Living Generously

Sermon, 3.15.09
“Living Generously”
Rev. Erik Bonkovsky
Nehemiah 5:14-19

The way we treat people reflects our love for God.  In this passage from Nehemiah, we see Nehemiah acting out in bold generosity, embracing the people in a way that showed his fear of God and compassion.  Instead of raking in the standard fee that a ruler in his position would take in order to feed himself, he took his own private wealth and threw lavish dinners for the commoners every night.  This would have marked a lifestyle change for Nehemiah, as he was used to living in lux surroundings with the King of Persia.  Here he is giving away what riches he has in order to feed his people without taxing them, so that the work of God (rebuilding the city) may be done.

Have you given so much that it hurts?  That you have to change your lifestyle in order to accommodate it?  Do you actually change your habits in order to give more, no matter how painful it is for you?

Christ is our fuel.  He’s already done the work, and he gives us the power to live generously.

Nehemiah’s generosity shows the ultimate type of hospitality.  The root of the word “hospitality” is “hospital,” and what does it mean to run a hospital?  It means you’re helping people who are hurt.  It takes a sacrifice from us — when we open our homes, and give to those in need.  And when we are hospitable in this manner, we are mirroring the gospel.  We can sum up the story of the Bible by saying it’s the story of God’s hospitality to us.

We are God’s heirs!  If you truly believe you’re getting ready to receive a huge inheritance from God, you can afford to be generous now.  Do not be afraid; rely on God to give you the means to live generously.

No Longer Slaves

Sermon, 3.8.09
“No Longer Slaves”
Rev. Erik Bonkovsky
Nehemiah 5:1-13

In this passage, Nehemiah has found out that some of the Israelites are taking advantage of the economic situation of those who are working on rebuilding the city.  They were buying the workers’ children as slaves and exacting interest from them on fields and vineyards.  As Nehemiah sees it, this is undoing all the good work they’ve been doing: “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” (verse 8).

This may seem irrelevant to modern times, but we are in bondage to our sin.  It is our master.

We act as slaves by:

• Making laws for ourselves and then measuring ourselves by those laws
• Putting on a show or puffing ourselves up for others
• Trying to do tangible things in order to make others value us

We enslave others by:

• Expecting all this “good Christian” stuff from them instead of just loving them
• Subtly taunting them with all the great things we’re accomplishing
• Judging them, and being quick to point out their faults in a Pharisee-like tone
• Guilt-tripping and manipulating them

Why do we do things that enslave ourselves and others?  Do we see God as some great slaveholder, and us as his slaves?  It makes sense that if we feel enslaved to God, we’re going to feel that way toward others: lowly, not good enough, under obligation.  But the Bible makes it clear that though our disobedience has mortgaged us to God, Jesus has paid our mortgage.  We are not as slaves to God, but as children (Romans 8:15). We are not to slink away from God in disgrace, but to approach the throne of grace boldly (Hebrews 4:16).

When you remind people of the grace of God, you can’t put conditions on it.  You can’t say they need to do the right amount of groveling, and then they can receive grace.  That’s not how it works.  Grace is unconditional and free, and the only requirement is reaching out and accepting it — thereby choosing daily not to live in bondage to some made-up human standards, self-imposed or otherwise.

Yet, though I am not what I ought to be
nor what I wish to be
nor what I hope to be
I can truly say, I am not what I once was.

– John Newton

The Sword and the Trowel

Sermon, 3.1.09
“The Sword and the Trowel”
Rev. Erik Bonkovsky
Nehemiah 4:15-23

Famous preacher Charles Spurgeon had a magazine called The Sword and the Trowel, and that phrase sums up the passage we’re studying today.

Trowel work

We need to engage in real work.  It’s good, and God has called us to it.   It’s hard and painstaking sometimes.  Often we think of our day job as something we’re doing just to pay the bills.  We squeak by with the least possible effort.  But we need to look at our occupations, whatever they may be, as what God has called us to for now.  Everything we do can be potentially life-giving, which is why we’re instructed to “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”  Do you see your job that way?

For example, the Robinson Theater was recently re-opened in Church Hill.  A group of people worked hard to raise the money to have it fixed up, and now that it’s re-opened it’s giving life back to the community.  So by doing the work, we get closer to where this story started in the first place: God in a garden, doing work, and making things that are beautiful and useful.

Sword work

In our lives, we face attacks from the outside and from within that devalue our work.  We are told that work is all about money, security, bills, or comfort.  Freeing ourselves of this outlook is constant work, and takes vigilance.  Under these attacks, we need to pick up the sword of the word of God to reinvigorate our purpose.  Our work is derivative; we engage in this work because God did.  God is always fighting for us; he defends us (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Examples of where we can apply this work ethic

Relationships are hard work.  On an everyday basis, they can be repetitive and messy.  The trowel means pursuing people, getting to know them, and truly hearing them.  Relationships don’t just happen, it takes investment, love, and listening.

