In this chapter, Jesus is pictured for us as the True Vine. I am imagine Jesus and these men going through the darkened streets of the city and then passing beyond the walls into the surrounding countryside. During this time of year, the grape vines would be beginning to blossom with the promise of a fresh harvest. As Jesus walked with his disciples perhaps he reached out and took a vine in his hands and used it to teach an object lesson to the men. In many of Jesus' teachings he used objects and parables so the thought of him removing a vine for his lesson doesn't sound unusual.
Now we might ask ourselves, " why did Jesus give them this teaching now?" The answer was simple; They needed it. These men have just been informed that Jesus is going away, but that his work must continue and that it is to continue through our lives.
Well a little knowledge goes along way and knowing how to produce fruit in their lives was a lesson much needed.
this morning, we are about 2,000 years removed from that night, but the work of the Lord still marches forth. God is still working through the followers to accomplish his work and will in the world today.
Many of us may sit here and wonder how are we suppose to do the work of the Lord and how can we produce that kind of fruit in our own lives. Well the answer is found int he verses of the Gospel lesson we just read and heard.
In verse 1; I am the true vine, and my father is the vine grower. Now we must first remind ourselves who the True vine is, all other vines are counterfeit. He alone is the true source of everlasting, abundant life. At the same time we need to be sure we understand who the gardener of the vine is, our heavenly father is the Gardner and only he can decide if the vine lives or dies.
In verse 2; he removed every branch in me that bears no fruit; The key phrase here is "in me". this lets us know that we are dealing with genuine believers. Jesus is not speaking about those who profess Christ and yet have never possessed him. He is not talking about wheat and tares, but only wheat.
Now what is the role of the gardener? Well in my gardener, I provide tender care, and protection. I might do this by watering, tying up plants, removing the useless parts, the dead branches. If I see a broken stem or branch I might try to lift it up from the dirt to give it a better chance to be productive. Sometimes I might shake up the dirt a bit, prune some of the bad vines back or try to shock the plant so to challenge it to grow.
Now if a part of the plant has useless buds, spots, discolored leaves or anything that is hindering the growth and the value of the rest of the plant, that part of the plant must go! Sometimes the whole plant might need to be dug up and place in the trash pile. After all as the gardener of my garden I have many plants that have what is needed to produce. why as the gardener should I waste my time on plants that won't produce?
When we allow things in our lives that hinder our walk with the Lord, than we are in danger of a pruning. "Pruning" by its name sounds painful, and it isn't always easy to cut the junk out from our lives. But if we do not, the Lord will surely notice. How is pruning accomplished.. Well lets read verse 3; You have already cleansed by the work that I Have spoken to you.
A question you might ask yourself, has the Lord been speaking to you through his word? If so, Have you been heeding the call from the Lord? If not, than I challenge you to allow the Lord to prune your life with his words.
Now when we grow plants trees, vines, what is the purpose of the plant. Is it to provide shade? produce food? add beauty, provide nourishment to creatures and bugs? The plant has a purpose to produce something. without a purpose the reason to give life to the plant is wasted. Our purpose is to bear fruit to the Glory of God.
This ought to be the burning desire of every child of God this morning, to bring glory to the Father in heaven.
In verse 4; Abide in me as I abide in you, just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless you abide in me.
Now as followers of Christ, we must be attached to the vine. We must seek our nourishment and protection and pruning in order to produce his fruit in our lives. How do we accomplish producing fruit? by abiding, by prayer, by studying His word, and deny thy self. All will draw you nearer to God. The closer we are, the more his life can flow through us to produce the fruit he desires.
How would you describe your life this morning? Are you bearing much fruit for the Lord?
I don't think there is anyone, anywhere that hasn't been effected by the recession and the economy. whether it be loss of job, extra expenses, gas prices, health issues. I hear many talking about hording money. Having six or more months of living expenses is a smart thing to do, But I also think in times such as what we are facing we need to trust God even more. We also need to give away more.
I know countless stories of the depression era where family survived through the grace of God and through help from their neighbors, if one family had more they would share with another, if a meal was made you made extra for your neighbor. If you baked bread you would bake extra and share it. Neighbors looked out for neighbors. Many people today are working two or more jobs to just barely survive. If you see a need, maybe when you go shopping you can purchase an extra meal, or a food gift card, give it away anonymously, does someone need a ride, weeding, babysitting?
Have a yard sale, any money made give it to a family in need, Go around your house, do you have too much stuff? find a person, family or place that needs it. We are having a yard sale here at the church next weekend, use this as an opportunity to raise some money.
Giving Time is free, can you just buy someone a cup of coffee, and listen to his or her troubles. Many are hurting, giving time might be the best fruit ever.
How about visiting a nursing home? or helping a family with a sick child. Can you write, think of all the soldiers away from home protecting our freedom, can you spare an hour a week writing a letter. The possibilities are endless, what can you do? What does your actions teach your children and families. Are you teaching them to give and care about others?
Now the last will have you cringing in your seat, oh yes just the thought will make you slither away. Give your money away! Oh wait, its really not all ours. God provides and we are the stewards. And what does he ask in return. 10%. Yup that's' right the bible says 10% belongs to God. It comes from him, and is suppose to go back to him. So how are you managing his money?
Wait it gets better, don't just stop at 10% give more, give a love offering. Give to a friend or stranger who is hurting, suffering from expenses. Give, pray about it first about where to give and then do it!
I know of a single mom who is raising her children on less than $19,000 a year. She without hesitation tithes on every cent that God allows her to have, she is not rich, does not have worldly possessions, lives in a house that literally needs to be demolished, her clothes for the most are leftovers from friends, yet she feels so blessed. She teaches her children to give, to tithe and to share willingly. She writes letter to soldiers, shares what she has with others that are less fortunate, if she hears of a family that is in need she will give what she has to them, she takes time to teach at her church and yet she feels so blessed. Her needs are met daily by God. Now if in this situation unselfishness and being fruitful is first and foremost, what's stopping you?
