Gift Day Sermon: Acts 4:32 - 5:11 & Mark 12: 38-44

I wonder how you prepared for today’s Gift Day. Perhaps you were all set a few weeks ago, when the first reminder appeared on the notice sheet. Or maybe you remembered this morning when you found the different envelope in the FWO envelope box. Or, it might be that you’ve just discovered it there now when you arrived at church and saw it on the service sheet. (And that’s ok too!).

When it comes to giving, how do you decide how much you’re going to give? Do you have a routine that you follow - the same amount goes into each weekly envelope, as it always has, and probably always will? Do you look up in last year’s annual report how much you gave and do the same again? Or do you carefully consider what you’ll give as the opportunities arise?

Let me say right away that money isn’t something that we find easy to talk about. And yet Jesus talked about it time and again. So on this Gift Day, let’s think about money and offerings for a few minutes together. In both of our Bible readings today, we find an offering taking place. In one, the amount seems impressive, and yet the offerers are condemned; in the other, the amount seems miniscule. and yet the offerer is commended. You see, it’s not the amount that’s given that seems to matter - but the heart attitude behind the giving; that’s the important factor. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Let’s look first of all at the reading from Acts. Now Acts, as you know, follows the story of the early church from Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth, bringing the good news of Jesus. And every so often, Luke writes a little summary statement, summing up what’s been happening. The first comes at the end of Acts 2, and now in Acts 4, we read the next one. ‘Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.’

There was no one in need among them - but this isn’t a socialist set-up. No one was forced to give up all they had. People still hold private property, but some were selling lands or houses and bringing the proceeds to the church, to be distributed to the poor. An example of that is seen in this man called Joseph, also known as Barnabas. It means son of encouragement, and we can see how he was so encouraging. He sold a field, brought the money, and ‘laid it at the apostles’ feet.’

As we move into chapter 5, we hear of another offering being made. Ananias and Sapphira sell a field and bring along some of the money. It seems to be just the same as what Barnabas had already done. And yet, it was entirely different. By the end of that Gift Day, both Ananias and Sapphira would be dead. So what went wrong? Why was their offering condemned?

Follow along in the story. Acts 5:1. They sell a piece of property, and they decide to keep back some of the proceeds for themselves. The rest, they bring to lay at the apostles’ feet. That’s not the problem, the bit they kept back. As Peter says when he confronts Ananias, ‘While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?’ He could do with the property and the money what he wanted.

The problem was that they were saying that they were giving away the full price. So if they sold it for £80,000, and kept back £20,000 for themselves, they said that they sold the land for £60,000 and were giving the full amount to the church. It’s not so obvious with Ananias, but very obvious when Peter asks Sapphira about the whole thing. ‘Tell me whether you sold the land for so much’ and she says, ‘Yes, for so much.’

On the surface, they looked very impressive, just like Barnabas, giving away all they had. But they were holding something back, secretly saving for themselves. And Peter calls it for what it was - ‘You have not lied to men but to God.’ (5:6).

Now whether it was the shock of being found out, or the swift judgement of God, (or both), but both Ananias and Sapphira fell down and breathed their last, about three hours apart. Look at verse 11: ‘And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.’

I think there’s a great challenge here with Ananias and Sapphira. Do we give our offerings so that others will think well of us, to boost our reputation? So that people will say, oh, they’re great givers? God sees the attitude of our hearts, and knows the details of our finances better than anyone else. And in Ananias and Sapphira’s case, he condemns. He sees through their pretence and their posing. Perhaps some of us need to be challenged, to have this great fear come upon us as well - that God is not to be toyed with. The challenge is there, plain for all to see. And yet, others of us, as we give our offerings, need to be comforted and reassured.

You would love to be able to give more, and yet your offering seems so small, so insignificant, that you wonder if it’s worth putting on at all. Well, just as God saw the attitude of Ananias and Sapphira (despite their sizeable gift); God also sees your heart, no matter how small your gift.

In our first reading, in Mark 12, Jesus is in the temple. It’s during the days between Palm Sunday and Good Friday. And he sits opposite the treasury, where people offer their gifts. Imagine one of those large glass bottles you see at Flower Festivals. And the rich, they put in large sums. The rattle of the bags of coins makes a lot of noise. Every is aware of the big offerings they’re giving.

But Jesus singles out one person in the crowd. The one person no one would have noticed. She puts in two small copper coins, which make up a penny. Not much noise from her offering. And just a penny? Was it worth her while? Yes, says Jesus. And why has he singled her out? Look at verse 43. ‘Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.’

Surely not, Jesus? Just a penny? Compared to large sums? But look at what Jesus focuses on - her heart attitude. ‘For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’

If push had come to shove, she could have kept one coin, and put the other in. But she put in both coins, all she had to live on, as an offering to her God. An expression of worship, and dependence, and trust in the God she loved. Everyone else might have looked down on her, but Jesus noticed her, and commended her for her giving.

So how will you approach your giving. God sees and knows your heart. Do you need to hear the challenge of Ananias and Sapphira, to avoid following their example of pursuing a good reputation while holding something back? Or do you need to be comforted that though others might look down on your giving, God is delighted with your generosity of grace-inspired giving. There’s a verse in a newish song by Keith Getty which gets me every time. ‘Now Jesus sat by the off'ring gate As people brought their money: The rich they filled the collection plate; The widow gave a penny. "Now she's outgiven all the rest - Her gift was all that she possessed." Not what you give but what you keep Is what the King is counting.’

