{"id":1051,"date":"2009-09-13T13:23:50","date_gmt":"2009-09-13T13:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/?p=1051"},"modified":"2020-12-02T17:41:01","modified_gmt":"2020-12-02T17:41:01","slug":"oaths-and-offices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/oaths-and-offices\/","title":{"rendered":"Oaths and Offices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mark 8:27-38<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 13, 2009<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was a kid, we used to go around saying, \u201cCross my heart and hope to die.\u201d We usually make this promise when someone didn\u2019t believe what we were saying. \u201cCross my heart and hope to die\u201d is an oath. It means that what we are saying is true calling upon God as a witness to the binding nature of the promise and that if it was not true, the penalty of death could result from breaking the oath. This schoolyard formula is actually a way of saying, \u201cMay God strike me dead if I am lying!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday night, President Obama wanted to say to Congressman Wilson from South Carolina, \u201cCross my heart and hope to die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But going back to Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was standing in front of the Capitol raising his right hand to take the oath of office. Two million people went wild standing on the Mall in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Roberts, Chief Justice of the United States, laid out the oath: \u201cI, Barack Obama, do solemnly swear that I will execute the office of the President faithfully.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem was, the oath was supposed to read: \u201cI, Barack Obama, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President.\u201d The word \u201cfaithfully\u201d had somehow flipped out of place, landing at the end of the phrase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barack Obama seemed confused. He followed the Chief Justice\u2019s lead for a few words and then stopped. The justice gave it another shot. They tried together to get back on track, and then the ceremony concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All kinds of political chatter immediately erupted suggesting that the mixed up was intentional. Just to be safe, Obama and Roberts repeated the oath the next day, in private. The question that we ask is: What does it matter? The phrase \u201cexecute the Office of President faithfully\u201d has the same meaning as \u201cfaithfully execute the Office of the President.\u201d It\u2019s a distinction without a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter\u2019s Oath<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our lesson for today, the eighth chapter of Mark, Jesus asks his disciples who he is, and Peter answers, \u201cYou are the Messiah.\u201d Peter is exactly right and doesn\u2019t mess up any of the words of this oath. Peter got all of the words right but has little idea what it means to be a faithful disciple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice that Peter\u2019s famous oath to Jesus takes place in Caesarea Philippi that is located in the northern part of Israel at the foot of Mount Hermon. Those who came with me last year to Israel would remember this as Banyas after the Greek god Pan. People came here to picnic with the nature god Pan, for there was plenty of grass and water in the vicinity. When Philip inherited this area, he rebuilt the city and named it \u201cCaesarea Philippi\u201d\u2014literally Philip\u2019s Caesar\u2014after the patron Caesar Augustus. Besides a shrine dedicated to Pan, there was also a temple dedicated to Augustus as the Son of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consequently, Jesus\u2019 simple question, \u201cWho do people say that I am?\u201d is significant especially in this geographical location, which is surrounded by shrines, temples, and statures of Pan, Zeus, Apollo, Augustus, and Athena. They needed to make a distinction from the different statures. At Caesarea Philippi, there is a distinction in the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter said the oath, \u201cYou are the Messiah\u201d right but he didn\u2019t understand what the office is all about. He does a great job pledging allegiance to Jesus, but doesn\u2019t grasp what the job of following the Messiah is all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This passage challenges us to move away from an obsession with oaths and focus instead on aspects of two offices. What is the office of Messiah? What is the office of a disciple? We may all be able to say to Jesus, \u201cYou are the Messiah.\u201d But it\u2019s only when we understand these offices that we will be able to faithfully execute the office of discipleship of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Office of Messiah<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back on the road with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks his followers, \u201cWho do people say that I am?\u201d Jesus is essentially saying, \u201cWhat\u2019s the word on the street? What are people Twittering about me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disciples answer, \u201cJohn the Baptist and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets\u201d (v. 28). Then Jesus makes it personal, and asks, \u201cBut who do you say that I am?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter answers him, \u201cYou are the Messiah,\u201d a term which means \u201canointed one,\u201d the divine chosen leader of the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is perfect, and Peter is to be commended for knowing the right words of the oath. But Jesus is keenly aware that many people are looking for a military Messiah\u2014God\u2019s Commander in Chief\u2014to drive the Romans out of Jerusalem and restore the kingdom of Israel. So Jesus sternly orders the disciples not to tell anyone about him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of Jesus who takes on the office of Messiah, an oath is not enough. The nature of the office of Messiah is that the Son of Man \u201cmust undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again\u201d (v. 31).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Jesus to be the true Messiah, he has to undergo suffering, death and resurrection\u2014there\u2019s no way around it. It\u2019s only at the end of Jesus\u2019 extraordinary journey that he can be seen as a divinely chosen leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the office of Messiah requires a cross before a crown. Until Jesus completes these duties, he doesn\u2019t want people talking about him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Office of Disciple<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Peter takes the oath by saying, \u201cYou are the Messiah,\u201d he and the disciples are challenged to take the office of discipleship. When Jesus talks openly about his suffering and death, Peter takes him aside and begins to rebuke him. It was inconceivable to Peter that God\u2019s anointed leader would have to suffer a humiliating death. But Jesus quickly turns the tables and rebukes Peter, saying, \u201cGet behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things\u201d (vv. 32-35).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus is not saying that Peter was Satan, but rather Jesus was saying that Peter is being influenced by worldly thoughts of wishing Jesus to be the Commander in Chief to drive out the Romans from Jerusalem. Peter, who in one breath proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah, in another breath, now fails to understand and proclaim the good news he just professed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is the primary task of faithfully executing the office of discipleship of Jesus Christ? It is setting your mind on divine things, not human things. But what does this mean? Do we spend all our time in private prayer? Do we come to church every Sunday? Do we try to cleanse ourselves of all evil? Not exactly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus calls together the crowd with his disciples and says to them, \u201cIf you want to become my disciples, let them deny themselves and take up the cross and follow me\u201d (v. 34). That\u2019s the key to executing the office of disciple\u2014following Jesus. And this, unfortunately, is something the church hasn\u2019t done a very good job of teaching people to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The church does a better job teaching us to worship Jesus than to follow him. The church is better on oaths than on offices. But when you read the gospel of Mark, you discover that Jesus is less concerned about people pledging allegiance to him than he is about people following him. Jesus never once said, \u201cWorship me.