When you leave here today, I have a challenge for you, I challenge you to do three things, if not all three at least one
1. give something away this week to someplace, someone, or somewhere. Think of the blessing someone else might find in it. Now I am not talking about that ratty old sofa that is torn in two and smells like sour milk. I am talking about still in good shape and decent condition items.
2. Give away some of your time this week, without complaining, without allowing the other person to feel uncomfortable, without patting yourself on the back or boasting.
3. Any money you receive this week, tithe, if you can't do 10% do 1 %. No matter how small the amount you receive give some away.
Now when we speak of fruit, what is meant? Well it certainly is not in reference to apples, oranges, or pineapples. We know we cannot in ourselves produce that kind of fruit. There are three basic fruits that the Lord wants in his children.
sanctification, that we become more like him
spirituality, we behave more like him
and souls, that we are burdened like him, we take on the burdens of others
It doesn't matter the quantity of our fruit, nor the quality. What matters is how we use our fruit. The more we use our fruit, the more God will yield in our lives.
What will happen if we remain attached to the vine, but do not abide?
Those who do abide can rest assured of certain promises;
an unhindered prayer life, why? When we are abiding, as we should and when we are drawing our life from Him, then his will be our will. That is, every time we pray and every thing we pray for will fit perfectly with his will. His will and he will grant our requests.
an unending love, While Jesus lives all mankind always, those who are abiding in him have entered into a special, ever-deepening relationship with Him. This is the promise of the Vine to the Branches.
An uncommon joy; Joy is not happiness, which depends on happenings but it is a deep settled inner pleasure. It is the deep settled assurance and confidence in our relationship with God.
Jesus is the true vine, his desire to live through our lives so that we can bear fruit unto the Heavenly father. As we close, give some thought this week to the following:
are you "in the vine" are you walking with God?
are you abiding in the vine, drawing your strength with prayer, his words so that he is able to produce fruit through your life?
Are you bearing his fruit today?
where do you stand in your walk with the Lord? IF God has revealed to you areas in your life that need pruning pray, ask for guidance
In verse 8, the last verse in today's reading; My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
so why are we getting this lesson today, because we needed it, If we are followers of Christ, we need to be reminded how to be fruitful, how to remain attached to the vine, how to live up to our purpose of why God wants us here. WE must continue the work of Jesus and bring Gods glory to all!
Heavenly Father, Show Us Lord how to be attached to the vine, give us the works when needed, the wisdom when asked, the care when able to provide fruit and produce followers in you. Let your Love show through our actions and our deeds. If someone needs help this week Lord let us provide help with out seeking or boasting praise. If we can be a support system or give time show us what is needed. Le us be the light to you, in your care we go forth. Amen
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
March 8th sermon on Genesis 17
Dear Lord, hear our cries, hear our pain, so many endless worries, we want our loved ones to be healed, to not have pain, we are tired of the financial problems, the wars, the heartaches, Remind us Dear Lord that in all you are there, we just need to reach out our hand. You always provide, as long as we are faithful
Teach us to give all our troubles to you Lord, Hear us Lord as we pray,
Thank you Dear Lord for letting me be your humble servant, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock, and my redeemer.
It’s the second week of Lent, Lent is a time for repentance, and for facing the ways we are broken and have broken others and the world. We are early in Lent, a long way from Easter, we should not head straight to Easter from the shopping mall, or the spa, Instead we are invited to spend forty days examining the nature of our own covenant with God.
Upon what does that relationship depend? Who do we trust to give us life? What are we doing and what does it mean to walk with God?
How many of you remember Christopher Reeve-the actor who played “superman” if you remember his story he died in 2004 but lived the nine years prior in a wheel chair as he was paralyzed from the neck down from a equestrian accident. After his death it would seem only fair and right that his wife who cared for him and stayed by his side throughout would be able to move on with her life, re-start her acting career and raise their son. But then less than a year after Christopher Reeves death, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. A person who never smoked, I can remember hearing that news and thinking gosh that’s so sad and so unfair.
She died less than a year after her diagnosis leaving her 13-year-old son, it doesn’t seem right does it.
I mean after all it would make sense if you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day that you might get lung cancer. It makes sense that if you’ve kept your promises and worked hard that you’d be rewarded in life. Makes sense right?
I remember hearing the day after Christmas this year, about a father who traveled to NJ from Massachusetts with his two young daughters, they came to NJ to pick up the grandmother and take her back to Massachusetts, as they were driving right on the NJ parkway a tree fell across the road, landed on the car and killed both the father and the grandmother, right in front of the two small girls.
How many times do we hear stories that just don’t make sense to us?
These two and many others just like this are everyday stories, a trite story perhaps in the great scheme of things. But we human beings like for things to make sense.
But what makes sense to us is not necessarily how life works and this is where we run headfirst into a spiritual issue.
We forget that God’s ways are not our ways. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. As we read in Isaiah 55:8
8 "My thoughts are not like your thoughts.
And your ways are not like my ways,"
Just when we think we’ve figured things out, God surprises us- sometimes to the point that God seems like a complete stranger.
Now stay with me, and hopefully this will come full circle, now in Genesis 16 we know the story of
THE BIRTH OF ISHMAEL
It was a hard decision for Sarah to give Abram to Hagar. But she thought that that was her best option to build a family through Hagar. What’s wrong with her decision? Sarah did not inquire of the Lord before she made this decision. She tried to have a covenant son through her human effort. God said, “I will make you a great nation.” In Genesis (12:2) But Sarah said, “Perhaps I will build family through her.”(2b) “Perhaps” is a word of unbelief. God’s covenant will be fulfilled by God but not by our human means. She ignored God’s plan and allowed Abram to sleep with Hagar. She tried to achieve her human goal by using Hagar’s body. The source of unbelief came from her human calculation and impatience.
What was the consequence of their human calculation? Their decision brought chaos to their household. Human mistake brought family strife and jealousy and hatred.