Not what you give but what you keep
is what the King is counting.

As we’ve been reminded already this morning, everything comes from God; we can only give what he has already given to us. God knows our needs, and he knows our hearts. Will we keep his good gifts for ourselves, or give them away to those who need them?

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church at the annual Gift Day service on Sunday 5th June 2016.

Sermon: Luke 16: 1-18 The Faithful Servant

I’m sure you’ve heard the story of the three little pigs. There they are, innocently building their houses of hay, sticks and bricks, when suddenly, the big bad wolf comes along huffing and puffing. When we hear how the wolf is described, we’re automatically on the side of the three little pigs. We don’t want the big bad anything to win.

You even see the same thing happening in the way you tell your friends of things that have happened you. “So there I was, driving along sensibly, when suddenly this idiot tried to overtake...” Your friend is going to take your side, rather than that of the idiot driver. We do it all the time. We read a story in the newspaper, and we’re taking sides, pre-judging, deciding if the person really was guilty or not.

So as Jesus begins to tell the story of this dishonest manager, we think we know how it’s going to go. The manager has been wasting his master’s money, then he’s caught on, and he cheats his master out of even more on his last day at work. It’s the easiest of clear cut stories - don’t be like this man! Or at least, that’s how we think it’s going to go.

It’s enough of a shock to find the master commending the dishonest manager in verse 8. It’s even more of a shock to find Jesus commending his example for us to follow! But before you jump ahead to thinking out ways you can cheat your employer tomorrow at work, we need to see what Jesus is recommending in this unexpected example.

Look again at verse 8. There we see why the master commended the dishonest manager - ‘for his shrewdness.’ How was he shrewd? Well look at what he says in v3-4. He’s losing his job; he’s not strong enough to dig and is too proud to beg. ‘I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ He’s making friends, setting up favours to be recalled, ‘so that... people may receive me into their houses.’

While he still has control of his master’s accounts, he gives everyone a little bit of debt relief - 50 measures or 20 measures off their bill. The customers will be grateful, and will remember his kindness, and eventually pay him back. Even though the master is losing out, he commends his manager’s shrewdness. What a cunning, well thought out plan he had! He might not like it, but he can’t help being impressed.

And this is the unexpected example Jesus gives us. Look at verse 8: ‘For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.’

Isn’t this the very point of the story? The dishonest manager used wealth to make friends, who would receive him into their houses. But we’re not just making friends for this life. Jesus is saying to use your money, use the resources you have to make friends who will welcome you into eternal dwellings. In other words, use your money to make sure that others will be with you in heaven.

So how do you do that? You know very well that you can’t buy your way into heaven. Nor can you pay for someone else to make it into heaven. But you can use your money to help people make it into heaven. As we saw a couple of weeks ago - provide hospitality so that you can share the gospel with a friend or neighbour. It doesn’t have to be fancy, even just a cup of tea and a biscuit. Or you could buy a Christian book or a Bible to give to a friend who is searching or struggling. Or you could invest in church and mission projects to help people hear the good news of Jesus for the very first time.

Many years ago there was a week of mission in a church. And a wee lady called Evelyn, who didn’t have very much money at all, wanted to buy two wee boys a book each from the bookstall. The books were picked, and read, and over the course of time, both boys became Christians. Evelyn invested a little of what she had, and within that week, I became a Christian. There are lots of ways you can make friends for eternity in the way you use your wealth.

That leads us to the principle Jesus teaches in verse 11. ‘One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.’ While that’s a principle in all sorts of ways and walks of life - just think of how it applies in work - you give a new worker something small to do, and that gives some indication of what they’ll be like in bigger jobs - Jesus is specifically looking at how we use our money.

Look at the questions in v11-12, the two big ifs. How we use our money is the being faithful in small matters. If you’re not faithful with unrighteous wealth, ‘who will entrust to you the true riches?’ (The things of God). ‘And if you have not been faithful with that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?’

Faithfulness in very little leads to faithfulness in much. And Jesus is calling us to be faithful to God in the use of our money. You see, you can’t serve two masters. You can’t ride two horses at the same time. Jesus says the great impossible: ‘You cannot serve God and money.’ You will either use God as a way to worship money; or you will use your money as a way to worship God. (I’ll say that again).

Luke tells us that some who were listening ridiculed Jesus when he said this. They were the Pharisees, the religious people. Luke tells us why - ‘who were lovers of money.’ On the outside they looked religious, respectable. But their hearts weren’t on fire for God. They were only interested in money. ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.’

God sees through our pretence of respectability. God sees past the outward veneer of religious goodness we try so hard to keep polished. God sees and knows our hearts. He knows the motives and desires of our hearts, even when they’re hidden from everyone else. He knows what we’re worshipping when we sing the hymns and say the creed - whether God, or money, or something else.

And perhaps today as we hear that, we have a moment of realisation. God really does know us. God knows that we have not been faithful, either in small things or in big. Each of us has been faithless in some way.

But the good news of Jesus is that he was fully faithful, all of the time. In small things and in big, he was faithful. He was tempted as we are, yet without sin. Each and every time, he made the right choice, he said the right thing, he fully obeyed. It’s through his use of all that he had - his very life - that we can be welcomed into the eternal dwelling.

