Ten shekels and a shirt (Judges 17)

Post by **_Christopher** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:17 am

In a different thread, Steve brought up a different perspective on the presentation of the gospel than what we typically see today. That is, a God-centered gospel rather than a humanistic man-centered gospel and I agree.

I listened to this sermon about 8 months ago and it's one of my favorites.

Ten shekels and a shirt by Paris Reidhead.
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydo ... eA&show=20

It basically turns the gospel approach we see today on it's head and lines up more with what Steve is saying.

I highly recommend it for anyone whose interested.

Post by **_TK** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 1:21 pm

Another good one, C.

At one time, this was the most downloaded sermon on sermonindex.net. i agree that it is powerful and awesome.

Reidhead has a great preaching voice, to boot.

i especially like this passage of the sermon, when he describes being confronted by God while a missionary in Africa:

I went out there motivated by humanism. I’d seen pictures of lepers, I’d seen pictures of ulcers, I’d seen pictures of native funerals, and I didn’t want my fellow human beings to suffer in Hell eternally after such a miserable existence on earth. But it was there in Africa that God began to tear through the overlay of this humanism! And it was that day in my bedroom with the door locked that I wrestled with God. For here was I, coming to grips with the fact that the people I thought were ignorant and wanted to know how to go to heaven and were saying, "Someone come and teach us!", actually didn’t want to take time to talk with me or anybody else. They had no interest in the Bible and no interest in Christ, and they love their sin and wanted to continue in it. And I was to that place, at that time, where I felt the whole thing was a sham and a mockery, and I had been sold a bill of goods! And I wanted to come home. There alone in my bedroom as I faced God honestly with what my heart felt, it seemed to me I heard Him say, "Yes, will not the Judge of all the earth do right? The heathen are lost, and they’re going to go to Hell, not because they haven’t heard the gospel. They’re going to go to Hell because they are sinners, who love their sin! And because they deserve Hell. But……I didn’t send you out there for them. I didn’t send you out there for their sakes." And I heard clearly as I’ve ever heard, though it wasn’t with physical voice but it was the echo of truth of the ages, finding it’s way into an open heart. I heard God say to my heart that day something like this, "I didn’t send you to Africa for the sake of the heathen, I sent you to Africa for My Sake….They deserved Hell! But I love them! And I endured the agonies of Hell for them!!!! I didn’t send you out there for them! I SENT YOU OUT THERE FOR ME… Do I not deserve the reward of my suffering? Don’t I deserve those for whom I died?" And it reversed it all!! And changed it all!! And righted it all!! And I wasn’t any longer working for Micah and ten shekels and a shirt! But I was serving a living God! I was not there for the sake of the heathen. I was there for the Savior that endured the agonies of Hell for me, who didn’t deserve it. But He deserved them, (the heathen). Because He died for them.

TK

Post by **_Derek** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 1:38 pm

This is an awesome sermon!! Apparently the notes for it were scribbled on a napkin the day of or something. Amazing.

Post by **_schoel** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:59 am

Paris Reidhead in Ten Shekels and a Shirt said the following:

I have talked with people that have no assurance that sins are forgiven. They want to feel safe, before they’re willing to commit themselves to Christ. But I believe that the only ones whom God actually witnesses by His Spirit and are born of Him, are the people, whether they say it or not, that come to Jesus Christ and say something like this, "Lord Jesus, I’m going to obey you, and love you, and serve you, and do what you want me to do, as long as I live, even if I go to Hell at the end of the road, simply because you are worthy to be loved, and obeyed and served, and I’m not trying to make a deal with you!"

I find myself mulling over this statement from this powerful sermon. Much of what was said in the message I agree with, but I'm not sure if the underlined statement fits the Biblical model. I know he's not asserting that disciples of Christ go to hell, but dramatically emphasizing that our commitment is to Christ for his glory and not for what we get out of it.

However, isn't it promised freely by Jesus and reiterated by Paul that there are benefits to those who follow Christ? Searches on the word resurrection, reward or prize in the NT shows instance after instance of promises for those who practice righteousness and perservere in Christ(see below).

I agree that our desire should be for God's glory, but there also should be an element in the believer's life of hope regarding ourselves. It seems that Scripture also tells us to hope for growing holiness, for the resurrection from the dead and for rewards appropriate to our service and faith.

Thoughts?

John 5:28-29
28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

John 11:21-27
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Matthew 5:11-12
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 6:1,4,6,18-21
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Romans 6:5
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

Romans 8:23-24
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

Colossians 3:23-24
23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Hebrews 11:6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

2 John 1:8
8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.

Post by **_Anonymous** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:17 am

Wow!

I was thinking about the same thing this morning.

I was thinking about what it would be like to really suffer for God's sake even if you didn't expect to be rewarded. I think I can be a slave for Christ without reward just in gratitude for what he's already done, but it does seem like there is a payoff in rewards to come.

Post by **_TK** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:01 pm

good question, dave.

I have heard Steve Brown of key life say (sometimes when praying) something to the effect that even if God didnt send his Son, and even if he wasnt good to us, etc that He still deserves our worship because He is God.

God, as our creator and as God, deserves our worship for that reason alone. so everything else that God does for is is gravy, so to speak. which of course is reason to praise and worship him all the more. there's lots of gravy both now and to come.

TK

Post by **_Steve** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 3:44 pm

I don't think there is anything amiss with Reidhead's hypothetical statement. It is not very different from Paul's hypothetical statement that he could even wish himself acursed from Christ (damned) if he could somehow thereby be assured of the salvation of his countrymen (i.e., that God would receive the appropiate glory among the Jews).

These statements do not intend to raise the possibility of one going to hell after being a faithful servant of Christ. They are simply divorcing the matter of our faithfulness to God from any self-serving motive.

Most of us probably cannot put rewards out of our minds when enduring hardship for our faith, but I hope that we would not be less persevering if we knew nothing of rewards (and we do, in fact, know very few specifics about them)—simply because doing what pleases our Maker is the only right thing to do.

Post by **_schoel** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 4:12 pm

I agree that our desire should be for God's glory and not our own.

However, the following question remains:

If the goal of maturity in Christians is to have no self thought in obedience to and faith in God, why are there so many instances of encouragement to obedience to and faith in God because of rewards from Jesus and Paul? Why is the proverbial carrot on a stick offered in front of us if it is a selfish motivation?

This is not a rhetorical or a leading question.
I truly don't have an answer as this seems a contradiction.

Post by **_Christopher** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 4:32 pm

Hi Dave,

I think he's just basically saying that it's God's right to have complete obedience from those He purchased. It's what we should do with no strings attached because obedience is the only thing a slave has the right to do.

One scripture that comes to mind is:

Luke 17:7-10
7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? 8 But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.' "
NKJV

But only out of God's grace does he grant us adoption as sons. Praise be to Him!

Post by **_TK** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 5:55 pm

there seems to be little doubt that Jesus taught that we should serve obediently in order to receive rewards, whatever they may be. of course this doesnt really sit very well with us, because it smacks of impure motive-- i.e. if we do it for the reward, thats not good enough. but it sure seems to be the truth, if you take a close look at what Jesus taught. i think jesus expect pure motives (i.e. i help the old woman across the street because i have compassion for her, not because i'm thinking about the heavenly treasure the deed is storing up for me). but jesus seems to suggest there is nothing wrong in wanting to maximize our heavenly treasure, whatever that is. on some other thread Paidion gave a novel opinion on what he thought heavenly treausure referred to, but i cant remember what he said.

TK