God did not stop Abram from following his own way. He let him have Hagar, even though it was a sin. At the same time, God did not abandon him, either. He endured Abram’s human mistakes and cared for him and his family and waited on his own time. In our spiritual life we also become impatient and invite many pain and conflict and ruin God’s plan. We have to trust God and wait for his appointed time to the end.
Abram waited God for 10 years but God waited Abram for 13 years. God did not forget Abram and waited for the right time to help. Just as Jesus visited Peter when he was exhausted and miserable due to his failure, so God visited Abram after 13 years of spiritual vacuum. Thirteen years passed between chapters 16 and 17. Abram was 99 years old when God spoke to him again. There was a 13-year gap in his spiritual life. Look at verse 17:1. “When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “‘I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.’” Why did God appear to Abram when he was a 99 year old man? God told him what to do. “Walk before me and be blameless.” God demanded Abram to get up from his complacent life of sin and walk before him.
Now in Mark 8: 29
29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Peter answered, "You are the Christ."
Peter had just given the winning answer in a discussion with Jesus and the other disciples when Jesus asked, “who do people say that I am? When Jesus asked this question Peter piped up and said, “you are the Messiah” or you are the Christ”
Messiah or Christ was a term that meant anointed one and throughout Jewish history, several had been called “anointed. But the Jews were long-waiting for the One True Savior who would come and bring fiery justice to Israel. They had been oppressed and humiliated for so long.
After all it was only fair that someone would come with awesome power and crush the enemies of Israel once and for all. In those days the enemies were the Romans. And crushing the enemies wasn’t merely the idea of First century Jews, the great prophets long before had called for it; Joel and Zechariah and Daniel they all said this, Christ was coming to rock things.
So herein lies the problem; Jesus did not huddle in close with his disciples and give them a preview of the serious hurting he was going to give the Romans. Instead said this- and not in whispered tones. He said, “ The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, be rejected by the Jewish leaders, be killed and then after three days rise again.
WHAT?
Peter, who must have been feeling confident after his last contribution, you know the award winning answer, pulled Jesus aside and said what? That can’t be right, Peter rebuked Jesus. In Matthew Jesus changed Peters name from Simon, but here Jesus gave Peter yet another new name: the name was “Satan”
Get behind me, Satan!
For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things
Story of our lives.
When something happens that doesn’t make sense, when God allows things to go a way that we never would have chosen for ourselves, when God feels like a stranger to us… maybe we are the strange ones. Maybe we are the ones who just don’t get it.
If it doesn’t make sense to us, if God’s plans for us and God’s expectations of us don’t seem fair from our perspective how foolish are we to believe that they must not make sense eternally from God’s perspective? This is what faith is all about, this is why its so hard to have faith.
Peter continued to say the wrong thing-
Abram and Sarai did the wrong thing; they both did the faithless thing,
Peter did the most faithless thing the night before Jesus died.
Peter who had followed Jesus for three years – denied ever knowing him, three times he denied it.
Thousands of years before Peter received his new names there was God would rename two others, Abram and Sarai had once lived comfortable lives in Haran (which is now Turkey). But God instructed Abram to leave his father’s land and move on to a new land.
God’s promised to make Abram’s name great- no so that life would be even better for Abram and his family but so that Abram “would be a blessing” to the rest of the world. And so Abram went.
He left everything he knew. He left his father’s grave behind and he went to Canaan, just like God told him to.
But then something strange happened: there was a famine in Canaan, no food for Abram, his wife, his nephew, his huge assortment of cattle. They were going to have to move again, this time to Egypt where Abram would be “an alien”, living in a land where his very life would be threatened. This couldn’t be right, why would God call Abram to a faraway place only to starve or be threatened?
Abram was told that he would be the father of a multitude of nations. But that couldn’t be right either.
Abram was old and his wife was beyond childbearing years. Abram and Sarai, realizing that this made no sense, so again we remember the story of how ISHMAEL came to be, as in Abram and Sarai’s thinking that’s what made sense.
But here in the passage we heard this morning, God clearly revealed that if they would only trust God-God would indeed have a child with Sarai. And to seal the covenant, Abram would be re-named Abraham. And Sarai would be forever called Sarah. And Abraham was so trusting of God that he agreed to be circumcised and have all the men in their community is circumcised. And as for Sarah having a baby at her age, both Abraham and Sarah laughed at the thought of it because the thought if it just didn’t make sense
Sometimes God is a stranger.
God allows things to happen and it doesn’t make sense to us. Maybe we don’t understand it. Maybe it makes us want to shut down or shake our fist or pull God aside and say, “this can’t be right.”
But not only are we suppose to trust God, we are suppose to deny ourselves and take up our own crosses and follow Jesus. Even when it doesn’t make sense, Even when it doesn’t seem quite fair.
These are hard words to hear. Lenten words.
How many stories in the Bible, like Abraham, like the disciples being asked to leave their home, and follow God, or follow Jesus, knowing full well it could be dangerous and scary.
All we have to do is read the Bible to know that obeying God doesn’t guarantee a life free of pain or sacrifice. But God blesses us with glimpses of glory, glimpses of angels just a few samples of what it will be like to be free.
Something miraculous and wonderful can happen in the midst of tragedy. We can discover many gifts that come out of sharing hardship.
How could Superman be paralyzed? How could a strong healthy woman get lung cancer, why would small children have to witness such pain? How is it that the King of the Jews, the Son of Man, and the Messiah should have to suffer and die?
Jesus gives us a clue, but Peter completely missed it. After three days he would rise again. God has something planned that is so beyond what we can see or imagine. This is the hope for those who follow Jesus, for those who obey God.
It’s not easy, sometimes it doesn’t make sense. Sometimes we’ll find that God feels like a stranger. But if we hand on, I believe we will see the divine things waiting for us.
Abraham accepted God’s promise. He accepted God’s mission and God’s covenant. On that very day he was circumcised; and on that day he circumcised Ishmael and all those born in his house. Abraham’s obedience was incredible. He obeyed immediately though it was painful for the old man to be circumcised. This was an act of obedience that comes from faith. Abraham believed that God is God Almighty. He made a decision to walk before him in complete trust and obedience. God blessed Abraham to become a great nation with his Mighty power. I pray that we all may walk before God not before men and a live a blameless life as his servants.