He calls us to repent, to turn again, to start again to be faithful in our use of our money - sorry, God’s money. To use the gifts God gives us to worship him and serve others (rather than using God to worship money). In Luke 16 we find an unexpected example - the dishonest manager, and Jesus urges us to be like him, to be shrewd as we make friends by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. How will you invest in God’s coming kingdom? How many people will you meet in the new Jerusalem who give thanks to God because you invested money in gospel work and witness, and helped them come to know and love God for themselves?

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 24th January 2016.

Sermon: Mark 12: 38-44 The Widow's Mite

Quite often in newspapers and magazines you’ll find a particular type of article. As the writer surveys the latest trends or this week’s news, opinions are formed about individuals. And it’s normally called something like ‘what’s hot and what’s not’. In a fashion magazine, one famous celebrity might be ‘hot’ for wearing the latest style, whereas another celebrity has failed for trying too hard. In a sports magazine, the hat trick scoring cup winning captain is hot, while the player sent off will be a ‘not’.

It’s as if we have a league table, or a ranking system of people who are cool or important or life-changing. And it doesn’t just happen in magazines and on websites. It happens in real life as well. We make these kind of up or down judgements all the time, in all kinds of situations.

So when you meet someone, you might instantly make a decision about them, based simply on first impressions - what they look like; how they smell; how they speak. You won’t speak it out loud, you might not even realise you’re doing it, but you’ll find that you have made a decision about someone. And, although we don’t admit it, it can even happen in church. It was certainly happening in the temple in Jerusalem, when Jesus visited.

In the Bible reading we’ve just heard, the ‘hot’ and ‘not’ column would have been easily completed. What’s hot? The religious leaders, those high up in the grand scheme of the temple. And what’s not? Well, if people had even bothered to notice her, the poor widow would have been under the ‘not’ heading. But no one really paid her any attention. In the grand scheme of things, she wasn’t really contributing very much. It’s a wonder that they would even bother writing about this incident; it wouldn’t make any headlines; and yet it is included in scripture to show us that our ways are not God’s ways; that our ‘hots and nots’ aren’t his hots and nots. That God sees and God values the things and people discounted by the world (and even the church).

Jesus is in the temple, in the week leading up to the cross. Amidst the upheaval of the entry into Jerusalem, the cleansing of the temple when Jesus overturned the tables, the disputes with the religious leaders and everything else that was going on, Mark (and Luke) record the quiet action of a widow.

But before we get to the widow, we’re told what Jesus says about someone high up on the ‘hot’ scale of religion. The scribes were important people; they taught, and helped people know what God’s word said. Yet Jesus has a word about them: ‘Beware’.

Beware - it’s a word of warning, be aware of them, they’re dangerous, so be cautious. And why so? ‘Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayers.’

They look very good, and respectable, and important, but Jesus sees through their facade. They like the trappings of power and honour. They like to be made much of. But they use their power for themselves - devouring widows’ houses. Their religious acts, like long prayers, are just a pretence, it’s just put on. They should know better, and so ‘They will receive the greater condemnation.’

In the temple structure, the scribes were high up. But Jesus sees through the religious front, and sees their heart. As we heard in Mary’s song, those who think of themselves as important, high and lifted up are brought low; the proud are scattered in the imagination of their hearts.

To illustrate his point, Jesus sits down near the treasury. They didn’t pass a plate round, instead there was a big box, into which offerings were placed. Just think of the big glass bottles you get at flower festivals. But this wasn’t a silent collection in paper money.The offerings would rattle as they were thrown in. And here too, the comparison of ‘hot’ and ‘not’ was in effect.

The rich would put in large sums. You can imagine them having a bag of gold coins, taking time to through them in so that everyone saw how much they were putting in. Perhaps trying to make as much noise as possible so no one could miss how generous they were being. They were ‘hot’ - big givers. Important donors.

And then a poor widow comes in. She has no bulging money bag. Her purse isn’t full to bursting. She has just two small copper coins. You’d hardly notice. It was hardly worth her while. Her contribution seems measly. Incomparably little compared to these great givers. The comparison must have crossed the minds of the disciples. It might also cross ours, when the annual report comes out, and everyone’s giving is listed. Where do we come? Who do we think could have or should have given more? How much or how little someone gave.

Yet it’s the widow that Jesus draws attention to. In fact, he says that most startling thing. Look at verse 43. ‘Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.’ Wise up Jesus. Catch yourself on. The bag of gold is more than two small copper coins. Think how much you could do with the big donations, while the coins wouldn’t buy you anything.

But look at how Jesus explains it in verse 44: ‘For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’ The rich could afford it, they wouldn’t even notice it was gone. But this poor widow, she holds nothing back. She gives all she has. Notice that she didn’t even give one and keep one, she gives both, everything.

This is living by faith. Declaring her dependence on God, trusting him for her needs. Keith Getty puts it like this in a song: ‘Now Jesus sat by the off'ring gate
As people brought their money:
The rich they filled the collection plate;
The widow gave a penny.
"Now she's outgiven all the rest -
Her gift was all that she possessed."
Not what you give but what you keep
Is what the King is counting.’

