Our series is on how Jesus resets our goals. We’re basing this on something Jesus taught in his sermon on the mount.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
(Matthew 6:25-33 ESV)
Jesus was saying that we can get so busy and consumed by the day to day concerns of life, we lose track of the point. What was the point? We were created for relationship with God, and one another. All humans gave that up by focusing on ourselves instead, and there is evidence in the world’s brokenness. We can see it in broken relationships with ourselves, one another, our natural world, and with God himself. But God offers his love to us all the same. He invites us to live in his kingdom – to be in a relationship with him as our Lord – thanks to what Jesus did on the cross.
Last week, we learned how Jesus and his death on the cross give us the opportunity to reset life. His death and resurrection reset the world, since death was the most visible consequence of our sin and rebellion against God. He made it possible for us to live in Kingdom of God now, and for eternity.
But we have lots to do. Jesus isn’t saying we should quit our jobs, run around naked and hungry. He’s not saying food, shelter, clothes are a bad thing. They are all part of his creation, like us, and he has plans for it all.
He is just saying that we shouldn’t worry about such things. We shouldn’t be consumed by them. We shouldn’t let them distract us from our life’s true purpose of living in relationship with God, and one another. We shouldn’t let worrying about little goals get in the way of life’s big goal.
Question: When does careful planning turn into worry and get in the way of life goals?
Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community – so check out today’s reading here.
Reminder: The best way to grow spiritually this year is to join our Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting tomorrow night, January 22nd. Register for you and a friend today!
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Shortly after the church saw the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the massive expansion of their numbers by 3000 people, and established some early practices, we find today’s story.
In today’s story, Peter had just healed a man who wouldn’t walk since birth. The crowds saw this, were amazed, and suddenly wanted to hear from him. This was his opportunity to preach to thousands. What would he say?
While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's. And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. (Acts 3:11-15 ESV)
Peter basically retells the story of Jesus’ death. But in this case, he is uncomfortably direct, at least by today’s standards. He speaks directly to his fellow Jews, in particular those in Jerusalem, and makes sure they don’t miss the significance of what happened, and their implication in it.
He says those listening to him were responsible for four terrible things about Jesus:
1) You handed him over.
High priests handed him over to Roman authorities.
2) You disowned him before Pilate even though he would have let him go.
They said Caesar is Lord instead about Jesus is Lord.
3) You traded him for a murderer
There was a tradition to release one criminal at Passover. They asked Pilate to release Barabbas, not Jesus.
4) You killed the author of life.
The crowds yelled, “Crucify him!”
The author of life is an important title. The Greek word (archegos) we translate as author here could also be translated as pioneer. That’s why we called this series Pioneer Story, because it’s the story of the first Christians, who were like pioneers, but it is even more so the story of Jesus, the true pioneer of the Christian faith, working through those other early pioneers.
What was the bottom line of Peter’s message? You did this. He wants his audience (then and now, them and us) to feel guilt.
Question: Why would Peter make them feel so terrible? Where is he going with this?