Let us pray:
Holy God, your ways are not our ways, and your thoughts are not our thoughts. But grant us such faith that something miraculous and wonderful might happen when we are most vulnerable and afraid. Help us to discover the gifts that come from sharing hardship with each other. Remind us that you are with us always.
Amen
Teach us to give all our troubles to you Lord, Hear us Lord as we pray,
Thank you Dear Lord for letting me be your humble servant, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock, and my redeemer.
It’s the second week of Lent, Lent is a time for repentance, and for facing the ways we are broken and have broken others and the world. We are early in Lent, a long way from Easter, we should not head straight to Easter from the shopping mall, or the spa, Instead we are invited to spend forty days examining the nature of our own covenant with God.
Upon what does that relationship depend? Who do we trust to give us life? What are we doing and what does it mean to walk with God?
How many of you remember Christopher Reeve-the actor who played “superman” if you remember his story he died in 2004 but lived the nine years prior in a wheel chair as he was paralyzed from the neck down from a equestrian accident. After his death it would seem only fair and right that his wife who cared for him and stayed by his side throughout would be able to move on with her life, re-start her acting career and raise their son. But then less than a year after Christopher Reeves death, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. A person who never smoked, I can remember hearing that news and thinking gosh that’s so sad and so unfair.
She died less than a year after her diagnosis leaving her 13-year-old son, it doesn’t seem right does it.
I mean after all it would make sense if you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day that you might get lung cancer. It makes sense that if you’ve kept your promises and worked hard that you’d be rewarded in life. Makes sense right?
I remember hearing the day after Christmas this year, about a father who traveled to NJ from Massachusetts with his two young daughters, they came to NJ to pick up the grandmother and take her back to Massachusetts, as they were driving right on the NJ parkway a tree fell across the road, landed on the car and killed both the father and the grandmother, right in front of the two small girls.
How many times do we hear stories that just don’t make sense to us?
These two and many others just like this are everyday stories, a trite story perhaps in the great scheme of things. But we human beings like for things to make sense.
But what makes sense to us is not necessarily how life works and this is where we run headfirst into a spiritual issue.
We forget that God’s ways are not our ways. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. As we read in Isaiah 55:8
8 "My thoughts are not like your thoughts.
And your ways are not like my ways,"
Just when we think we’ve figured things out, God surprises us- sometimes to the point that God seems like a complete stranger.
Now stay with me, and hopefully this will come full circle, now in Genesis 16 we know the story of
THE BIRTH OF ISHMAEL
It was a hard decision for Sarah to give Abram to Hagar. But she thought that that was her best option to build a family through Hagar. What’s wrong with her decision? Sarah did not inquire of the Lord before she made this decision. She tried to have a covenant son through her human effort. God said, “I will make you a great nation.” In Genesis (12:2) But Sarah said, “Perhaps I will build family through her.”(2b) “Perhaps” is a word of unbelief. God’s covenant will be fulfilled by God but not by our human means. She ignored God’s plan and allowed Abram to sleep with Hagar. She tried to achieve her human goal by using Hagar’s body. The source of unbelief came from her human calculation and impatience.
What was the consequence of their human calculation? Their decision brought chaos to their household. Human mistake brought family strife and jealousy and hatred.
God did not stop Abram from following his own way. He let him have Hagar, even though it was a sin. At the same time, God did not abandon him, either. He endured Abram’s human mistakes and cared for him and his family and waited on his own time. In our spiritual life we also become impatient and invite many pain and conflict and ruin God’s plan. We have to trust God and wait for his appointed time to the end.
Abram waited God for 10 years but God waited Abram for 13 years. God did not forget Abram and waited for the right time to help. Just as Jesus visited Peter when he was exhausted and miserable due to his failure, so God visited Abram after 13 years of spiritual vacuum. Thirteen years passed between chapters 16 and 17. Abram was 99 years old when God spoke to him again. There was a 13-year gap in his spiritual life. Look at verse 17:1. “When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “‘I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.’” Why did God appear to Abram when he was a 99 year old man? God told him what to do. “Walk before me and be blameless.” God demanded Abram to get up from his complacent life of sin and walk before him.
Now in Mark 8: 29
29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Peter answered, "You are the Christ."
Peter had just given the winning answer in a discussion with Jesus and the other disciples when Jesus asked, “who do people say that I am? When Jesus asked this question Peter piped up and said, “you are the Messiah” or you are the Christ”
Messiah or Christ was a term that meant anointed one and throughout Jewish history, several had been called “anointed. But the Jews were long-waiting for the One True Savior who would come and bring fiery justice to Israel. They had been oppressed and humiliated for so long.
After all it was only fair that someone would come with awesome power and crush the enemies of Israel once and for all. In those days the enemies were the Romans. And crushing the enemies wasn’t merely the idea of First century Jews, the great prophets long before had called for it; Joel and Zechariah and Daniel they all said this, Christ was coming to rock things.
So herein lies the problem; Jesus did not huddle in close with his disciples and give them a preview of the serious hurting he was going to give the Romans. Instead said this- and not in whispered tones. He said, “ The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, be rejected by the Jewish leaders, be killed and then after three days rise again.
WHAT?
Peter, who must have been feeling confident after his last contribution, you know the award winning answer, pulled Jesus aside and said what? That can’t be right, Peter rebuked Jesus. In Matthew Jesus changed Peters name from Simon, but here Jesus gave Peter yet another new name: the name was “Satan”
Get behind me, Satan!
For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things
Story of our lives.
When something happens that doesn’t make sense, when God allows things to go a way that we never would have chosen for ourselves, when God feels like a stranger to us… maybe we are the strange ones. Maybe we are the ones who just don’t get it.
If it doesn’t make sense to us, if God’s plans for us and God’s expectations of us don’t seem fair from our perspective how foolish are we to believe that they must not make sense eternally from God’s perspective? This is what faith is all about, this is why its so hard to have faith.