Here’s this upside down world that Mary sings about. ‘He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.’ God sees through our religious exterior. God knows the motive of our hearts. Your acts of faith might seem very insignificant to anyone else. You might not seem terribly important or influential in the world’s eyes.

Yet God sees, and God knows, and God rewards those who live by faith. You see, God doesn’t want just a bit of us. He wants all of us.

This sermon was preached in the Brooke Memorial Hall on Sunday 21st June 2015.

Sermon: 1 Timothy 6: 3-19 Godliness with Contentment

We’re in the middle of exam season, with the GCSEs and A Levels continuing for another couple of weeks or so. Some students might have finished, depending on their subjects and the exam timetable, but most are still working hard at the revision. It’s now 18 years since I was sitting my GCSE exams, and most of the things I learnt went in one ear (or eye), stayed in my head long enough to sit the exam, and then went out the other ear (or eye). But the odd time, a random line from one of the poems we learned in Mrs Carson’s English Literature class echoes round my head.

This week, as I was working on our passage of scripture, the line from the poem came back to me. I had to look up who wrote it - William Wordsworth (of the daffodils fame). He says:

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.

Writing in the early 1800s, Wordsworth laments the greed and busyness of business, getting and spending we lay waste our powers. Now if he thought that back then, what would he make of our consumer society today? Shopping channels dedicated to making you part with your money for a bargain knife set or his and hers watches. Adverts on most of the other channels designed to make you want a newer, bigger, better version of the things you already have, which work very well - phones, cars, perfume, you name it, they’ll try to sell it. Tailored internet adverts, where Google read the mail in your email account and your browser history and then sell you the things you’ve been thinking about buying - all at a special price.

Wordsworth’s words are worth much as they diagnose the problem of a consumer society. Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers. Many today would agree, and misquote the Bible as they try to figure out the problem. So they declare that ‘money is a root of all kinds of evils’. They see money as the problem and some form of socialism or communism as the solution.

But that just won’t do. You see, the Bible doesn’t say that that money is a root of all kinds of evils. It says in verse 10 that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. Money itself is neutral, something we use to conduct business, to be paid and to buy goods and services. It’s the love of money, the desire for more, that is a root of all kinds of evils. Because then you make it your god, the thing to be worshipped, the thing to serve. Dreams become schemes to make more and more.

For Wordsworth, the escape from this getting and spending lies in pagan Greek mythology, getting back to nature. But the living God tells us here in his word that the answer to greed and getting is found in a very different practice. It’s not something that sits naturally or easily with us - in fact, a Puritan preacher wrote a book in the 1600s describing it as the Rare Jewel - Christian contentment.

Paul has sent young Timothy to be the church leader in Ephesus, and he writes this letter to encourage him, and remind him what he should be teaching the Christians in that church. Throughout the letter, there’s an emphasis on godliness, of becoming more like God when you have been saved by God. It’s applied to various situations, and in the last chapter, Paul addresses the problem of false teachers, who don’t hold to the gospel. Instead, they reckon that godliness is a means of gain. They look at ministry as a way of lining their pockets and becoming rich.

Look at verse 6. ‘Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment.’ See how Paul turns that around? The false teachers reckon godliness leads to gain. But the great gain in godliness comes when you’re content! Paul tells us why: ‘for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.’

When a baby is born, it has nothing to its name (and maybe doesn’t even have a name, immediately). However hard she works, for as long as she lives, whether she makes a fortune or dies in debt, she cannot take anything with her. It’s like the TV quiz ‘The Chase.’ No matter how many thousands the team have accumulated, maybe £60,000, the chaser catches them in the final round and the money drops to £0.00.

Paul says that the great gain of godliness is contentment. What does that look like? ‘But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.’ Enough to live on, enough to get by.The Bible challenges us today, on this gift day, is enough really enough for us?

The next two verses highlight the dangers of the love of money: it’s a snare and a diversion. ‘Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare...’ As Admiral Ackbar in Star Wars would say: ‘It’s a trap!’ You don’t realise until you’re caught, and then it’s too late. So late, that ‘some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.’

There is great gain in godliness with contentment. As we come towards a close, Paul applies this contentment in two ways. For Timothy, the man of God (and for all of us), he is to flee these things and instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. It’s a bit like the Stranger Danger advice given to children - if there’s a danger, then run away. Get away from whatever or whoever is leading you astray. So if you feel the love of money is attempting to take you, then get away from it. Take hold of what you have - eternal life, stored up, safe, which isn’t affected by your bank balance or your stocks and shares portfolio.

But Paul also applies this contentment to ‘the rich in this present age.’ (17) Don’t be haughty, proud, or thinking that you are someone because you’re rich. Don’t set your hopes on the uncertainty of riches (as the mortgage ads remind us, the value of investments can go down as well as up). Instead, set your hope on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

So if God has given us everything, then we have those things to use in his service. Do good. Be rich in good works. Be generous and ready to share. Use your wealth in this world, not for yourself, but to store up treasure in heaven, as you take hold of that which is truly life.

The reformer Martin Luther once said that the last part of a man to be converted is his wallet. If we’re so used to living for ourselves putting our own needs first, then it’s not surprising that it’s difficult to change our thinking and our way of living. The desire for security is always strong. Being financially responsible is a good thing. But our ultimate security lies beyond this life, where pounds and euros are as useless as monopoly money would be in Tesco.