Housework is another area to focus our hard work on.  When we’re creating an atmosphere where life can happen, where meals can be shared, and where friends can be invited in, we’re doing God’s work.  As illustrated in the song “Holy As a Day is Spent,” there is a Godward dimension to everything in life.

So when the voices of doubt creep in, telling us that the daily grind doesn’t matter, we have to beat those voices back.  God doesn’t just care if you preach or lead a small group or lead worship — he cares that you’re being faithful.  And that extends into everything he has called you to do.

Fighting Without. Fears Within.

Sermon, 2.22.09
“Fighting Without.  Fears Within.”
Rev. Erik Bonkovsky
Nehemiah 4:1-14

Our story this week opens with Sanballat jeering at the Jews for attempting to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls.  Not only were Sanballat’s attacks demoralizing to the workers, but they were also attacks on God.  God’s instructions were to rebuild the city, and this man was questioning both the plan, and their ability to carry out the plan.

Later, even their fellow countrymen question the plan to rebuild Jerusalem, urging the workers to go home to their respective towns.  They call attention to the gargantuan amount of work to be done, and the small number and energy of the workers.

But Nehemiah said “Do not be afraid of them.  Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome” (v. 14).  The Israelites succeed not by stiffening themselves and working hard to prove the naysayers wrong, but by remembering God

What are the doubts that creep in for you?  Some examples could be opposition from your family, people being dismissive toward you, people condescending to you about your faith, the challenge of getting to know who you married, or wondering if God will provide someone for you to spend your life with.  These doubts seem to accost us at every turn.  But instead of letting ourselves become overwhelmed, we have hope:

“Hope is not simply wishful thinking; it is a fruit of the Spirit born of the spiritual discipline of remembering.  This is why, even in the darkest eras, God has left us a witness of what happens when his people believe and follow him in the fight for justice” (Gary Haugen).

The Jews had plenty of reasons to believe in a great and awesome God, who had led them out of slavery in Egypt and into the promised land.  They had concrete evidence that allowed them to continue in hope.  But we can trust in this hope completely because Christ has already faced down the opposition.  He has vanquished the mockers.  This verse from Colossians is the fulfillment of Nehemiah’s prayer:

“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

So as much as others may seem to tell us, “give it up!” we cannot listen to them.  Jesus is saying them same thing to us, but he is saying that we need to give up trying to overcome our doubts with our own strength.  He has already done it for us, and we need to rest in that truth.  We are not perfect, but the beautiful part is that we don’t have to be.

“The Reason Why”

Sermon, 1.25.2009
“The Reason Why”
Rev. Steve Constable
Titus 2:11-15

God’s desire to be a part of our lives and to offer us his grace is what sets us apart.  Contrary to the billboard that says “Don’t make me come down there. — God,” he has already come down here.  In an unfathomable act of grace, God reached out to us via his son.  This grace is important for three reasons:

1. Grace has broken through the dark clouds of our lives.  A key word in this passage is “appeared.”  It’s an epiphany: the revealing of something previously invisible.  At a time of his choosing, whenever seemed right to him, he appeared to us.  Grace breaks through all the circumstances that are in the way, and the sheer power of total, undeserved forgiveness is what we are left to bask in.  Do you know that grace?  It should not just be something that happened in the past.  It should be something that is continually happening to us.
2. Grace teaches us a new way to live.  We’re living in a new landscape, unfettered by the constraints of the old covenant.  We have no idea of what being “godly” is, or any idea of how to do it.  So truly living in the way that God desires us to live is by being dependent on grace.  Again, it’s about being constantly restored and forgiven.  When we are given this grace, this stream of living water, then it should flow from us in turn.
3. Grace encourages us about our reward.  Our reward is Jesus himself.  There’s an old Jesuit prayer that suggests that we should never seek a reward for serving.  But contrary to this idea, our passage in Titus makes it clear that what we hope for and what God has promised will be ours.  He will redeem us and purify us.  We should be hanging around the mixing bowl of grace, just waiting to lick the beater blades and lick the bowl clean.

So how do we apply this?  How do we show God’s grace to others?  By showing them good things, and by encouraging them.  Be patient: God knows what you need, and he will give it to you at the right time.  At the hour of his choosing.  Be full of hope.  Although we always seem to have such big worries, we need to realize: this is not the first time this has happened.  He will provide.