Peter continued to say the wrong thing-
Abram and Sarai did the wrong thing; they both did the faithless thing,
Peter did the most faithless thing the night before Jesus died.
Peter who had followed Jesus for three years – denied ever knowing him, three times he denied it.
Thousands of years before Peter received his new names there was God would rename two others, Abram and Sarai had once lived comfortable lives in Haran (which is now Turkey). But God instructed Abram to leave his father’s land and move on to a new land.
God’s promised to make Abram’s name great- no so that life would be even better for Abram and his family but so that Abram “would be a blessing” to the rest of the world. And so Abram went.
He left everything he knew. He left his father’s grave behind and he went to Canaan, just like God told him to.
But then something strange happened: there was a famine in Canaan, no food for Abram, his wife, his nephew, his huge assortment of cattle. They were going to have to move again, this time to Egypt where Abram would be “an alien”, living in a land where his very life would be threatened. This couldn’t be right, why would God call Abram to a faraway place only to starve or be threatened?
Abram was told that he would be the father of a multitude of nations. But that couldn’t be right either.
Abram was old and his wife was beyond childbearing years. Abram and Sarai, realizing that this made no sense, so again we remember the story of how ISHMAEL came to be, as in Abram and Sarai’s thinking that’s what made sense.
But here in the passage we heard this morning, God clearly revealed that if they would only trust God-God would indeed have a child with Sarai. And to seal the covenant, Abram would be re-named Abraham. And Sarai would be forever called Sarah. And Abraham was so trusting of God that he agreed to be circumcised and have all the men in their community is circumcised. And as for Sarah having a baby at her age, both Abraham and Sarah laughed at the thought of it because the thought if it just didn’t make sense
Sometimes God is a stranger.
God allows things to happen and it doesn’t make sense to us. Maybe we don’t understand it. Maybe it makes us want to shut down or shake our fist or pull God aside and say, “this can’t be right.”
But not only are we suppose to trust God, we are suppose to deny ourselves and take up our own crosses and follow Jesus. Even when it doesn’t make sense, Even when it doesn’t seem quite fair.
These are hard words to hear. Lenten words.
How many stories in the Bible, like Abraham, like the disciples being asked to leave their home, and follow God, or follow Jesus, knowing full well it could be dangerous and scary.
All we have to do is read the Bible to know that obeying God doesn’t guarantee a life free of pain or sacrifice. But God blesses us with glimpses of glory, glimpses of angels just a few samples of what it will be like to be free.
Something miraculous and wonderful can happen in the midst of tragedy. We can discover many gifts that come out of sharing hardship.
How could Superman be paralyzed? How could a strong healthy woman get lung cancer, why would small children have to witness such pain? How is it that the King of the Jews, the Son of Man, and the Messiah should have to suffer and die?
Jesus gives us a clue, but Peter completely missed it. After three days he would rise again. God has something planned that is so beyond what we can see or imagine. This is the hope for those who follow Jesus, for those who obey God.
It’s not easy, sometimes it doesn’t make sense. Sometimes we’ll find that God feels like a stranger. But if we hand on, I believe we will see the divine things waiting for us.
Abraham accepted God’s promise. He accepted God’s mission and God’s covenant. On that very day he was circumcised; and on that day he circumcised Ishmael and all those born in his house. Abraham’s obedience was incredible. He obeyed immediately though it was painful for the old man to be circumcised. This was an act of obedience that comes from faith. Abraham believed that God is God Almighty. He made a decision to walk before him in complete trust and obedience. God blessed Abraham to become a great nation with his Mighty power. I pray that we all may walk before God not before men and a live a blameless life as his servants.
Let us pray:
Holy God, your ways are not our ways, and your thoughts are not our thoughts. But grant us such faith that something miraculous and wonderful might happen when we are most vulnerable and afraid. Help us to discover the gifts that come from sharing hardship with each other. Remind us that you are with us always.
Amen
Friday, January 23, 2009
Sermon for January 25, 2009
The Scripture readings today speak of several things, repentance, to turn from evil ways, to reexamine our behaviors, actions and deeds. God wanted Jonah to preach the word of God to the Assyrians, and Jesus wanted his disciples to follow him, In Corinthians, Paul is preaching to the people that to be a Christian you need to be rooted in the everyday concerns of this world, but not to be dominated or controlled by worldly circumstances. No matter where you are in life, you should always remain faithful to God.
God wants our focus to be on God, to remain faithful and to let our deeds be equaled to our words.
Now in Jonah, well we know the main story, the running away, the ship, the whale, but why was Jonah so adamant about not obeying God. Well Jonah was born in Israel, and the Assyrians were brutal and oppressive and long-standing enemies of Israel. God told Jonah that if the Nineveh’s did not change and repent they would be destroyed. So lets see if I could decipher how Jonah was thinking this through in his mind. If I warn Nineveh and get them to listen, they might change their behavior and God might not destroy them, But if I ignore God, avoid the situation, run and try to hide, aah yes then they will get what they deserved, So Jonah ran, and tried to hide, Well we all know we can run but can we hide?
Now lets venture for a moment into Mark 1; Again The Book of Mark is more of Action, focusing more on the deeds of Jesus and not on his words. Jesus began his ministry at this point-first thought he wanted John to baptize him, and then Jesus went into the desert and was taunted and tormented for 40 days.
Now why was getting baptized or being tormented an important part of this book? To show that;
1. Jesus never felt he was more superior to anyone else, and
2. That even though he faced struggles he still remained faithful to God.
In Mark, we learn that Jesus is being led by God to bring the people together to repent, to believe and to share God’s love. He chooses men along his route and asks them to follow him. Follow and help me make believers for all man.
From the very start of Jesus public ministry, Jesus invites us to repent, to reflect, to reconsider and reassess our lives.
