"What is Salvation and why do we need it?" (based on Matthew 7:13-23)

1. What is Salvation?

· Salvation is the act and result of being saved. One is saved because they are rescued from some danger or dark situation. In the spiritual sense, a person is saved or rescued from the guilt, shame and penalty of their misdeeds (commonly known as ‘sins’). Where such sins left unattended would grow both in number and in destructiveness, gaining mercy for such sins allows them to be left behind, and for a person to take new directions. Ultimately salvation means escape from eternal death, and a re-established relationship with God. There also lies within salvation the potential for the resolution of feelings of hopelessness, lack of purpose, inner turmoil and fear of death. Think of a lone swimmer who gets in trouble in the raging waters (who would no doubt drown if left to their own devices), but who gets rescued by the strong swimmer who swims out from the shore to bring them back into safety.

· While salvation is based on a one-off event, it is certainly not only a one-off event, but rather an ongoing experience. Salvation began in the heart of God; and then was ultimately activated through Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent resurrection – a gift first of mercy, then of new life. This was a one-off event for all time and all humanity, yet is just the beginning point of salvation. Salvation begins by accepting Jesus into our life as our Saviour and Lord. We’ll talk more about the need for a saviour later, but we also need to go on from here and have Jesus as our ‘Lord’ – meaning the one to whom we defer in all the matters of life. Through the experience of salvation, Jesus is our leader, and we follow him all the way through life on earth.

· To access salvation, we enter through the “narrow gate” (Matthew 7:13); and this “gate” of course is not a physical gate but a relational gate; for in John’s gospel (10:9) we read Jesus saying, “I am the gate – whoever enters by me will be saved”. Salvation then is fully dependent on our acceptance of Jesus.

· Salvation, then, requires us to make a decision – a choice! Salvation is activated from the time (the moment if you like) when one decides to change ‘gods’ – from the ‘god’ of self (and self-interest) to the ‘Creator of the Universe’. Jesus has made this choice possible, as he breaks down the ‘sin’ barriers. At some point in a young person’s life, they begin to think and act in ways contrary to God and perhaps in rebellion to God. At this moment they need to experience salvation or they will slip deeper into a state of ‘lostness’ ... as indeed most people do! As one decides to make this change, the mindset changes from ... “I’ll do as I please” – to the much better alternative ... “God’s will be done”. This is in no way a negative move where one losses their identity or decision-making power, but rather a, “joyful, free, exuberant surrender to the fullness and the fulfilling of life” (F.B. Edge, 74).

· Salvation is then a process involving belief in God, repentance (i.e. seeking forgiveness and desiring a new direction), acceptance of Jesus as Saviour and Lord, and a growing and active faith.

· Now salvation is not something to trifle with or play around with! This is a serious life defining and eternity determining matter!! We have to place our lives in the position where God truly knows us and works through us. Just saying the right words will never be enough. It is living out the faith in accordance with God’s will that will count. And of course we can’t fool God who sees our secret heart. According to Matthew 7:22, there will be those who speak the words loudly, but do so from their own pride and position, rather than allowing God’s strength to be revealed through their weakness.

· You may shudder like me when someone is heard identifying themself as a Christian while reflecting views that are so far removed from those of Jesus that it would be deemed ridiculous if it wasn’t so horrifying and damaging. Often people identify with cultural or national christianity – the whole “we are a christian country” thing, which actually has nothing to do whatever with following Jesus counter-culturally throughout daily life (the real Christianity). More on this next week!

2. Salvation ... Why do we need it?

· We need salvation because we have been separated from God by sin. The problem with separation is that we were designed to live in relationship with God. The problem with sin is that it is destructive to others and ourselves – it takes us into areas far removed from God’s good ways. So, separation from God and sin, have to be urgently dealt with. We cannot make up for our sin ourselves though; and we can’t re-establish our relationship with God on our own. The good news is that, as we have already said, Jesus’ death on the cross (as an act of mercy to all humanity) offers us the gift of forgiveness. As we admit our need in humility, and accept this gift, Jesus takes our past and future sins upon himself and accepts the deathly penalty. This opens the way back to God, and in this way we can be free, and live without the weight of guilt and shame. We will still sin of course, but we have Jesus living in us through which to gain speedy forgiveness and not have our forward growth too badly disrupted.