God gives us everything. It’s all from him. And it’s all for him. Practice contentment (enough is enough) and generosity (towards others), as we take hold of that which is truly life, and hold loosely the things of this world. Then we will find that rare jewel of Christian contentment, and discover the great gain that can be found nowhere else.

This sermon was preached at the Gift Day service in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 7th June 2015.

Sermon: Psalm 49 The Hope of Life

This morning, I hope you have your thinking caps on. I’ve got a few little riddles for you. 1. What gets wetter the more it dries? A towel. 2. What goes around the world but stays in a corner? A stamp. 3. What has holes in the top, bottom, left, right and middle, yet holds water? A sponge. 4. In a red bungalow, all you can see is red: red wallpaper, red carpets, red curtains, red chairs, red table, red bathroom. What colour are the stairs? There aren’t any in a bungalow! 5. What is the longest word in the dictionary? Smiles - there’s a mile between the two s.

We’re familiar with riddles and puzzles. If you listen to Hugo Duncan on BBC Radio Ulster, he has his wee teasers. They’re things to make you think. In Psalm 49, we find a riddle. This is something that has been bothering the sons of Korah for a while. They’ve meditated on it; they’ve gained understanding, so now they are speaking wisdom. It’s wisdom and understanding for everyone. Just as we’ve seen them call all peoples to praise God, so here the call goes out to everyone: ‘Hear this all peoples!’ Whether you’re high or low, rich or poor, the sons of Korah have a riddle for you.
We find the problem in verses 5 and 6. ‘Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?’ Can you picture the scene? The writer finds himself in times of trouble; he’s being cheated by those who are rich. He’s set to lose out. He’s intimidated by those who have more than him and make sure he knows it. Perhaps you’ve found yourself in the same position. You’re struggling to keep your head above the water; the bills keep coming; you’re at a loss as to what to do; you’re fearful.

The riddle, the puzzle is at the start of verse 5: when all this is going on ‘Why should I fear?’ Hard circumstances will come. We all get storms in life. The question is, how will we respond? Will we fear the rich and powerful? Why should I fear? This isn’t just a Countdown conundrum, a quick thirty second solution. Yet over time, the sons of Korah have come up with an answer. Are you ready to hear their wisdom; to gain from their understanding? The answer comes in verse 7, a wander around the graveyard.

‘Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit.’ What he’s saying is that you can’t buy God off and keep on living. Some people try it all the time - through a new fitness plan or plastic surgery or herbal treatments. Here’s the latest trick to increasing your life expectancy.

But the simple truth is that you just can’t do it. It may be uncomfortable, but it’s true - one day, each of us will die (unless the Lord returns first!). If even the wise die, then also the fool and the stupid must perish, and leave their wealth to others. No matter what size your house might be, we all end up in the same plot of ground.

That’s what verse 12 says. ‘Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.’ Trusting in wealth and riches makes you just like a beast. He then goes on to show the path of those with foolish confidence. Here’s the road they’re on, the direction they’re going. They’re sheep for Sheol, and death is their shepherd, leading them on the way. Sheol is the Old Testament word for the place of the dead, a dark, dreadful place from which there is no return. It’s how we understand hell. Foolish confidence in riches leads to hell.

We see that in Luke 12. A man wants to make sure that he got his fair share of his inheritance. But Jesus gives a warning about greed. He tells the story of a man with a bumper crop. He plans to pull down his barns and build bigger ones. He’s all sorted for years to come. He can trust in his wealth and take life easy. But God says he is a fool, because he has stored up treasures for himself but is not rich towards God. He thought he had a long and prosperous life ahead of him; he died that very night.

This is the truth that the sons of Korah are telling all who will listen. Your money won’t save you. Riches won’t rescue you. As Paul writes to Timothy, the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Confidence in riches leads to Sheol. But there is another way. Look at the contrast between the end of verse 14 and verse 15. ‘Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell. But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.’ In the midst of the gloomy darkness, as the shadows of Sheol surround the psalm, suddenly there is a burst of light. Here is the hope of the gospel, in Old Testament form. No one can ransom their own soul, but God will ransom my soul. I won’t be abandoned in Sheol; God will receive me. ‘But God’ is the turning point of hope.

He doesn’t know how it will happen. He just knows it will happen. From our place in time, we can look back and see how God ransoms souls. But it wasn’t with the payment of gold or silver. The price of a life is costly. So costly, in fact, that it took the blood of Jesus. The Lord Jesus came as our ransom, our redeemer. He gave his life in place of our life. He died the death that we deserved. He entered the place of the dead. He suffered hell, the darkness and absence of God, and bore the punishment for our sins.

For the Christian, death will come, but death is not the end. Death is but the entrance into God’s nearer presence. ‘He will receive me.’ That’s the gospel promise in a nutshell. The new heavens and new earth are where God dwells with his people. That’s the answer to the riddle. Why should I fear? Those who oppress you, those who boast in their wealth, it won’t last. Consider their future - and yours.

From verse 16 on he applies the truth. The question: Why should I fear? The answer: No man can ransom, but God will ransom me. So now apply it. ‘Be not afraid when a man becomes rich.’ In verses 17 and 18 we find the reason. Each of them are a ‘for.’ ‘For when he dies he will carry nothing away.’ You’ve heard of the story of a rich man. He called in three friends before he died. He gave them each £10,000 and asked them to put the money into his coffin just before his funeral. A week after all was over, the three gathered. The first confessed that he had held on to £1000 but put the rest in. The second had put half in. The third, well he wrote him a cheque for it!