In 1 Corinthians 7, the message is written, unless what you are doing is directly serving the kingdom of God, you should not have all your focus on it. Including marriage, mourning, celebrations, or any concerns about material goods. This text might be a bit confusing as at first it would appear that Paul is against marriage, but that is not the intent, the intent is that even marriage should not deter or prevent you from having a relationship with God,
Today's scripture and something I heard on the radio a few weeks ago got me thinking, You see lately I haven't been showing God's light to others- I haven't been showing his love through my actions or deeds. I have been using one excuse after another. You see I noticed and felt some strife within our church, some negativity, in my mind what I felt like was unchristian behavior, add that to I have been depressed, along with I have had health issues, so surely God would understand if I took a break. Or would He? I even went as far as not attending church for a while, after all wouldn't it be great if I punished this church by not attending or not participating in Lay speaking? Boy I will really show that church a thing or two.
So as I am driving to a store about an hour away, it was pouring horrible rain and yet I was driving up to the Ikea Store in Elizabeth. I was alone, as I wanted to purchase a gift or two as Ikea was having this spectacular sale that I just could not pass up, and yes this sale was more important than attending church. AT least that’s what I convinced myself.
(After all its Sunday I don't need to go to church and have fellowship, this item I am buying is far more important)and I turn the radio on to a Christian station, and this speaker is giving a sermon and guess what it was about?
People in your life that cause strife, people in church that offend others
No really I am not making this up.
So I start listening, cause now I will learn what to do to handle these pesky people who make church life miserable for the rest of us, yeah that's right I will now have the answers. Until the speaker said something to me, yes to me,
He said do you use God as your bully? Do you pray and ask Him to fix people in your life?
Do you even go as far as to suggest to God that maybe they get run over by a bus?
So of course since he was talking to me I answered yes of course, and then I said "well no not a bus, perhaps a Mack truck would do, oh and make sure it backs up too" I comically thought
At this time, the speaker asked in a louder voice, “who made you the judge?”
Who decided you were in charge of telling God who he should destroy, who needed fixing, who needed to change their behavior?
What about your behavior? How many people, persons have you crossed or offended with your behavior, hhmm how much time do we have?
Well, humph is what I said, you know I can change the radio station if you keep talking like that, after all I am so wonderful and so full of God's grace that I would never think of offending anyone, Yup I was driving in the rain so sliding on the road must have been the reason my car took a sudden slip to the right,
So I kind of was like Jonah, trying to hide.
The way we see others is often distorted, God asks us to look and treat each that we meet as a child of God. God call us to love rather than to judge.
Now I suspect, like Jonah, we all have that revenge type mentality. We judge and we want revenge. We want to feel vindicated. But in
Matthew 7 its pretty clear,
Now I am going to read two different versions to be clear of the scriptures:
1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. NIV version
1-5 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, and criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
The message
Well both of these messages are clear, and again we revert back to Mark; the message is written, we need to turn to God with a repentance heart and trust him. That there is none so down and out that we can ever be beyond the extending of God’s arms. As Jesus came to serve us, we must also serve others
And then again in Jonah, we cannot hide from God, God many times does his grandest works thought the least likely candidates. Regardless of our reputation, nationality or race… God loves us and we should be sharing that love. God wants us to face the Jonah in each of us. What are we running from, what do we fear?
Now in the end of Jonah, The people of Nineveh repent, God forgives and happy ever after for the people, but not so for Jonah, instead of rejoicing Jonah throws a pity party. Why because he wasn’t vindicated.
How true this is with our own lives, we get angry, frustrated, we let the attitudes of others; the problems of life bother us so much we almost become incapacitated. How often the very thing that bothered us, or caused strife was or is something so foolish and unimportant that when its put into the proper prospective it really wasn’t that important. Or shouldn’t have been. In a marriage, the bitterest and most destructive fights are sometimes causes by the most trivial thing. Friendships of many years are sometimes destroyed over petty misunderstandings, why because as humans we become so involved, so engrossed in the hurt feelings we loose all sense of judgment. People who have dedicated years of service to an organization or church or a cause sometimes quit embittered when a relatively minor incident fails to go their way.
It is so easy to feel sorry for ourselves. to convince ourselves that our problems should be the focus. We allow these problems to monopolize our thoughts and drain away our emotional energy.
When we get engrossed in self-pity, when egos take over, we seem to loose the basic qualities of concern, compassion and love for others.
There is no escape from responsibility; God lets us know in no uncertain terms are we to try to hide from Christian qualities. We must show Christian behavior to all which cross our paths; we must become followers of Christ leading all to Him. We must never let anything become so important to us that we eliminate or change our focus on God.
God can forgive every sin and give second chances. God’s love is for all people, He loves everyone, Even Jonah who judged and wanted revenge, even you and I.
So lets review;
In Mark we learned call and discipleship and following Jesus.
In Jonah we learned obedience, repentance and forgiveness
In Corinthians we learned leadership, willingness to sacrifice, and family
Now what in your life do you need to ask God to help you with, following? Obedience, repentance, forgiving, how to sacrifice
Let us pray;
God of grace, none of us are beyond our reach. IN Jesus Christ you have sought and found us. Through him you call us to speak your redeeming word of love. Some of us answer willingly. Others pull back in reluctance. Some can respond impulsively dropping their nets and leaving everything else behind. Others can respond only through your repeated patience and your love. Whoever we are receive us into your love, enlarge our hearts and minds that we can serve you lovingly and willingly.
Give us the grace and good humor to see your hand in all things and make us useful in your sight. In your Holy name we pray.
God wants our focus to be on God, to remain faithful and to let our deeds be equaled to our words.
Now in Jonah, well we know the main story, the running away, the ship, the whale, but why was Jonah so adamant about not obeying God. Well Jonah was born in Israel, and the Assyrians were brutal and oppressive and long-standing enemies of Israel. God told Jonah that if the Nineveh’s did not change and repent they would be destroyed. So lets see if I could decipher how Jonah was thinking this through in his mind. If I warn Nineveh and get them to listen, they might change their behavior and God might not destroy them, But if I ignore God, avoid the situation, run and try to hide, aah yes then they will get what they deserved, So Jonah ran, and tried to hide, Well we all know we can run but can we hide?