· We need salvation because the world is full of danger; and that danger is most problematical if we don’t have the right boundaries and ethical frameworks in place. We read in Matthew 7:13 that the “gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction – and there are many who take it”. Following the crowd, simply because it is easier, or allows us to be more popular, or allows us to pursue selfish goals – is a dead-end path. But the “narrow” way (i.e. the Jesus way) leads to truly sharing in God’s life.

· The “narrow” way is also described as: the “hard” way – because it requires the tough choices being made, as well as strong commitment and often sacrifice. It’s the more difficult way, but it’s also the purposeful way, because travelling along this road counts for something. Why is the “gate” to this road of blessing described as “narrow”? Because some things just won’t fit through ... large egos, hardheartedness, unforgiveness, and bitterness.

· So, yes, there’s a choice to be made! As Tim McGraw sings ... We’re all looking for love and meaning in our lives – we follow the roads that lead us – [either] to drugs or Jesus. This song refers to the active choice that needs to be made between addictive and destructive paths on the one hand and Jesus on the other. We read in Matthew 7:15ff that there are those who seem to be on our side, or worthy of following, but in reality will easily influence us in the wrong ways. Nothing good will come out of such attachments. We should never allow ourselves to be influenced by those who are on a different road ... rather we should always be the ones influencing them. We know who to look up to, and who to ignore, by the “fruit” of their lives. The “fruit” produced reveals the character of the tree. There is only one person ultimately worthy of following ... JESUS ... and then in turn those who truly follow Jesus (as evidenced in their behaviour and priorities). Is this person worthy of following, we may well ask? How much do they resemble Jesus, should be the measuring stick??

· We need salvation, because otherwise, we are destining ourselves for an eternity without God (Matthew 7:19). How sad that would be!!

3. A further question [this is like the bonus track on a CD] – Salvation ... What do we do with it?

· Our salvation should be so life-changing that it penetrates everywhere we are and everywhere we go. It should mean that our home is blessed by the presence of Jesus, and that there is a growing honour brought to God there. Our family is treated with great love. Our salvation should mean that our workplace has light added to it, and we are a reference point through which people can experience the possibility of hope and peace. We also fulfil our work responsibilities with great integrity. Our salvation should also mean that we improve our neighbourhoods through the quality of our social and recreational interactions.

· Our salvation should mean that we dynamically participate in fulfilling God’s mission in the world; and while we will be necessarily involved in alleviating a lot of need, ultimately that mission is drawing people toward relationship with God. Returning to Matthew 7:21, why is it that not everyone who calls to the Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven? It is because some fail to act on their belief and live out the will of God. So, according to this passage, to ask the age-old question as to whether a person once saved is always saved – is actually the wrong question. This is because it is clear that salvation is a process that we need to be continually involved in. Not that our salvation depends upon works, but rather that our ongoing grace-based relationship with God is proven by our active seeking of God’s will. Anything less than this cheapens what Jesus has done! This is what the whole biblical book of James is about. Belief and commitment go hand-in-hand to produce salvation. Victories and failures will go hand-in-hand to produce growth and maturity.

· As we shall see next week in the Matthew 28 “great commission” text, our objective is to make disciples, not just converts. Salvation is not about just ‘saving souls’ in a greek philosophy sense, but rather about comprehensively saving whole lives in a true biblical sense.

· There is no point in making the gospel sound much easier that it is – such comments as “accept Jesus as your Saviour and everything will be perfect” can only disappoint and eventually send people out the back door. But there is also no point in making the gospel sound too difficult – because initially it is about responding to a free gift of grace, and then being open to a process of transformation over time (that God’s Spirit can bring about in us). There are some texts that make salvation very simple, and others that make it sound quite precarious (e.g. Mark 2:14 versus Mark 8:34-5; John 3:16 versus John 15:2; Romans 10:13 versus Matthew 7:21). We need to balance such texts and understand both the simplicity and the complexity of salvation.

· Our salvation means that we will make our unique contribution (to our church and the community) through the gifts we have been given. God brings together all the gifts, talents and abilities in the church for the benefit of the community and the world around us.