The Pharaohs in the pyramids took their wealth with them, but it was of no use to them. You can’t take it with you. Money is just for here and now. So don’t fear the rich, if they’re only rich in the world, think how poor they really are. V18 ‘For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed.’ Blessing now but Hell hereafter. This life is the nearest some people will ever get to heaven. It’s like the story Jesus told of the rich man in his castle and Lazarus at the gate. The rich man died and went to hell, and could see Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom in paradise. (Luke 16)

Verse 20 is like a chorus. We’ve heard it before. Did you notice in verse 12 it runs the same way. ‘Man in his pomp... is like the beasts that perish.’ The words in the middle reflect on each other. Those who ‘will not remain’ are those ‘without understanding.’ They are those who refuse to listen to the wisdom of the sons of Korah, the wisdom of the scriptures. To gain understanding, to be truly wise, we need to come to God, to find our hope only in him. It is the only path of life. So don’t fear the rich, those who cheat you. Find your hope in God, not in wealth.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 10th August 2014.

Coke: Sharing or Selfish?

Coca Cola have long been the masters of marketing. They may (or may not) have dressed Santa in his distinctive red cloak, but they've had some memorable marketing campaigns. Their current one could yet be the most successful as well as the simplest yet.

Over recent months they've been printing the 150 most popular names in each country. They've even added another hundred names under popular demand. The full list is here. If you watch the ad (this is the Irish version below), or read the cans and bottles carefully, the campaign is focused on altruism: 'Share a coke with...'



It's a nice idea, even if it's rank commercialisation. You share a coke / diet coke / coke zero with someone whose name you see on the bottle, for lots of different reasons. The company wants us to share, to give, to be generous. Now, some people might be doing that, but as with so much of life, the buzz on Twitter and Facebook seems to be selfish. The goal is to find a coke with your own name on it, rather than being given one by someone else...

Its depressing that finding a coke bottle with my name on it has been the highlight of my week #firstworldproblems

— AJ Jameson (@AberrantAdam) August 15, 2013

I FINALLY FOUND A COKE WITH MY NAME ON IT pic.twitter.com/QGQrWKVBPU

— Elagabalus' Lion (@Orla_White) August 15, 2013

10/10 to @CocaCola for marketing! Was actually excited to finally find a bottle of Coke Zero with my name on it!!! pic.twitter.com/vTbdXgkcZS

— Adrian Kennedy (@AdrianFKennedy) August 14, 2013

None of those Coke 'Share a Coke with' bottles have my name on them. I FEEL SO ALONE.

— Blake ✌ (@blakesteven) August 1, 2013

Some are even taking it badly (!):

Me looking for my name on a coke bottle: pic.twitter.com/8rK5KpAAaZ

— br(ok)en (@y0itsShelby) July 31, 2013

This is just a small sampling of the vast numbers of tweets about the Coke name campaign, and the majority are all about us finding our own name, rather than sharing. Something as simple as a bottle of pop, but when the fizz settles, we're all still selfish.

And no, I haven't seen a Gary on a Coke yet...

PS As with any other topic, Twitter excels at bringing out the comedians. Honourable mentions for these two:

You all get so excited when you find a coke bottle with your name on it. Pepsi got me covered for life pic.twitter.com/ZEIjFXLSpc

— Maximillian (@MaximillianMJ) August 10, 2013

If you've been chuffed to see your name on a coke bottle then imagine my joy on every visit to B&Q.

— Matt White (@mattyfwhite) July 17, 2013

Driving A Hard Bargain

I've recently been having a look at car insurance, trying to get the best deal. Just in case I hypothetically speaking might be changing my car. And there's something I've noticed - and not just the spam that's likely to flood in on the comments to this post!


When you're applying for car insurance online, you're asked all the standard questions. One of those standard questions is your occupation. So you start to type in a few letters and here's what you come up with:



The two options are 'Minister of Religion' or 'Baptist Minister'. Now, I'm sure my Baptists brothers would quickly make the point that they're not ministers of religion, and neither am I, but it was interesting that Baptists seem to be separate and not included under 'Religion' for ministers.

Any suggestions as to why this would be the case?

Harvest Sermon: Luke 12: 13-21

I wonder if we have any fools here tonight? In Belfast every summer, there is a Festival of Fools. You can be innocently going about your shopping when you’re suddenly confronted with a variety of street performers and entertainers doing all kinds of daft things. People on unicycles; jugglers; dancers; and clowns. They’re being foolish for a laugh.

Or maybe you know someone who you think is a bit foolish. It might be their obsession with Daniel O’Donnell, or the way they leave the house and forget to close the door, or whatever. You look at them and think, well, they’re a bit of a fool.

But what if you yourself are called a fool - not just by one of your neighbours for some silly behaviour - but by God himself? In our Bible reading, we hear of a man who is called a fool by God. As we look more closely at the parable, we’ll see just why he was so foolish, and how we can avoid being fools.

Jesus begins to tell a parable, a story, about a certain rich man. It’s harvest time, and he’s been busy in the fields gathering it all in. Things have been good this year - just enough rain to keep the crop watered, but not too much to flood it; good heat to bring it on; all is well. Yet in his prosperity, he discovers he has a problem.