Now lets venture for a moment into Mark 1; Again The Book of Mark is more of Action, focusing more on the deeds of Jesus and not on his words. Jesus began his ministry at this point-first thought he wanted John to baptize him, and then Jesus went into the desert and was taunted and tormented for 40 days.
Now why was getting baptized or being tormented an important part of this book? To show that;
1. Jesus never felt he was more superior to anyone else, and
2. That even though he faced struggles he still remained faithful to God.
In Mark, we learn that Jesus is being led by God to bring the people together to repent, to believe and to share God’s love. He chooses men along his route and asks them to follow him. Follow and help me make believers for all man.
From the very start of Jesus public ministry, Jesus invites us to repent, to reflect, to reconsider and reassess our lives.
In 1 Corinthians 7, the message is written, unless what you are doing is directly serving the kingdom of God, you should not have all your focus on it. Including marriage, mourning, celebrations, or any concerns about material goods. This text might be a bit confusing as at first it would appear that Paul is against marriage, but that is not the intent, the intent is that even marriage should not deter or prevent you from having a relationship with God,
Today's scripture and something I heard on the radio a few weeks ago got me thinking, You see lately I haven't been showing God's light to others- I haven't been showing his love through my actions or deeds. I have been using one excuse after another. You see I noticed and felt some strife within our church, some negativity, in my mind what I felt like was unchristian behavior, add that to I have been depressed, along with I have had health issues, so surely God would understand if I took a break. Or would He? I even went as far as not attending church for a while, after all wouldn't it be great if I punished this church by not attending or not participating in Lay speaking? Boy I will really show that church a thing or two.
So as I am driving to a store about an hour away, it was pouring horrible rain and yet I was driving up to the Ikea Store in Elizabeth. I was alone, as I wanted to purchase a gift or two as Ikea was having this spectacular sale that I just could not pass up, and yes this sale was more important than attending church. AT least that’s what I convinced myself.
(After all its Sunday I don't need to go to church and have fellowship, this item I am buying is far more important)and I turn the radio on to a Christian station, and this speaker is giving a sermon and guess what it was about?
People in your life that cause strife, people in church that offend others
No really I am not making this up.
So I start listening, cause now I will learn what to do to handle these pesky people who make church life miserable for the rest of us, yeah that's right I will now have the answers. Until the speaker said something to me, yes to me,
He said do you use God as your bully? Do you pray and ask Him to fix people in your life?
Do you even go as far as to suggest to God that maybe they get run over by a bus?
So of course since he was talking to me I answered yes of course, and then I said "well no not a bus, perhaps a Mack truck would do, oh and make sure it backs up too" I comically thought
At this time, the speaker asked in a louder voice, “who made you the judge?”
Who decided you were in charge of telling God who he should destroy, who needed fixing, who needed to change their behavior?
What about your behavior? How many people, persons have you crossed or offended with your behavior, hhmm how much time do we have?
Well, humph is what I said, you know I can change the radio station if you keep talking like that, after all I am so wonderful and so full of God's grace that I would never think of offending anyone, Yup I was driving in the rain so sliding on the road must have been the reason my car took a sudden slip to the right,
So I kind of was like Jonah, trying to hide.
The way we see others is often distorted, God asks us to look and treat each that we meet as a child of God. God call us to love rather than to judge.
Now I suspect, like Jonah, we all have that revenge type mentality. We judge and we want revenge. We want to feel vindicated. But in
Matthew 7 its pretty clear,
Now I am going to read two different versions to be clear of the scriptures:
1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. NIV version
1-5 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, and criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
The message
Well both of these messages are clear, and again we revert back to Mark; the message is written, we need to turn to God with a repentance heart and trust him. That there is none so down and out that we can ever be beyond the extending of God’s arms. As Jesus came to serve us, we must also serve others
And then again in Jonah, we cannot hide from God, God many times does his grandest works thought the least likely candidates. Regardless of our reputation, nationality or race… God loves us and we should be sharing that love. God wants us to face the Jonah in each of us. What are we running from, what do we fear?
Now in the end of Jonah, The people of Nineveh repent, God forgives and happy ever after for the people, but not so for Jonah, instead of rejoicing Jonah throws a pity party. Why because he wasn’t vindicated.
How true this is with our own lives, we get angry, frustrated, we let the attitudes of others; the problems of life bother us so much we almost become incapacitated. How often the very thing that bothered us, or caused strife was or is something so foolish and unimportant that when its put into the proper prospective it really wasn’t that important. Or shouldn’t have been. In a marriage, the bitterest and most destructive fights are sometimes causes by the most trivial thing. Friendships of many years are sometimes destroyed over petty misunderstandings, why because as humans we become so involved, so engrossed in the hurt feelings we loose all sense of judgment. People who have dedicated years of service to an organization or church or a cause sometimes quit embittered when a relatively minor incident fails to go their way.
It is so easy to feel sorry for ourselves. to convince ourselves that our problems should be the focus. We allow these problems to monopolize our thoughts and drain away our emotional energy.
When we get engrossed in self-pity, when egos take over, we seem to loose the basic qualities of concern, compassion and love for others.
There is no escape from responsibility; God lets us know in no uncertain terms are we to try to hide from Christian qualities. We must show Christian behavior to all which cross our paths; we must become followers of Christ leading all to Him. We must never let anything become so important to us that we eliminate or change our focus on God.
God can forgive every sin and give second chances. God’s love is for all people, He loves everyone, Even Jonah who judged and wanted revenge, even you and I.
So lets review;
In Mark we learned call and discipleship and following Jesus.
In Jonah we learned obedience, repentance and forgiveness
In Corinthians we learned leadership, willingness to sacrifice, and family
Now what in your life do you need to ask God to help you with, following? Obedience, repentance, forgiving, how to sacrifice
Let us pray;
God of grace, none of us are beyond our reach. IN Jesus Christ you have sought and found us. Through him you call us to speak your redeeming word of love. Some of us answer willingly. Others pull back in reluctance. Some can respond impulsively dropping their nets and leaving everything else behind. Others can respond only through your repeated patience and your love. Whoever we are receive us into your love, enlarge our hearts and minds that we can serve you lovingly and willingly.