· Salvation is worth sharing – if this is all so important for us, then it is also important for everyone else; and we would dishonour them if we don’t share what we have found to be true. They might seem happy enough, but we know that people can cover a multitude of problems and despair under a veneer of apparent health. Some will have never heard of the gospel of Jesus; others would have heard but never gained a positive view of this ‘Jesus thing’; and others would, for various reasons, have built up some animosity against the gospel message. For some, the hurt and problems they carry are all too overwhelming for them to see beyond ... to the answer (that is sometimes, we would have to say, so deeply disguised in our busyness).

· Surely we would want to share this experience of salvation with our friends and family. Yes we can live out the Jesus-following life and hope this will be noticed, but increasingly in a society with little understanding of the real Gospel message we will have to tell some stories of faith, make some explanations, and aid understanding.

4. Summary Statement

Salvation is what we experience as we respond to Jesus and what he has done for us on the cross, in providing forgiveness for our sins. This rescue was necessary because we had become separated from our Creator God who had designed us with relationship in mind. This experience of salvation changes our whole life as we follow ‘the Jesus way’ and thus grow day-by-day, offering us peace and purpose, and giving us much to offer to the community as a whole.

"When God says 'No'!" - a sermon on 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

How do we feel when we pray and pray and pray about something and we only sense silence? Well perhaps there wasn’t silence, just an answer we didn’t like! How do we cope when we pray and pray and pray about something and hear the word “No”? This is the situation that the apostle Paul had to face up to. We don’t know exactly how long it took for him to get past the disappointment and make his great discovery, but we do read how Paul had a complete change in his understanding and perspective on a particular weakness he was enduring.

Let’s have a look at a bit of the background to this, which we see in the first part of our text. In Paul’s own mind, there were many things he could boast about. Paul had experienced a magnificent revelation of God’s presence on the Damascus Road, which had led to his sensational conversion. Paul had also gained knowledge about the things of God, not from his education or books, but directly from God. For indeed, if he was going to succeed in his various mission enterprises, Paul would need some crash courses in Christian doctrine – given that he had previously been a committed opponent of the Jesus way. Paul had indeed experienced much success in planting new churches across the known world of the day.

Yet we see Paul’s uneasiness about boasting about such things played out in verses 1-5. Paul in one way seems quite tempted to boast away, but has enough reserve to do so in quite moderate terms. He talks about his own personal experiences in the third person, as if it was someone else. Paul wants to boast about these things, but seemingly becomes nervous about doing so. In the sense of earthly success he could boast, yet he had come to understand that this would not be appropriate. So ultimately Paul did not want to boast about his deep experiences of God and various successes! Why not?? Because Paul knew very well about his weaknesses!! (And he grew to know something else too that was very important about his weaknesses ... a great discovery ... which we will come to later.)

If one ‘pushes their own barrow’ very hard, and puts themselves in the spotlight for egotistical reasons, then be sure that their weaknesses will find them out. Case in point: the morals campaigner who eventually falls (very publicly) to their own sexual addiction. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t stand up against wrong, but it does mean that we need to have a rational understanding of our own fallibility, and not set ourselves up in such virtuous terms (refer verse 6b-7a). It is only the admittedly weak that can help the weak become strong in God. Paul understood that he would be exposed from time to time in his weakness, and therefore should not see himself nor promote himself as anything special in simply his own strength; for blessed are the humble.

We sometimes hear Paul defending his credentials, but this was always in terms of what his Lord Jesus Christ was doing through him. Like all of us, Paul would have had various points of vulnerability that he had to be careful with. Now we read in verse 7b about Paul’s famous “thorn in the flesh”. Much discussed and debated this has been, with no clear consensus on what this particular issue was. Most often it is thought that Paul had significant problems with his eyesight, debilitating him in many ways, upsetting his travel plans, and meaning that he needed scribes to write his letters for him. Others have suggested that Paul had a speech impediment, or a persistent illness like epilepsy or malaria, or a propensity toward anxiety and depression, or he experienced persistent temptation. Because Paul was so concerned about this “thorn”, it was likely something noticeable by others (that might tend to attract scorn or in Paul’s mind detract from his ability to communicate the gospel).