You see, his land has produced so much, that his barns simply aren’t big enough. He has no room for all his grain and his goods. So as he thinks about his problem, suddenly he comes up with the answer. Verse 18: ‘Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’

Now you might be thinking - doesn’t that sound great? One crop big enough to retire on. A big bonus, and no more worrying about anything. Not so long ago in one of the newspapers I read of a mega-rich family in England holding a retirement party for the latest person to retire from the family business - the the age of 30!

It’s the dream most of us pursue, isn’t it? No more working, just lying back on a tropical beach topping up your tan as the world goes by. It was what drove the boom years as property prices soared, everyone out to make their millions; it’s still the dream in these bust years as people hang on until they can make their fortune again.

Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry. Isn’t that what life is all about? Having a good time, enjoying your wealth.

So you can imagine the farmer has made his plans, he’s going to get rid of those tiny barns and have bigger ones built. He goes and rings the builder - the builder even says he’s coming first thing in the morning! What more could he possibly want?

The truth is he will never see the builder coming. Despite his wealth, his riches, his prosperity, those things couldn’t save him. That very night he dies - and never benefits from all that he had stored up. But it wasn’t an accidental death; not just a tragic coincidence; not just a a twist of fate. No, God intervenes and says to him: ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

After all his plans for the rest of his life, he would see none of them, because God took him that night. His possessions were useless to him.

It’s not what we think, is it? That’s not how we view stuff. We naturally think that we need stuff, more and more stuff - the latest iPhone; a bigger house; the newest model car; wardrobes full of clothes never worn. We push on to get the latest and the best, more and more, even though our houses are probably coming down with stuff. As someone once remarked about our society: ‘The one with the most toys wins.’ I heard someone ask how much money you need to be happy. ‘Just a little bit more.’

As you might know, we have recently moved house. One morning, the removals lorry arrived, and a team of workers invaded our house in Dundonald, packed up everything we had, and loaded it all in the back of the articulated lorry. I caught myself saying that it was weird to see our whole life in the back of a lorry. And then caught myself on - remembering Jesus’ words here that ‘a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’

How easily it is to measure ourselves or someone else based on what they own - where they live and what they drive. If we see someone with what we think as ‘less’ than ours, we imagine we’re better than them. But what if we see someone with more, or better than us? That old problem of greed can quickly raise its head.

This was why Jesus told the parable in the first place - a man in the crowd asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him. It might have been a fair question, but Jesus sees right to the heart and knows that greed is motivating him. ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’

It’s what the man in the story thought - he had plenty of possessions and so could have an easy life. Being rich meant he could be happy. Have you ever heard yourself think that? Happiness would come if I had a little bit more. There are many who pursue happiness in a drum of wee balls being drawn out on a Saturday night, throwing away money seeking happiness from a big lottery win.

Jesus is saying here that greed for riches isn’t very wise; rather God think it all rather foolish. Remember what he said to the man: ‘You fool!’ And why was he foolish?

He didn’t think of God. The ground had produced a bumper crop, but the man forgot God the giver. You see, all that we have comes from God. He made it, and he gives us everything for us to use. Yet how many of us realise and remember to thank God? We might remember about it this evening as we come to the Harvest Thanksgiving, but what about the rest of the year? Are we mindful of how God has blessed us? We would always make sure to thank someone who gives us a birthday present or does something for us - what about God, who gives us everything?

He didn’t think of God, who gives us life. The man says to himself ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years’ yet he himself didn’t have many years. He forgot that God is in control of the future. As James writes in his letter: ‘‘Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”’ (James 4:13-15). Are we foolish to make plans that we may not be able to keep? Are we too sure of the future when we don’t know what tomorrow (or tonight) will hold?

The man also forgot about God, who sits on the judgement seat. His wealth mattered little before God - he may have been wealthy, and yet, as Jesus says, he was not rich toward God. Millions of pounds in the bank, and yet bankrupt before God.

Not only did the man fail to love God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength (and his purse and possessions), but we find that he even failed to love his neighbour as himself. Do you remember what the man said when he came up against his problem? ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods...’

He has no regard for his neighbour; no thought for those who have nothing; doesn’t consider sharing or giving away even the bit that wouldn’t fit in his barn. Everything is kept for self.

And what of us? Are we selfish in storing up what we have for ourselves? Or do we remember those in need, remembering that what he have has been given to us by God, for his purposes, rather than our own private pursuits.

Now you might be thinking to yourself - I have no bumper crop; compared to some of those around me, I’m poor. Maybe the sermon is only for the richest person in the congregation and the rest of us are off the hook. But in the grand scheme of things; when we look at the world, we are the rich! We are those with plenty, yet we keep all for ourselves and our comfort and pleasure.

Because of that, all of us are in danger of being called a fool by God. As Jesus says in the last verse: ‘This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God.’ Just like the man, we can be rich, and yet not rich towards God. But how do we stop being foolish? How do we become rich towards God?

The truth is that each one of us is bankrupt towards God. We have no credit, no merit, nothing going in our favour. Instead, there’s a big (and ever increasing) list of debts. Every sin has been listed. Our debt is growing. We could never repay it.

