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The answer to a worried world The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. Which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all the garden plants. It has a small and humble beginning, but results in a large and significant consequence. Today I want to look at the Old Testament reading in light of the mustard seed parable In the time of Samuel, the Israelites were free. They were delivered from the oppression of Egypt. They had the luxury of being Gods chosen people. They had it all going for them. But they stuffed up. They continuously broke the covenant that they had with God. As Israel seemed to drift further away from God, Israel become worried. The Israelites pleaded for a king because they were worried about their future and they wanted the comfort like all the other nations. When Saul becomes king he worries about the sight of the Philistine army and acts disobediently to the instructions to wait for Samuel before offering the burnt sacrifices. On a separate occasion, when told by the Lord to destroy all of the Amelikes and leave nothing alive. Saul worries about his reputation and disobeys God by allowing the Amelike King to live. He also spares the healthiest sheep and cattle for Sauls men. And then….When God tells Samuel that he wants him to go to Bethelem and anoint a new King of Israel. Samuel does so, but not before he worries about his life. “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.” Then… when Samuel gets to Bethlehem. The elders are so worried about his coming the scriptures say that they tremble when they met Samuel, quickly asking. “Do you come in peace?” That sound like a town on edge to me! So….Saul, Samuel and the elders all had different scenarios but the common theme of worry seems to emerge. They were given the Promised Land but yet they ended up Living in a life time where the world was worried. Now…I have had my ups and downs in life, but I can say that I have never lived in a time period where the world was in a state of worry…. Until now! I will take you back 8 years. I dropped out of 7th form and got a job as a teller for the National Bank. I can remember my Grandfather saying, how it was strange that someone could drop out of school and then land themselves a job with a pretty reasonable income, and a staff allowance to buy two brand new suits. I can remember my young boss telling me after a work function that if you want to move up the ranks, you don’t ask management, you tell management. From where I was standing, it seemed that your rewarded for confidence that boarder lined arrogance. At that time, there was one job in particular that I thought, man I would love to do that. It was a Mobile Mortgage Manager. You get a car, lap top, phone, work flexible hours. However, God told me one night to go to Bible College so I did and missed out on the Mobile role. But that was ok, because after two years at college I got engaged and decided to go back into the bank for my first year of marriage. I applied for a home lending role in the branch. At the job interview I talked myself up and told them I wouldn’t be their long term as I will be get promoted to a Mobile role pretty quickly. The Manager liked my confidence, hired me, and less then a year latter I left him to become a Mobile Mortgage Manager for a different bank. I was living in world where the employee calls the shots. I got all the bells and whistles as well as enjoying putting people into their first homes and helping people buy their fourth and fifth homes. I think most of my generation have felt like they were living in the Promised Land, where the harvest only multiplies. But then… as quick as a switch, the lights went off. The market dried up. The ‘R’ word was introduced to the economy. People would call me in despair, I have lost my job, and what do I do now? I have brought another home without selling my own house. I can’t afford the repayments? What do I do now? Now when a teller job comes up, you have dozens of people applying, and those with degrees are being turned away. I am 26 years of age and for the first time; my generation is starting to taste what it is like to live in a world that is worried. Worried about the economy. Worried about what interest’s rates are going to do. Worried about how long our job will be around. Worried about family members. Today we live our lives in a backdrop of worry. When the Israelites cried out for a King, God gave them Saul. When Saul blew it God sent Samuel to anoint a new King. A courageous king that would take Israel from its state of worry. While travelling to Bethlehem Samuel would have time to ponder on what this new courageous King would look like. The Lord had specifically chosen Him so he must be good. He must be very good! Someone who was as big as Jonah Loma, and as confident as Barrack Obama. Late last year, when the big ‘R’ word came along, we were in search for someone or something to give us hope that the property market will bounce back. We looked at Allan Bollard, the Governor of the reserve bank. He will slash the official cash rate, interest rates will drop, and people will invest in property again. Surely this is the man who will fix our problems! When Samuel arrived and Jesse brought his sons to him. Samuel immediately locked eyes with Eliab. Samuel was blown away! Wow. How great is how God to create such a magnificent, courageous looking man “Surely the Lords anointed stands here before the Lord” But as we read in the sentence today The Lord said to Samuel “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” The point is this…. The answer to our worry is not going to be external. It is not going to be what man dreams up. It is going to be internal! The hope of the new King of Israel is not going to be based on a tough external looking product, nor is the hope of our worry today going to be based on external factors such as Official cash rates, the property market, or even our employment. If we are living our lives around contemplating what the market is going to do or not do. If we are going to be living by contemplating all the different strategies to solve our problems. I think we will miss the boat on being the actual answer. The Answer for Israel was found in a boy. A boy who’s Father Jesse did not even consider introducing Samuel. Sevens sons were introduced to Samuel at not one of them was Gods chosen one. You can imagine the embarrassing situation Samuel was in. OK, he showed me all his sons but none of them are Gods chosen one. Right, what do I do now! I can imagine the following question was asked out on a limb! “argh…you don’t have any more sons, do you?” Jesse –Yeah well I do, have one more, but he is nothing special. He has nothing to offer. Wrong!!!! Externally he may not be superior in the eyes of man, but internally David was a man after Gods own heart, and like a mustard seed with a small and humble beginning, David become one of the greatest Kings in the history of mankind. The answer for the worries of this world is not going to be the economists, the accountants, the lawyers and the scientists. These titles play an important role in society and I mean no disrespect to them. But the answer to a worried world is going to be you and I. Someone who is prepared to have faith the size of a mustard seed that hungers after Gods own heart, which then inspires them to interact with the world from a new perspective. A God like perspective. A perspective that is not based on greed or keeping up with the joneses, but a perspective of generosity and unconditional love. A seed that has small and humble beginning, but results in a large and significant consequence. When God looked into David’s heart, he found a heart that pleased him. If we want to be “the answer” if we want to live out our vision of being inspired to serve; we need to first get a heart in line with Gods. Well, how the heck do I do that? I find it hard enough to come to church or even read the bible. Well the answer is very simple and one I never get tired of emphasising. David walked this earth as a man after Gods on heart, but later there was a man who walked this earth, who was Gods heart. All we got to do is get this man into our lives. This man is the only reason I left the bank to work here full time. This man is the only reason that I am so deeply blessed to be able to live in fellowship with you all. This Man, this man is Jesus! |