The fact that Paul didn’t specifically identity his “thorn”, allows the reader to factor in their own particular “thorn”, and thus find Paul’s discovery personally relevant for them. Whatever the problem, Paul clearly wanted to be rid of it. Paul thought that he would be way better off in his mission work (and much more effective) without this “thorn” continually afflicting him. So naturally he asked, and he asked, and he asked God to take this away or fix this ... for no result! Paul was seriously afflicted, and therefore was rightfully really hopeful of a positive response. Put yourself in Paul’s shoes ... and think of something you may have prayed for ... with seemingly no result! There are feelings of frustration I imagine; even perhaps real challenges to our faith. Doubts arise as to whether God really loves us as much as we had always thought was the case.

So then, what can we say to this? Is God less than we have said God is?? Or can we accept the proposition that God actually knows better than we even do about our own lives (and work from there)??? This is the God that was so totally at peace within, that he gave humankind freewill through which to decide for themselves what path to follow (despite what chaos this would result in). This was so that relationship with God would be voluntary, and thereby real and authentic. This is the God who is so totally at peace within, that can enter into our pain and suffering, dwell there with us, and bring us through.

A Creator who has the wisdom and power to design the wonders of nature is great enough to be trusted with pain and suffering that are beyond our ability to understand (Matt De Haan, Our Daily Bread, 16/9/10).

This is the God who is so totally at peace within, that can provide perfect big-picture decision-making which wisely manages human need – and this is the God that I contend for and we worship today. This is the God who calls us into partnership in alleviating worldwide human need – that has to in some way touch us if we are to respond authentically.

As we saw with the suffering servant Jesus and what he went through in the cause of righteousness, suffering will be part of the life of any Jesus follower and the church – sometimes we will be spared such suffering through prayer, and at other times we will just have to work our way through it in God’s strength. In this way we will also be able to understand and empathise with the plight of people around us. If we were completely devoid of suffering, then how could we help others in any sort of a heartfelt way!

Certainly being prepared to work through certain troubling circumstances in God’s strength can develop our faith (not to mention our usefulness to others). Sometimes I think we look at our troubles all too individually. For our God of triune community (Father, Son & Spirit) will always look at things in relational ways. God, unlike us, sees how the big jigsaw puzzle of earthly life fits together. Then life, even (or maybe especially) the life of faith, has to be lived out in the reality in which it finds itself.

Sometimes we pray (or others pray) and the answer is magnificent and healing and transformative, and that it so great! Other times we pray (or others pray) and there is deathly silence. Yet perhaps it is not really silence – it only appears that way because we haven’t got the answer we want. Really there has been an answer – and that answer, like in Paul’s case here, was ‘no’! Yet this would not be an unloving or an uncaring ‘no’; but this would be a ‘broad best interests no’! This would be an, ‘I love you with all my heart no’! This would be a ‘please bear with me – for it will be okay’ type ‘no’! Kurt’s family prayed fervently that his Aunty Lyn would be healed, but this did not happen. We can’t underestimate the sorrow and loss experienced here in any way. Even to draw on the encouragement that Lyn was ready to go and had the praise of God on her lips doesn’t necessarily help that much.

I can only suggest that we draw on all the wonderful things that we know about our loving God, and accept that God knows what He is doing. We cannot in this life escape the fact of the “fall” – that human beings have rebelled from the ways of God, and that has brought all sorts of despair and pain into our lives. And sometimes our prayers will be answered in different ways to what we would personally want.

Paul, as we read in 2 Corinthians 12, came to accept his particular ‘no’. In Paul’s case, he saw and understood the need for everything he accomplished to point, rather than to himself, clearly to God. In Paul’s own lack of strength and clear weakness, it could only be God working through him ... that so much was being achieved.

This of course is not to say that we should be unconcerned about our weaknesses, and thereby be apathetic about our personal growth. Quite the opposite! We should take every opportunity available to develop our gifts, improve our abilities, and work purposefully on our weakness toward our betterment. But this does say that we shouldn’t be discouraged by any persistent weakness from pressing on in life! Why?? Because ... let’s read verses 9-10 to find out!!

