm not waiting till you die. And the father knew what he would do with the money, but he gave it. And exactly as he expected. The money was spent on wine. Women in song. And then the men.

The money run out, and his friends, so-called disappeared. And he's left destitute. He's in the pigsty and he's eating the pigs. Well, and then announces. And he comes to his senses, remember, his father's house gets up, faces a different direction, and sets out walking, only to find his father running to meet him. But there's a little phrase before that happens, and it simply says this nobody gave him anything.

Now, if somebody had given him a handout at that time, it would just have prolong the agony and delayed his repentance. Sometimes God wants to test us, as he did with Paul. Time to be abased. Time to abound. Time to do with very little. Time to have more. To be content in both situations. And if God is giving us a time and often when we got children, it's that time where we have to count every penny.

Maybe we're being tested and trained. If someone gives us a gift. It was short circuit, even the purposes of God. No, our money shouldn't be given just as and when we feel. Just a few weeks ago, maybe a couple of months. Julian myself had an invitation and interest from a gentleman in Zambia. Man. A Christian man, well known and liked and trusted by us.

An invitation to help him. He was in need financially. He has an itinerant ministry in Southern Province in Zambia. And somebody had stolen a wheel from his car. Now, I would have thought very hard to find a replacement in a place like that, but there was one available. The trouble was it was going to cost an arm and a leg, and our friend John didn't have the finances for it at that time.

As it happened, junior myself didn't have the money available to help him. But we believe when we hit a problem, God's not taken by surprise. He has the solution and he will unfold it to us. And we emailed back and said we would pray that that happened in John's experience. Three days after John's email, an email from a pupil of mine in America, could he have our bank details?

He wanted to transfer a gift to us. Now, it's not usual for my pupils to give me money with one very generous exception. Normally they want money. They claim psychological damage and counseling fees and things of that nature. But this money came through into our account within a day. And the next day, night of John Jacaranda, his that was his name in January, which meant we sent the required plus a little extra, and we still had leftover plenty for ourselves.

I just wondered, I marvel that God could put it in the heart of a man in the middle of America to send a gift which could be used to help a man in the middle of Africa, his, friend in America. He allowed God to be Lord of his giving, Lord of his spending, and Lord of his giving.

The next thing he wants to be Lord of, and where he wants to exercise his lordship. It's in the realm of our driving. We've never I just to drive as free. Like he wants us to be Christlike in the way we handle our cars to drive with patience, thoughtfulness and consideration. We can grieve or please the Spirit of God in the way we drive now.

We know we don't control our circumstances, but we always have the freedom to choose our response, our reaction. So what happens when somebody cuts in on us or pulls out in front of us, and we have to jam our foot on the brake to stop hitting them? What's your reaction? What's in the cup will come out when it's jolted.

We wish perhaps we had a rocket launch, a bazooka on our bonnet, or we put the heel of our hand down on the hooter of our car and keep it there. That's hardly Christlike. We make mistakes for him. We drive. Or the father saying we need to leave at 9:30, but by 9:45, the last child finally arrives and gets in the car.

The father's running late. He puts his foot down on the accelerator. 0 to 60 in eight seconds, leaves the rubber of his tires on the tarmac just to tell his various children what he's feeling. That is not the way God wants us to drive. Lot of our decision making time, spending money, spending money, giving and driving our cars to more.

The next one he wants to be Lord over our eating and drinking. He gives us all things richly to enjoy. Yes, but our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and he wants us to look after him. And maybe that said, helping. Maybe that unnecessary snack between meals and we're just being greedy. And if we let the peace of God umpire in our hearts, we'll find that we're losing our peace.

And it's his way of checking us. He wants to be Lord in that area. He does not want us to be self-indulgent. Now it's possible we know to waste time. It's possible we know to waste money, and it's possible we know to waste food. And in the global context, that's obscene. To be throwing food away. Jesus, when he fed the 5000, said, now let nothing be wasted.

Wait. The waste is hateful to God. He said, collect what's left over. And they collected 12 baskets full. He wants to be Lord of our eating and drinking, our food consumption and the use of our food. And lastly, perhaps the hardest thing of all, he wants to be Lord of our tongues. We've never right just to be speaking any way we like.

When we meet somebody. He wants to be the third person in that conversation. He wants us to be tuned in to him to know when to be listening to me, know when to speak and to know what to say. How out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks is very indicative. The doctor might say to the child, put your tongue out and see from the appearance something of that child's health.

Spiritual health is very easily discerned by the use of our tongues. What we say, and the spirit in which we speak. A Christian could be the only Christian in his workplace, and therefore the only one not constantly griping and grousing and grumbling and carping and criticizing and complaining. Not swearing, not cursing, not blaspheming. And they know there's a difference, because this man has Jesus as Lord of his tongue.

When I started teaching at a school called Scarce Because School in 1969, I knew that certain teachers on the staff were born again. Christians, but they didn't carry a badge. So I just listened to the conversation. Some were always positive. Others, sadly, were more negative. It helped me to see and discern if, for instance, we went to school and there was no heating on and the staffroom seemed to be minus two degrees in temperature, it was very interesting listening to people's reactions, very indicative for me.

I wasn't so bothered because anywhere I happen to live in a house which is universally colder than the one to which I'd gone to work. So we need to be aware of the fact that God, if he's Lord of our speaking, will be very concerned that we are speaking the words of his choice at the right time. We can bring that now word, that word in season, that encouraging word to that person.

If God is in control of our tongue. Now, you might say to yourself, but John, this seems very unappealing, unattractive and legalistic. No right to do this, no right to do that. But actually the opposite is true. It is the way for us to enjoy freedom. The hymn writer said to make me a captive Lord, and then I will be free.

If we are his love, slaves will be free from this curse of self and sin has set us free from the cage of anxiety and fear and guilt. He releases from that terrible bondage of bothering all the time what other people are thinking about us? I don't want freedom to do what I want. For 29 years from my life within the law, I had that freedom.

I want freedom to say no to temptation and freedom to become the person that's in my heart of hearts I would run to be. Slavery is the way into that freedom. And if you or I went into that Hebrew household and we looked around us, we'd see this slave and the other slave and another one all doing different jobs, but each one bore the telltale mark of that hole within the lobe of their ear.

What does that tell us? He told us the master of that house was a kind man, a loving man, a caring man. He told us that those who were his slaves were serving not out of a sense of obligation and duty. They were serving, delighting to serve the master who was caring for them, taking responsibility for them. They were content, they were secure, and they served him with delight.

And pray God, we might be visibly willing. Love slaves of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you and God bless.

Oh.

Jesus! My lady! The Lord my God. Take me to your promised day. I will serve no other one. Lord, I'm here to stay. Don't go away. The price go with your blood. Your hands on me. I will serve you to ever be a free man. I will never be too small, I will. I love my God. Take me to the Lord.

From this day I would love no other from the Lord. I'm here to stay for you. Afraid of heights? Go when they give heart. You understand me? I will serve you. It will be a free man. I'll never be for you. Afraid of heights. Won't be when you got your eyes on me I will serve you. Ain't ever been a free man I'll never be.