Yet the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth, lived the perfect life, committed no sin, and then gave his life to pay for our sins. As Jesus died on the cross, he satisfied the debt of our sins - as we read in Colossians 2: ‘He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.’ (Col 2:13-14).

Paul is saying that it’s a bit like going into a shop with a bill. When you pay the bill, it’s taken, and placed on the nail. It’s been paid for, the debt is cancelled. It’s the same with our sins. Jesus has cancelled our debt towards God through his perfect sacrifice for our sins, which is credited to our account when we trust in him.

There’s an old gospel chorus which puts it so well: He paid a debt he did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace the whole day long, for Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.

But even more than just our debts being cleared; the Lord Jesus also gives us his blessings, he credits our account, and gives us so much more than we deserve. Paul tells us in Ephesians that all these blessings from ‘the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us’ (Eph 1:7-8). Later they are described as the ‘immeasurable riches of the grace’ (Eph 2:7) and the ‘unsearchable riches of Christ’ (Eph 3:8). By ourselves, we cannot store up treasure in heaven – we are poor and bankrupt when it comes to the Bank of Heaven. But Jesus offers us the riches of his grace, and provides the means for us to have treasure in heaven.

Perhaps this evening you are realising your poverty towards God - I invite you to receive the Lord Jesus, to depend on him for rescue from your debt. In him, you will find all the riches of his grace.

Perhaps you are a Christian, but you’ve been pursuing wealth on earth rather than storing up treasure in heaven. That’s like depending on Monopoly money for your fortune. Turn again and find in Christ all that you need.

And please, as you leave this church tonight, don’t be a fool.

This sermon was preached at the Harvest Thanksgiving in St Margaret's Church, Clabby, County Fermanagh on Friday 23rd September 2011.

Cellular Network Data

It's almost a month since I upgraded my O2 pay monthly mobile from an iPhone 3GS to an iPhone 4. It's been nice to get started on the newer phone, learning how to work it and the extra things it can do - including my first FaceTime conversation!

This post, though, is more concerned with the change in O2's cellular charging policy. When the iPhone first came out, there was unlimited data available. It meant you could endlessly surf the internet, check emails, use maps, and all the rest across the 3G and cellular data networks (as long as your battery continued!). Not long after I got my iPhone, I noticed that O2 were changing the contract, and a separate subscription was required for pay monthly data usage - £6 per 500MB or £10 for 1GB. It was in place straight away for new customers, but would only be forced on current customers when their contract finished or an upgrade was completed.

I have to admit, I was worried by these new charges. I would tend to use the mobile web quite a bit, finding it useful to have email on the go, as well as using apps like Lookaly to find restaurant recommendations, Google maps, Facebook, Twitter and all the rest. Would I be caught out by the extra charges? Were O2 going to make a lot more money off me through the new contract when I upgraded?

After the first month, I can safely say they won't be using me to fund their retirement plan. While I may have been slightly cautious on the mobile web, at the end of my first month, it looks a bit like this:



Less than one-fifth of the network data allowance used! It certainly seems that perhaps 500MB is a reasonable allowance and one that I won't be topping any time soon, given that I've been using my phone to navigate to some rural churches as well as updating Facebook and Twitter when I've had opportunity.

Convenient Consumption or Frozen Waste?

You've heard of the frozen wastelands of Siberia, or perhaps other places. Yet I think there's probably a frozen wasteland a lot closer to home, even inside your home.


The freezer can be a very convenient means of consumption, so if you see a bargain in the supermarket you stock up and put the excess in the freezer for some other day. It's useful for having vegetables out of season, if they've been stored up while in season. It can be good to make up meals and then freeze them for the days you don't want to face cooking when you get home from work. Very handy, very convenient, and yet still perhaps a frozen waste.


Just think for a moment - do you actually use the stuff in the freezer in time, or does it just lie there, literally frozen waste, long past its safe use, just waiting for the day you clear out the freezer and throw the food away? If that's the case, then it wasn't really a bargain in the first place - money spent on food which ultimately is thrown out, as well as the extra electricity used to freeze the food for that long period of time.


While it may be a matter of discipleship for Christians, it's important for everyone in these days of job uncertainty and falling incomes, so that every household takes care of how they steward their resources, making the most from every pound. Just think of the impact we could have if the money we spent on what will become frozen waste was instead directed towards charities to feed those who desperately need something, anything? Think of the reduction in energy bills, which would reduce our need for so much energy.


How long could your household survive if they weren't to go food shopping from today, simply using up the food already under your roof in the freezer, or cans, bottles or jars? While you might need to still get the fresh essentials, like milk etc, wouldn't it make sense to use up that food rather than leaving it to eventually be thrown out?

We've tried this over the past week, using up the freezer food, so that it's nearly empty, with minimal waste. Now what to do with those prawns...

Paid In Full

The other day I received a cheque in the post. It was the cheque that had been sent to one of the companies we get our books and literature from, to pay for some items we'd received before Christmas. The cheque was returned, however, because I had already paid for the stuff with my credit card.

Because the items had already been paid for in full, no other payment was necessary. It's the same with what Jesus did on the cross for us. As he cried out 'It is finished' (John 19:30). It's the Greek word for 'paid in full'. Because Jesus has paid for our sins by his death on the cross, we cannot contribute anything, we just receive the free gift of God.



Paid in full.