God’s grace will empower the willing servant in their weakness such that God will be revealed. Accepting one’s unresolved weakness in submission to God, offers a place in which God can work; this one can truly sense God working through their lives. Whereas the strong often go it alone, and often only draw attention to themselves, those who allow God to work with their weakness become a revelation of God’s strength.

The full realisation of this spiritual dynamic offers each of us great reassurance as we face opposition and hardships of various kinds. This is the great discovery Paul made ... that God’s strength can be found entering into our weakness! I have let my weaknesses in the past disrupt my life and ministry, but I’m hoping that that becomes less and less the case as I continue forward. As we understand God’s strength effectively working into and through our human weaknesses, we gain a great freedom in our efforts to serve others. This is serving with the level of humility and trust that allows God to work!!

It seems (from verse 7b) that Paul even considered, that given the situation he would find himself in, that this so-called “thorn in the flesh” was actually deliberately placed within him [maybe even at conception], and that this “situation” was so dark for Paul that it could be described in “satanic” terms. This just shows how dangerous it would be for Paul, or any of us, to begin to take the credit that really belongs to God, and what lengths God may have to go to ... to stop this happening. And this also shows us how God can bring good out of the worst evil, for in the midst of such oppression Paul spread the gospel (in person and through letters) right across the known world. Two thousand years later we still gather around Paul’s letters to discover what it means to follow Jesus in daily living under the various pressures that arise.

And so it seems that in the end (and in hindsight) Paul actually felt favoured by receiving God’s “no” to his prayers for this “thorn” to be removed. For this allowed Paul to really experience and fully appreciate God’s presence in his life (much more so than if this “thorn” had been removed). Now, it is not that Paul’s weaknesses and our weaknesses have merit in themselves, or that they should be celebrated, but rather, that seen in the right light, they allow for the general recognition of God working through our lives, and this we celebrate!

God’s grace is sufficient for us, even in our weakness, as the power of Christ Jesus dwells within us.

God’s grace is sufficient for me, even in my weakness, as the power of Christ Jesus dwells within me.

On a daily basis the resurrected Jesus brings hope to each of God’s children. Amen!

"Provision for the Poor" - a sermon on Leviticus 19:9-10

There is a clear concern in both testaments of the Bible for the poor and needy. The Hebrew prophets, followed by Jesus, then Paul, spoke and wrote about the fact that ethical and credible religion must address the needs of the poor. In effect, it is as blatant as this – if you ignore the poor, then you are turning your back on Jesus! From the earliest records of Israelite ethics and law, we read how important it was to care for those on the fringe of economic life (as well as those who were “aliens” i.e. foreign newcomers to the community just finding their way). Leviticus 19:9-10 gives one example of this. The context of the chapter is ‘holiness’ (19:2), denoting that our attitudes to money and the poor cannot be ignored when assessing our spiritual maturity. ‘Holiness’ means being publicly set apart as God’s person. How is it that we can be increasingly seen as God’s person? True ‘holiness’ will imitate God’s nature and activity. And as this teaching in Leviticus chapter 19 was inclusively addressed ... to “all the congregation of the people of Israel”, the content of verses 9-10 were not something to be choosy about, as if it was an option to be selected (or not). So ... compassion is the one of the central features of ‘holiness’ that cannot be ignored!

Many people in history have not been able to ignore God’s call of compassion, even when this is against all odds: Mother Teresa in the streets of Calcutta, Father Damien in the leper colony of Molokai, William Wilberforce on behalf of the slaves being brought to England, Martin Luther King seeking equality for African-Americans in the civil rights movement. But all of us can aspire to such compassion as we are willing to see the face of Jesus in the stranger. And just imagine what it would look like if everyone who found themselves in need were compassionately and spontaneously helped! Here is a vision of a better community.

