Bernard Gabbott - Sunday, 28 November 2021
Real People, Real Plans, Real Grace
Scripture References: Titus 3:12-15, Acts 18:24-28, Acts 20:1-4, Ephesians 2:1-10
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CloseOne of the delightful features of Paul’s letters is the way they exhibit such personal details, painting a picture of God’s household which was dispersed but lived grace in their relationships. This close is like so many of Paul’s letters – personal details interspersed with reminders of key points from his letter. The names mentioned here are not unfamiliar (although Zenas and Artemas are not mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament). Tychicus was a close friend of Paul, the deliverer of the letters to Ephesus and Colossae (and possibly the correspondence named Philemon). Apollos was a well-known Christian leader. Their place in God’s household, and their mission, allowed an opportunity to display the great grace of God in good deeds. Moreover, the way in which this command is restated should cast the mind of every reader of this letter (‘all of you’) back over the whole letter – the content of these good deeds (which is grace), the nature of that grace (God our Saviour), the things consistent with this nature (sound teaching in sound behaviour), the threat to that grace (false teachers), and those entrusted with leading God’s household (elders). In summary, this has been a letter about the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, from go to woe!
Scripture References: Titus 3:12-15, Acts 18:24-28, Acts 20:1-4, Ephesians 2:1-10
Related Topics: Titus | More Messages from Bernard Gabbott | Download Audio
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We love a turning point. Whether it is a story or a football game. Hope dawning at the darkest time. Where is the great turning point in Esther? It could be our memory verse, when Esther is persuaded by Mordecai to act to save her people. It could be when the king looks with favour upon Esther and holds out the golden scepter to her. It could be when Haman is forced to lead Mordecai through the city mounted on the king’s horse and proclaims that he is the man the king delights to honour. They are major events in the story of Esther. They are turning points of a sort. But the writer of Esther points us to another event. That looks so trivial.
Esther is such an exciting story! There are evil plots. There are interesting yet flawed characters. There is risk and sacrifice. There is heroism and villainy. Today, we are introduced to the villain of the plot, and what an evil scheming villain he is! He spins lies and concocts murderous plans to do away with the Jews, God’s covenant people. How will the people respond? Will he get away with his evil plan? Will God, who is not mentioned at all, intervene to protect His people, to live up to the promises He made to Abraham, the people at Mt Sinai, and to David?
There is so much that sounds familiar in these first two chapters of Esther: the world is dominated by loud and brash and imposing and degraded power, the people of God are small and struggling and faced with ambiguous decisions and actions and God seems so far away he is almost absent (at least to our minds and hearts). As we read this book, we will need God’s revelation to help us navigate its strangeness, its ambiguity, and its confrontational narrative. In this, we have the key to the book—the lack of God’s name in letters does not mean the lack of God’s presence.
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