Dan Rowe - Sunday, 14 May 2023
Singleness
Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 7:17-35, 1 Corinthians 7:7-8, Psalms 18:30-50, Isaiah 56:1-5
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CloseSingleness… its a phase of life that all will experience and yet not a topic we often think through well. Having seen God’s good plan of marriage for His people, we must ask, ‘what about those who are not married?’ The Bible has a high view of singleness calling it a gift (1 Cor 7:7). Paul encourages us to think wisely about how we can best serve God in the state of life we find ourselves, not seeking the alternative. For some, that might mean choosing to remain single so that they might serve God, free from the distraction of married life. As a church, we should be affirming the gift of singleness in our family and supporting and encouraging those who are single. So often we overlook single life, seeing it as a transit lounge on the way to the ‘real’ destination of marriage. God, however, is less concerned with your marital status as He is your commitment to growing as a disciple of Christ. Whether we are single or married, God’s desire is for all His people to be living holy lives that glorify Him.
Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 7:17-35, 1 Corinthians 7:7-8, Psalms 18:30-50, Isaiah 56:1-5
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Jesus is returning to Jerusalem for the second day. Jesus is hungry – he is human. Jesus sees fig tree – but, despite its leaves, it has no fruit. Jesus curses the fig tree. Jesus is God, taking on the divine role of pronouncing judgement. This brief episode is a living example of the judgement brought by the king of God’s people returning to his mob: they have become independent, insiders not aligned with the desire of God for the outsider. They are unfruitful, and they are judged. God’s mob, however, have true fruitfulness when they recognise the authority of the king, and completely and totally depend upon him. Such dependency will change the world, because of the one they depend upon!
Jesus has finally made it to Jerusalem. As Matthew prepares us for His entry into Jerusalem, he helps us confront Jesus’ authority, and the way in which it restores the concern of God for the outsider, and confronts the insider. This is the start of the Passover week. Jerusalem is a roiling maelstrom of religious and political fervour. And Matthew organises the narrative of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem around displays of His authority, rooted in recognition of His ‘old power’ – four Old Testament quotations structure the passage. As we come face-to-face with Jesus’ authority, three truths stand out. First, Jesus’ authority is extensive and all-encompassing. Second, Jesus’ authority is for the outsider, and rooted in God’s deep commitment to bring the outsider inside His kingdom. And, third, Jesus authority confronts the insider, and urges them to repentance. Come and meet Jesus, the King, in all His authority, as He enters Jerusalem!
What is greatness? In particular, what is greatness in the kingdom of God? That is the question addressed in the passage from Matthew today. Jesus is approached by two different groups. First, the family of Zebedee: James and John and their mother. Second, two blind men. Jesus asks both groups the same question “What do you want me to do for you?” What they request is quite revealing. And so is Jesus’ response to their requests. The Zebedees request position, status, reward for effort. The blind men request mercy, for their eyes to be open. Which request lines up with Jesus’ teaching previously? Which request do we tend to go to ourselves?
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