The people of God were not to be too pedantic, when harvesting their crop, about the bits around the edges and the pieces that were dropped along the way ... for these should be deliberately left for the poor and needy people who would follow behind later, who were collecting what they could for their family’s mere survival. There is evidence of this actually happening when we read Ruth chapter 2. There the landowner Boaz was quite generous in his interpretation of this decree, and the foreigner Ruth was able to glean quite a large amount. There are no measurements given as to how far in from the edge the crop should be left, or how many grapes should be left on each vine – for this was no doubt designed to motivate the right heart attitude much more so than legislate particular percentages. There should be an everyday concern for the needs of the poor (that reflects a central core character concern of God)! There was the idea being promoted here that any such harvest was a blessing originating in God, which could and should be shared with the wider community, rather than exercising any right of personal, private and exclusive ownership. Taking the majority share of the harvest would be way enough for the farmer ... to be overly worried about the remaining 5 or 10 or 15 percent showed greed and a callous attitude toward the poor.

Christopher J H Wright (“Old Testament Ethics for the People of God”, 167) puts it this way:

"The important thing is not whether you feel compassion, but whether you act with compassion. So, whatever you may feel, you are to avoid reaping your fields, vineyards or orchards to the very last grain, grape or olive. There are those whose needs are more urgent than your rights of ownership, and on whose behalf God commands very practical compassion."

It is true that every blessing and good resource has come to us through the Creator of Heaven and Earth ... God says, “I am the Lord your God” (19:10b). We are, generally speaking, in this country well and truly fortunate – with our climate, and with the availability of food, housing, education, employment and health services. We should be ever grateful. But we should not only be grateful, but recognise the responsibility relative wealth brings (this is an ethical matter). There will be many, some of which due to no fault of their own, who do not have enough through which to survive life. We should also, especially in a spiritual sense, realise the danger we are putting ourselves in if we give too much emphasis to the material side of life. Material possessions can distract us from God, and begin to even possess us! Material possessions tend to devalue or disappear anyway, and in the end we can’t take them with us into eternity. This is why we should tend to hold onto such things lightly and loosely. Holding on too tight overvalues any given material thing.

And so not being overly worried about those crops at the edges of the field, nor the few grapes missed on the vines, given that there will be needy others collecting them up, was the way for the people of Israel to have everything in the right perspective. Sure this type of provision could be exploited by the one who is too lazy or irresponsible to take up their own load in society, or by the one who would cheat the system by taking more than they need and profiting from the kindness of others ... just like happens with our welfare system now. Yet just because such provisions are vulnerable to abuse, this does not counteract their very necessary existence.

Right across Melbourne, people present themselves to welfare services, seeking food for their family. There are many factors involved in this – unemployment, rising interest rates, physical and mental health issues, relationship breakdown, rising prices. When I contacted them, Uniting Care in Werribee was most keen to receive the goods we bring today, due to the demand they encounter. Need within our society presents itself in various ways, and there are many good community responses to this situation. We are called to be part of this effort, especially as we understand the equality of all humanity under God, and dignity in which God would want us all to live.

The question occurs as to the extent to which we have to go. I don’t have any easy answers to this one. As Julie recently reminded us, we should not become weary of doing good (Galatians 6:9) and continue always to be ambassadors for Jesus on earth. I have often said that giving in to compassion fatigue is not an option for a Jesus follower. But at the same time, we are human and we do get tired! Also, no one should be allowed to become totally dependent upon anyone else (apart from God) lest they lose their humanity (and their capacity to grow) altogether. So I’ll just talk around in circles for a bit hoping that others might have some good insight in this area!!!

To what extent do we need to go??? Sometimes our resources, including our emotional reserves, can get very strained. Where do the boundaries lie? There is a point at which people do need to take responsibility for themselves, and part of our support of them should be aimed at that goal. The best international aid projects, rather than mere hand-outs, are those based around community development, facilitating self-determination at some point in the future. So ultimately our offer of care, rather than building greater dependence upon us, has to target a person’s own potential for self-care. Yet often, in the first instance, it is just plain material and practical help that is required. We do have to protect our own well-being against being dominated by things and people outside our arena of responsibility. Yet, we also have to guard ourselves against being too easily apathetic, hardhearted or distant.

