2011-07-31pm Sermon 1 Kings 10

110731pm 1 Kings 10:1-13 John 6:24-35

How to seek for truth: this Scripture has two applications, one if you're more like the Queen of Sheba, and one if you're more like Solomon. We must all be seekers after the truth, and we must help others to find the truth which has found us in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, I am the Truth, but Christians should not be so arrogant as to think that we have already plumbed all the depths of truth that are in him, nor so diffident as to be shy about presenting him as the truth. Rather than one discussion at the end, I'm going to pause after each section for brief buzz groups in threes.

We must seek the truth. v.1 The Queen of Sheba is a powerful, pagan Gentile, and she is clearly dissatisfied with the culture that she is immersed in, its religion and its idols and its philosophy. Many people today are rightly dissatisfied with aspects of Western culture. Many of the things we enjoy in the West are derived from the gospel, but often our priorities can be secularistic, atheistic, capitalistic, militaristic, relativistic, sexualistic and consumeristic – not to mention those who are rightly dissatisfied with aspects of other cultures and religions of the world. I and other clergy are noticing that there is a great openness to the good news of Christ, because people are just not satisfied with the answers they are offered by secularism. If you're in that position, don't worry, it's a good position to be in, you should be dissatisfied! And you are heading in the right direction to find where the true answers lie. People often say that they are interested in, not hostile to Christianity, but 'I've got a lot of questions'. I say, Good! The best thing to do with questions is to ask them, and let's discuss them.

It's important for Christian believers and Churches to be able to help when people come to test us with hard questions. 1 Peter 3:15 says, But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do it with gentleness and respect. We looked a few weeks ago on Trinity Sunday at how to put into words three basic reasons why you are a believer, one to do with Creation, one to do with Jesus, and one to do with the improvement in our lives that it makes. It's important to get Peter's balance: always be ready with reasons, but do it with gentleness and respect. Some Christians are full of reasons, always ready for an argument, but don't show enough love. Others have so much gentless and respect that they never say anything! We need gentleness but also something to say.

Buzz groups in threes: What do people most often ask you about Christianity?

We must show the evidence. I mean the living evidence of the life of Christians. v.4 There's a fulfilment in the reign of Solomon of what God promised to Israel way back in Deuteronomy 28:9ff If you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will greatly fear you,,, you will lend to many nations but borrow from none, the Lord will make you the head not the tail... you will always be at the top, never at the bottom... But if you turn away from the Lord and follow other gods, the alien who lives among you will rise higher and higher, butr you will sink lower and lower, and ultimately you will be taken away into exile. During and after the Exile, Israel looked back ruefully on Solomon's day as a time when the Gentile nations saw the blessings of following the Lord.

I wonder what it is in the life of the Church that attracts people? I wonder what attracts you? I wonder what people should see in the community of Christians that they should say, We need some of that? It partly depends on how we who belong to the Church talk about it and about each other. One of the themes that our new Bishop Nick has often spoken about is being confident, in God, in the communities we are called to serve, and in the Church. “The Church is ridiculed in much of our national press... I want to encourage us to deny the naysayers and contradict the miseries with a confidence not only in God, but also in the Church itself. Don’t knock it!” Don't knock it – are you one of those people who is always running the church down, or criticising other parts of it, other groups, other individuals? There is a proper place for criticism, but if we're always moaning about it, why should we expect anyone else to want to be part of it?

Buzz groups: What do you most often say about the Church?

We must see for ourselves. v.6 The rumours about Solomon and the kingdom were so enticing that QS came to find out for herself. These verses make a good description of what life under the kingship of Jesus is like: v.8-9.

The only real way to test Christianity and the Christian Church is by personal experience. Taste and see that the Lord is God. Other people can help you, but in the end you have to see Jesus for yourself. And you can't do that except by the Holy Spirit: no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again/from above. That means you have to open yourself to Jesus Christ and put yourself in his hands. It's like driving a car or playing the piano or learning to swim: you can read up on it (and you should), you can talk to other people about it, you can watch other people doing it, but in the end you have to do it yourself, get behind the wheel, put it in gear, take off the brake, let out the clutch and go. You can stand on the pool side from now to eternity, but unless you get in the water you will never know what it's all about.

And just as with driving or swimming, it's no good just doing it once. It's no good saying, I tried to pray, I tried to hear from God in the Bible, I tried to follow Christ's teachings, I tried worship, and nothing happened, or it was difficult or boring. It starts with one simple prayer, but learning it lasts a lifetime. I wonder where you are with that tonight?

Buzz groups: what helps you to see Jesus for yourself?

We must support the work v.10 By her generous giving, she was forging and alliance and declaring her allegiance. And she received much more in return (v.13). She didn't just admire this great king and the wonderful blessings of his kingdom, and then go home with happy memories like holiday snaps: she became part of it, she committed herself, she joined in wholeheartedly. I wonder where you are with that, whether you are a new or recent seeker after truth, like QS, or whether you are well established and experienced in the Christian life? Are you an ally, do you give your allegiance? And I don't mean just in general, in the abstract, but in concrete reality. Are you an ally in the gospel/kingdom project in the real, actual church (not just the ideal, theoretical church-as-you-would-like-it-to-be)? Are you an ally in the context on the ground, this very specific community of Pudsey? The QS didn't just send out warm thoughts and approving words to the kingdom of Solomon, she expressed it in money, spices, wood: this was real, solid stuff to be put to work. We express our allegiance to Christ and our partnership in the gospel in real, solid ways – basically in work. There is work to be done for the gospel. I read an inspiring article by Paul Beasley-Murray, a Baptist minister, on forty things he has learned in forty years of ministry. Here are two: Hard work is no substitute for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is no substitute for hard work.

There are two ways that we can contribute to the work. One is by doing it ourselves. If we have the time, and the skills, if we are willing and able, we do the work. The church is one of the biggest providers of voluntary work for the blessing of communities across the country. And as I never tire of saying, our daily work, and our home-work, must all be offered to Christ as the work of the kingdom. But there is also specifically church work that needs doing, to build up the body and spread the good news. And the other way is, when we don't have either the time or the skills, then we contribute by paying for the work. I don't want you to volunteer to go up and mend the roof, but I do want you to pay for a qualified roofer to do it. I don't want you to pay me to do all the pastoral work, but I do want you to pay me to lead, inspire, study, get vision, enable, and do my share.

So are you an ally in the kingdom work?

Buzz groups: if you stopped coming to church, what difference would it make to the rest of us?