In the DVD, John Kirkby mentioned Isaiah 58 and this is the scripture we are going to be focussing on today.

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1 SERMON NOTES 1/7 SPEND YOURSELF ON THE BEHALF OF THE POOR Intro Today is CAP Sunday, when we are looking at the work of Christians Against Poverty. I am really inspired by CAP because they are enabling the church in New Zealand to connect with the poor, vulnerable and isolated in our communities. Our church is (Explain your church s connection with CAP i.e. running a great centre, running CAP Money or thinking about these things.) Let s watch the DVD. (5 mins) In the DVD, John Kirkby mentioned Isaiah 58 and this is the scripture we are going to be focussing on today. The Background to the Scripture Isaiah was a prophet to the nation of Israel around 700BC, and was prophet to Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The job of a prophet was to be a mouthpiece for God in order to bring the people back to God, back to his values and living as he wanted them to. They confronted the sin of the people, the king and the priests. A prophet would often be an unpopular and uncomfortable person to have around. Imagine someone having divine knowledge about everything you were doing then letting everyone know about it! Well Isaiah certainly did let s take a look at chapter 58. Isaiah 58:1-11 Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. Why have we fasted, they say, and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed? Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarrelling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

2 SERMON NOTES 2/7 Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Seeking God? For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. Why have we fasted, they say, and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed? (v2-3) Let s try and imagine this from our point of view. You are doing your best to try and honour God. Every day you seek him out, you are dedicating time to God. You are having your quiet time every day praying and seeking God! You are eager to know God s ways. You are studying the bible and reading books trying to work out what God would have you do; what his ways are. You are eager for God to come near you in the worship times. In fact you sound like a perfect Christian. And yet it s not happening. God is distant. He doesn t seem to respond to your worship or to notice your dedication. Why not? What s wrong? Why isn t he listening? Why isn t he responding?

3 SERMON NOTES 3/7 So what was the blockage? God was angry with the people Isaiah was living amongst. They were apparently doing the right thing within their religious tradition, but when the fast ended the rest of their lives didn t match up with God s values. They were exploiting their workers, not being fair or acting justly with people they came into contact with. They were arguing and fighting with each other. A modern day example of this might be people who only observe their Christianity until the Sunday church service ends. Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.your fasting ends in quarrelling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. (v4) These people were studying God s law and were committed to the right traditions and yet they had missed it. They had missed who God was and the things he cares about. They showed by their actions that they didn t really know him. You can almost hear the sarcasm in God s word: Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? (v5) God is saying that there is no point being seen to do the right thing for just a day a week or a few hours on a Sunday, if your life doesn t reflect this during the week. They were exploiting their workers, not being fair or acting justly with people they came into contact with. They were arguing and fighting with each other. What is worship that pleases God? Isaiah goes on to clearly explain what God is looking for in their lives and what type of worship would please him. Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (v6-7)

4 SERMON NOTES 4/7 Isaiah says here that it is all about bringing justice and setting the oppressed free. To share our food and our homes with people, including those in need. So how do we put this into practice here and now in our town? Choose Fairtrade products bring justice by not exploiting workers Be hospitable don t just your friends to dinner, but also invite the poor, whether it be people from church, people from work etc. Jesus also talked about this in Luke 14:12-14, Then Jesus said to his host, When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. Giving Make sure you are sharing your resources with the poor by giving to church projects or to charities such as CAP, which ensure people have enough money for food and set people free from the oppression of debt Volunteer for your CAP Centre or foodbank (if applicable) In New Zealand today, debt is a major cause of hunger and oppression, as people will often try anything to repay their debts. They will give their money to debt collectors at the door or to try and prevent court action, instead of feeding themselves or their families. The latest research at CAP says 79% of clients sacrificed meals because of their debt. Debt is like a disease that infects every area of life, causing depression, marriage breakdown and stress it causes oppression. Shockingly, over a third of CAP clients have considered or attempted suicide. Through CAP, God s Church is rising up to bring a real answer to debt and poverty and with it, hope and salvation. CAP helps people out of debt, thus setting them free from the overwhelming oppression it causes. CAP also sets up sustainable budgets for people so they have enough money to feed themselves. CAP will negotiate fair repayments with creditors so that families don t have the pressure of debt collectors or companies demanding payments they can t afford. People are able to feed their families and clothe their children properly as a result.

5 SERMON NOTES 5/7 Most importantly, CAP helps emotionally and spiritually too. To open debt counselling centres, CAP partners with local churches because they want their clients to connect with compassionate people who will introduce them to the God that loves them. CAP is currently helping 250 families on their journey out of debt and 76 people have become Christians through the work of CAP since they began in NZ in 2008! More and more families are joining CAP s program every month, with many CAP Centres having waiting lists for first visits. [Make the link that this happening to real people by talking about any clients you know personally, clients in your church or a client from the DVD.] God s promises...and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (v10-11) God is so good and knows what we need in life. He has made us in a way that we feel good about doing the things that are right. In the same way that if we exercise, our bodies feel good, if we make the right choices and live sacrificially, our spirits feel good. Isaiah also says that God rewards us if we act justly and spend ourselves on behalf of the hungry: Your light will rise in the darkness Your goodness will be evident to all. As Christians, we are desperately trying to be a good witness for God. We are called to be the light of the world and to point people to God. Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. God promises that if we look after the poor then our light will shine brightly. He will guide us always We will know what to do. We will have wisdom from God. He will be there for us, close to us, not distant. When we call, he will answer. We will know his direction and his guidance. What a promise! He will satisfy our needs and he will strengthen our frame He will look after our physical and emotional needs. This is an amazing promise and also ties in with so many verses about how if we look after the needs of the poor then God will look after our needs.

6 SERMON NOTES 6/7 Proverbs 19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. Proverbs 28:27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses. Matthew 6:31-33 So do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Obviously, this doesn t mean that we will have everything we want in fact the more contact we have with those who have less than us, the more grateful we become for what we do have. This should help to protect us against greed and encourage us to share more. Summary To worship God in truth, our Sunday worship and personal devotionals should be backed up with a consistent life which reflects God s values of justice and care for the poor. There are many ways to do this, from giving our time and energy to those in need, to sharing our homes and food with those who are in need and giving financially to projects that help the poor and charities, such as CAP.

7 SERMON NOTES 7/7 Giving to CAP As John Kirkby said at the end of the DVD, something we can all do now to spend ourselves on behalf of the hungry is to give a little of our own money to CAP every month by becoming a Life Changer. CAP is on a huge mission to drive debt out of New Zealand. They are aiming to have a CAP Centre in every major town and city in our nation by the end of This means they need to open at least another 40 centres in just four years. As a Christian charity, they don t get any funding from the government, so they need thousands more Christians to join them to make their vision into a reality. Let s rise to the challenge and give what we can today, even if it is just $5 a month (the cost of a latte or a Sunday paper), it all adds up and impacts lives! On your seats you will find a form for giving regularly or an envelope for one off donations. Please fill them in now, otherwise they will just go in the kitchen drawer never to reappear! If you haven t got all your details don t worry, just fill in what you can and CAP Head Office in Auckland will ring you for the rest. If you haven t read Nevertheless then you can order this too it s free!