We have to follow our heart on this – but this would be a heart that has become so attuned to God that we readily appreciate God’s heart of compassion, and thus get it right more often than not. We need to pray that we get our daily judgement calls more right than not. We need to have positive attitudes toward others, but at the same time realise that some hearts have become dark and deceptive (through their experience of life so far). When I was pastor at West Melbourne, I had to sort through these judgement calls on a daily basis as people presented at my door looking for money. It may be likely that increasingly we will all be called upon to respond to needy situations and make such judgements more often than we would like. The question is: what will guide our decision-making?

Father's Day Sermon - "What Makes a Man?" (John 21:15-19)

When a man is at the end of his tether, is really really angry, at the bottom of his energy levels, and he feels he can’t take anymore – what can make a difference?

I say “man” deliberately today on Father’s Day, so that men here gathered may take special notice, and perhaps gain some insights that will help them become better husbands, fathers, employees and employers. But this doesn’t mean that the women should go to sleep or leave the room, because if “men” are going to become better husbands and fathers and human beings, then they are going to need a fair bit of help. And it is likely that the required help will come through encouragement based on sound principles (rather than criticism). This is because the process of change can be very hard indeed; especially when there are factors (sometimes very dark) in a bloke’s background that has caused much pain (often unacknowledged and unspoken of). When a man feels guilt for the past and shame in the present – what can make a difference? That is what we are specifically addressing today, but the answer is likely to be very similar for women when the same question is put to them!

The famous disciple Peter was at rock bottom once; and we’ll discover more about that in a minute. Ultimately to address Peter’s perilous situation, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me more than these?”. It has been long debated what the “these” refers to here ... certain things (things of the world) or the boats and nets of the fishing business, or this may have addressed the question as to whether Peter loved Jesus more than the other disciples did. But the crucial point to take from this text is that Jesus asks Peter about his level of love for Jesus, and whether that love supersedes everything else (and whether this love will be allowed to reach its heights). Jesus didn’t ask whether Peter would work for Jesus or preach for Jesus or jump through hoops for Jesus, but rather asked simply whether he absolutely loved Jesus.

And as this was so crucial, he asked Peter this question not just once, not twice, but three times. Could this have been because Peter had recently denied knowing Jesus three times?!? This thought leads us to recall the situation Peter was in. Peter had gallantly and loyally followed Jesus for three years; yet Peter had never quite understood the nature of Jesus’ mission and the fact that it would prematurely end in crucifixion. Peter had not been able to see past his confusion and angst about Jesus’ imminent death, to truly hear and understand Jesus’ predictions of the resurrection. Peter was locked into his own way of seeing things and doing things which led him to act in contrary ways to the ways of Jesus. Peter even tried to correct Jesus about this path to the cross and took to violence to try to intervene at Jesus’ arrest. But hadn’t Jesus taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they [and not others] will be called children of God”! Then in confusion and disappointment and fear, Peter repeatedly denied even knowing Jesus. This was in the face of Peter’s own misplaced confidence that he would never do such a thing!

What happened then??? Peter would no doubt have had feelings of abject failure, defeat and unworthiness. Following the cock crowing, Peter broke down and wept bitterly [according to synoptics]. Peter said to himself ... ‘What sort of a guy would deny knowing their friend?’. Peter felt guilt for what he had done – he had let Jesus down when he was needed most! Peter also felt shame, because this all revealed something deficient about who he was! Guilt said to Peter that he had done wrong! Shame said to Peter that he was a bad person! And so Peter, tail between his legs, headed back to the fishing business ... a complete reversal of where he had been heading the last three years! Of course, physical and emotional withdrawals are key evidences of “shame”.

Yet this could not be how things would be left. For Peter was a man created lovingly by God – to know, love and serve Him. Yes, Peter was fallibly human, but also had shown limitless potential (for the Kingdom of God). Beyond all this even, Peter, like all of us, was a man in need of a relationship with Jesus.

Following Jesus’ various appearances, a miraculous catch of fish, and being convinced that Jesus had really risen from the dead, Peter sat down over breakfast with Jesus. Now that’s a good thought for us men ... to sit down with Jesus at breakfast. What would Jesus say to us at breakfast about the day ahead? We can be sure that, despite the possibility of some correction, this will be a time of encouragement. Peter himself wasn’t condemned or criticised, just loved (with compassion). Here, at this particular fish breakfast, was Peter’s chance for a new future ... but what would he have to do? Peter would have to confess his love for Jesus three times.

