St Timothy Presbyterian Church

Vibrant church in Etobicoke, Toronto with roots in the Korean immigrant community.

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Apr 05 2018

Journey To Confidence

Scripture Passage

Isaiah 50:4-9

Sermon Text

What does it feel like when someone treats you badly

When someone ridicules you

Insults you

Or puts you down

 

It makes us feel badly; it stirs up great anger; it really affects us

When I was in middle school, I had this really smart friend

He knew how to get under my skin and push my buttons

He was this white guy from a very educated and well-off background

I was one of the only minority kids in my grade

He pointed out the differences between me and him

Whenever I got mad at his remarks, he would say that I was uncivilized

You know how I responded to that comment?

I started pummeling him with my fists

I proved his statements true!

 

What others say to us really sticks

We will remember what people said to us or did to us

 

This world can indeed be a cruel place

Our words can have such a tremendous impact on others

 

Why do these things affect us so much?

Because we listen to these voices and messages and believe that it’s true

 

When we get really angry, isn’t it because at a deep level, we wonder if what they’re saying about us is actually true?

So we react to them

We want them to take back what they said and say that no, actually, I’m okay

We focus on their action: what they did, what they said

Here’s the thing, though: can we really change people?

Maybe I can beat someone into submission, but can I really change what’s in their heart?

Maybe it’ll make me feel better for a bit, but will it change how I feel about myself?

 

We can’t control how other people act or feel toward us

 

But we can learn how to respond when others are against us

 

“I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.” (v.6)

 

This verse reminds me of the people who marched for civil rights

They acted out their philosophy of nonviolence, even when people were brutal and violent toward them

What made them able to withstand that abuse and carry on with courage?

 

This was also the path that Jesus took on his way to the cross

He went into Jerusalem knowing that this is what the outcome would be

This is utter foolishness, isn’t it?

Who would willingly take punishment and insults like that?

 

How is the prophet Isaiah, the author of today’s passage, able to take the insults and abuse and still stand strong?

 

I think it’s because of what was deep in his heart

 

Let’s use a tree as a metaphor

 

A tree starts with just a seed that is underground

The seed is under the ground and you can’t see what happens beneath the surface

But there is life underground, and the seed starts to sprout

It starts developing roots in the soil

After that initial activity, then you see a stem coming up out of the ground

Meanwhile, the activity below the surface continues and expands

The roots start getting longer, deeper, stronger

It begins to absorb even more moisture and nutrients in the soil

The ever-deepening roots feed the stem above the ground

The stem then creates branches, the branches create leaves

As the roots under the ground get stronger, so does the tree above the ground

Then, when a hurricane or really strong storm hits, the tree is able to withstand that storm

But trees that do not yet have strong roots will be swept away by the storm

 

What is deep in your heart? Do you have strong roots?

 

In other words, do you have a firm and solid sense of who you are?

If you don’t have a solid sense of who you are, then what others say will affect you because you will believe that maybe what they say about you is true

You will be like a tree without strong roots that gets swept up in the winds

 

I think one of the biggest problems for young people today is that people don’t have a solid sense of who they are

And this is because you’ve had no space of your own to figure that out

 

From a young age, you’ve been told what to do, how to do it, and what to aspire to

You haven’t had the space to figure this out for yourselves

 

And so when someone says something about you, no wonder it’s difficult to take: we don’t know what else to believe or think about ourselves!

 

But what can we learn today?

 

“Morning by morning he wakens my ear to listen…”

“The Lord God has opened my ear…”

“Ear” and “listen”

Isaiah heard and listened to God

And not only occasionally, but “morning by morning” – in other words, regularly

Remember what I said about encountering God?

God only meets us at our most real, innermost self

The self where all of our fears and insecurities are, the self where all of our ugliness resides

That is where God meets us and speaks to us

When God meets us there, we actually begin to learn more about ourselves too and who we are

God continually reveals to us who we are

 

Listening to God in our deepest, most real selves is like the tree building deeper and deeper roots

If we can continually meet God deep in our hearts, “morning by morning”, and hear His word to us:

You are loved

You are forgiven

You are okay

You are precious

We will have deep roots

We will know who we are and feel affirmed by God about who we are

If we can be deeply rooted in God’s word, then what will it matter what others say to us or about us?

 

“The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.” (v.7)

What words of faith and hope!

 

“He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. It is the Lord God who helps me; who will declare me guilty?”

Can these be our words?

Can we stand firmly and strong like the prophet Isaiah?

I believe we can!

We might not be strong or courageous like that now, but if we continue to meet God in our deepest, innermost selves, morning by morning, day by day, week by week, then I believe that we too will become strong and courageous like Isaiah, like Martin Luther King Jr., like St. Paul, and like Jesus

 

My hope and prayer for you is that you can be a generation with deep roots

A generation that knows who you are

A generation that takes the journey of becoming with CONFIDENCE

A generation that is not insecure

A generation that therefore can focus outwardly on the needs of others and those who are weak or marginalized in society

A generation that can love like Jesus did

 

I believe that God will indeed make you a generation with deep roots and courage

 

Everyday, may you turn to God and open your heart to Him

Be honest and vulnerable about who you are, what you’re going through, what you’re feeling, and there you will meet God and hear God’s voice

 

God will build deep and lasting roots in you

God will be the source of your confidence in your journey of becoming

Written by Rev. Simon Park · Categorized: Hi-C, Pastor's Corner

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About Rev. Simon Park

Simon is an associate minister at St. Timothy Presbyterian Church.

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St. Timothy Presbyterian Church, 106 Ravenscrest Dr., Etobicoke, ON M9B 5N3

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