\u201d He said, \u201cFollow me.\u201d One of the cleverest ways to avoid following someone is to worship him. We just put Jesus on a pedestal, you make God out of him and you pay all kinds of homage to this God figure, and then you don\u2019t have to do what he did. It\u2019s a clever way to take an oath and never have the need to fill the office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revise Our Job Descriptions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every year around this time, employees are interested in revising their job descriptions to more accurately reflect what their responsibilities are. We accept a job described on the printed page but as one gets into the job, the tasks and assignments begin to change based on the company\u2019s priorities in conjunction with the employee\u2019s skill set. Before too long, the employee is working on projects that have very little to do with what the person was originally hired to do. There\u2019s a need to revise the job description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Christians and members of this church, we have taken an oath when we were baptized and joined the church. Often, we make declarations about what we want to believe rather than what we actually believe. We may have taken an oath along with others but have never fully understood or ever participated in what the office of discipleship requires. For you, you may have a title of being a disciple of Jesus but you never came close to fulfilling the responsibilities of the job description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of us may have one time gotten fully engaged with our new jobs as disciples of Jesus after taking our oaths. We volunteered for service, helped out wherever we can, used our gifts and talents, and gave sacrificially to support the church. But somehow after some time has lapsed, we became too comfortable and settled with what we have done and perhaps we just started to worship God thinking that is all that is required of us. We put Jesus on the pedestal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can easily say that we swear by the oath, we pledge allegiance, we confess our faith, but beyond these public declarations of what we may believe, we haven\u2019t looked over our discipleship job descriptions for many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe it\u2019s time to review and revise our discipleship job descriptions again. There are three responsibilities in this office of discipleship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Mark 8<\/a>, Jesus says, \u201cDeny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow me.\u201d \u201cFor those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it\u201d (v. 35). The office of a disciple of Jesus absolutely has to include acts of sacrifice for the sake of Jesus and the gospel. Our first responsibility is to recognize who is the leader in our lives. We all want to be the leader but Jesus said, he is. We are to give up our need for being the center of activities and pledge our allegiance to Jesus Christ. Inasmuch as Jesus took up his cross for the salvation of humanity, our job is to take up whatever our cross may be to follow in Jesus\u2019 way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second responsibility in our revised job description as a disciple is to give. Jesus says, \u201cFor what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?\u201d (v.36-37). Three weeks from today, you will have an opportunity to review the 2010 Proposed Budget that forecasts how we as a church envision doing God\u2019s work next year. While all boards and committees have striven to reduce expenses and contain cost particularly in such dire economic times, the proposed budget will still challenge us. I believe in this budget because it represents not just the best that we can do but rather it\u2019s godly work. Undoubtedly, we still need resources for daily living. But when we decide to give as a responsibility in the office of discipleship, we would not forfeit our lives just to gain the whole world but we would have life eternally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third and final responsibility in our revised job description as a disciple is to witness. Jesus said, \u201cThose who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels\u201d (v. 38). This means that you are a Christian when you are at church on Sunday as well as when you are at work or at school on Monday to Friday. You are a disciple all the time not just when you are comfortable with it or when it\u2019s convenient to be so. If anyone were to ask you, \u201cAre you a Christian?\u201d what would you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we are ashamed to say that we are followers of Jesus, that we are Christians, then we are not fulfilling the responsibilities of being in the office of disciple. One way that we can be more confident in sharing Jesus with others is attending Sunday school and Bible studies. That\u2019s what we call on-the-job training. How can you testify and give witness to Christ unless you know what you\u2019re talking about? How might we even do a good job in the office of disciple unless we know what\u2019s really in our job descriptions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In about a month, we\u2019ll be offering the Fall Inquirers\/New Membership classes. It\u2019s a job orientation course to understand what is required of those who want to have the office of discipleship. I hope and pray that some of you will attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Office and Not the Oath<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to January 20, 2009 when the Chief Justice and the President messed up the oath, according to the 20th<\/sup> Amendment of the Constitution, it states that the terms of the ongoing president and vice president shall end at noon on the 20th<\/sup> day of January, and the terms of their successors shall then begin. There\u2019s absolutely no mention of an oath of office. So, according to this amendment, the transfer of power could have happened with George W. Bush giving Barack Obama a fist-bump at high noon on January 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it may be important to get the oath right or for Peter to say, \u201cYou are the Messiah,\u201d it\u2019s a matter of life or death to know and perform all the responsibilities of the office of discipleship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us pray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holy God, we say we follow you, but our actions, or inactions, prove otherwise. Teach us to not only confess our faith in you as our Messiah boldly, but lead us to fulfill all the responsibilities of being a dedicated disciple. Help us to pick up our cross. Invite us to give generously. And empower us to be your witness in the world. All these we pray in Jesus\u2019 name, our Lord and Savior. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mark 8:27-38 September 13, 2009 Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco. When I was a kid, we used to go aroundContinue readingOaths and Offices<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[11,22],"class_list":["post-1051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-donald-ng-sermons","tag-fcbc","tag-mark"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1051"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2417,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1051\/revisions\/2417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}