We read that Peter felt “hurt” when Jesus asked him about this for the third time. One could imagine that this was the “hurt” that had been built by the accumulative guilt and shame of the past, and now it was coming to the surface. Jesus was addressing Peter’s feelings of unworthiness face on! And now this hurt, guilt and shame was being overlayed and dealt with by the invitation to love Jesus. For as we are invited to love Jesus, then we already know that we have been loved, accepted and valued by God. But still our feelings of guilt and shame have to be positively dealt with or they will kill us! Especially shame ... which take human beings into the realm of some very dark thinking and behaviour patterns.

So, what did Peter need to do? Peter needed to respond to God’s love in his life by loving Jesus wholly and absolutely (and following that through)! Peter was being asked to look Jesus in the eye and reaffirm his love for him (not just once but three times to counteract the negative power of his three denials). Jesus was in effect saying to Peter (with a heart full of concern)... ‘Take responsibility and don’t let (your) shame destroy your future ... I still trust you as my friend!’.

Now, how hard is it for the modern bloke to say out loud and publicly that they love Jesus?!? Maybe for many ... pretty darn hard! Yet this could be the most transforming thing a man could do or say. Peter searched his heart and knew that he was telling the truth; and what a difference this was about to make! To confirm what is true on the inside with a public confession is the way forward in becoming the man we are meant to be.

The result in Peter’s case was complete restoration as a person (without the need to feel guilt and shame) and the affirmation of a pastoral responsibility for all of God’s children ... “Feed my lambs” and “tend my sheep”.

It is those who can say (with credibility) that they love Jesus, that can be most used by him. In Peter’s capacity to affirm a love for Jesus lay his ultimate personal character potential.

And so with all of us, if we can affirm a love for Jesus (in response to his love for us) we will be best placed as husbands, fathers and friends as we meet the challenges, especially the family challenges, that lie behind and ahead. This is because as we love Jesus, we bring to the table all that baggage we have collected and allow Jesus to rearrange it. Our guilt is met by forgiveness; and our shame is met by healing. Where we used to fear and withdraw, we now engage and nurture our lambs.

To “feed” means teaching sound principles and providing for needs. To “tend” means bringing significant levels of care and support (both in practical and spiritual ways).

In the film “Life As A House”, the central character played by Kevin Kline was the most unhappy dysfunctional man imaginable, so much so that progressively he lost his wife, his family, his purpose and eventually his career as well. Like Peter, we observe him hitting rock bottom! Yet there remained within him, also like Peter, an element of life and light that enabled him to respond to the possibility of change and begin to rebuild. He dealt with his shame by investing himself full-time in something outside of himself ... his drug-addicted son. He began to ‘tend his lamb’.

Even though this process of transformation was cut short for him by illness, the differences he made within a very short time in his family and neighbourhood (once he started dealing with his demons) was staggering. What makes a man is the humility, honesty and courage to embrace change, and in the case of those of us who have heard the gospel, it is the willingness to say, ‘I love Jesus’.

What does it mean to love Jesus in the cut and thrust of daily life?? It’s to reflect Jesus’ attitudes in our daily interactions. It’s to act for Jesus in daily situations. It’s to have a positive view about people and a positive impact on their life. It is also to stand against injustice and violence in its many forms. It’s to say ‘No’ to any bullying and abuse. It is to open up (rather than wreck) the possibility of faith in others. It’s to reflect light and hope and purpose into all of life’s difficulties and challenges.

Loving Jesus will mean that we are more patient, more teachable, more kind, more forgiving and more peace-loving. And really loving Jesus will mean that we will certainly be leaders in the community (and not merely followers). Peter’s life would have been so much the lesser if he’d ignored Jesus’ call. What about you blokes? Will you express your love for Jesus, and thereby be part of the broad experience of transformation!

This is so important for you younger men! To be able to say that you love Jesus here and now will be so helpful to you as you make so many crucial decisions about careers, friendships, relationships and what you consider to be your most important priorities. These priorities will likely look very different to those who don’t know Jesus, but these same such priorities will be the ones that build the boundaries that will protect you and bring you ultimate satisfaction in life.