Give us the grace and good humor to see your hand in all things and make us useful in your sight. In your Holy name we pray.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sermon on Romans, Exodus and Matthew from Sept 7, 2008
In our current passage, Romans 13, Paul brings our attention to what love will not do specifically and providing us with both motivation and the means for living in love.
Lets go back if only for a moment to our recent weeks of scripture. Romans 1-11 Paul was laying a doctrine foundation –laying the groundwork so to speak, in Chapter 12 he is challenging his believers to show action based on the truth previously taught.
Later when we turn to chapters 14-15 Paul will still be applying the principle of love, this can be seen in Romans 14:15, “ for if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love” Love is not only the motivation which inspires our actions, it is the principle by which our actions are governed.
Verse 8 “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another,” as I understand Paul’s words, he is teaching that our highest obligation toward men is our obligation to love them. We are not necessarily speaking in the financial sense. I am sure some have heard the saying “Pass it forward”.
Have you received a blessing from god, has a friend helped you, has the church? We may not be able to repay what has been done for us directly to whomever, but did we pass it on. Did we see someone in need and help him or her with out expecting something in return?
Verses 9 the instructions of God’s laws are “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” well first you have to love yourself, and not in a conceited look at me in the mirror way. I am not suggesting you become a boaster, or become high maintenance or I am above all type person. Now I am certainly not an expert nor do I always follow what the law implies.
But I believe IF you want to be respected for your actions, then your behavior must be above reproach. One should respect oneself and live right that is how you gain the respect of others. If our lives demonstrate that we are peaceful, humble and trusted this will be recognized by others-
If our lives demonstrate something else, that will be noticed also. If you follow Gods word this will bring peace and understanding to your life.
When anything you do is in God’s name you will find contentment and God’s love will shine through you. This is how you learn to love your self. When God’s love shines through you your friends and neighbors will want to know more about you, they would want to hear and share how God’s love shines through you.
Now by only raising your hands in your head, how many today struggled to come to church this morning? It’s a beautiful day, you may have wanted to stay longer in bed, go out for breakfast or just be lazy around the house. But hopefully you came because you wanted fellowship-you wanted to see you felt a need to worship with your Christian friends, some wanted to see how bad the sermon would be with the checklists in your mind—Oh and by the way the people that I gave my scorecard to please note I did mispronounce a few of the words in the scripture reading
I myself would have chosen any of the above instead of standing before you today sharing God’s words. Its not that I mind sharing God’s words, it’s when so much is depending on me to get it just right that worries me.
God so loves to wrestle in our minds. God loves to give us free will. He also loves to see what we will choose to do with the instructions he has laid out for us.
You see everyone is born with a sinful nature.
In Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.” All of us like Paul have those darn inner conflicts. The great news is nothing can separate us from the love of God. Only through the perfect Jesus Christ can we become righteous. Justification is by faith, not by good works.
The instructions in Romans continues
Do not commit adultery; we must begin by affirming that adultery is sin simple because God says so. Adultery is also considered sin in our text because it harms our neighbor. It ultimately produces no good and brings much evil. Because of this, adultery is condemned as sin and contrary to love. You do not commit adultery because you are in love; you commit adultery as a sin against love
Do not murder, this could mean in the death sense or in demeaning someone, hurting someone, did you destroy another human being for your own self-interest?
Do not steal; have you taken what doesn’t belong to you? If I walked into a bank and stole $3 million dollars – although if I did I might be having this discussion in Hawaii or someplace else, but if I did would God think any different of me if I just borrowed money from someone and didn’t pay it back. If you get something free, or win some money do you make sure you pass it on?
Do not covet,
The dictionary defines covet as to wish for earnestly, to desire
Coveting is also harmful to your neighbor, in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5: Jesus taught that those attitudes, which lead to sinful actions, are just as sinful as the actions themselves. Coveting is a sin because it leads me to wish that my neighbor were deprived of something just so that I can possess it.
I really wish I had my neighbor’s house, car, oh wow they have a wonderful lifestyle; if I had what they have life could be so much better.
In verse 10: Love does no harm to its neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
And again we go back to Love your neighbor, as you love yourself. What is it about your neighbor, Co-worker, which you don’t like? Could the very thing you don’t like about them be the very thing you don’t like about yourself, could their behavior be a reflection of you? Are you envious or jealous is it fear? Is that person over critical, demeaning. ARE any of those qualities what you see in the mirror? What is preventing you from practicing a Christian life style with your neighbor? Did anyone new come to church recently, what prevented you from inviting that person, family to sit next to you. What stopped you from reaching out?
Paul’s teachings in verses 8-10 might be summed up in this way: We are to view our neighbor from the perspective of love. When we do, we will seek his good, avoid doing what is harmful to him, and thus fulfill the laws.
Even more, The Christian should look beyond himself to others with a spirit of obligation, rooted in gratitude toward God. In our sinful, self-seeking flesh, we do not look upon others with an obligation to serve them at our expense, but to be served by them at their expense.
In verses 11-14; Paul turns our attention to both the motivations that inspire love and the means, which help it function. Our motivation for love is presented in the text of time. We are to love others “knowing the time” Paul uses the symbols of “night and day” “darkness and light,” and sleeping and waking up.” We usually go to bed at night when it is dark. The coming of light indicates the passing of night and the beginning of a new day. What Paul describes in verses 11-14 happens to all of us
We go to bed at night, and then in your first waking moments you become increasingly aware of the light. Suddenly it may dawn on you, its morning! Good grief, what time is it? You check your clock and realize you overslept. The day has begun, but you have not. You jump out of bed and now your fumbling, out of sorts, not sure
I think this is the picture Paul is painting. We have been oversleeping. We need to wake up. The night has passed. The new day is dawning. We must get about doing those things that need to be done. We must put off our nightclothes and put on the clothes appropriate for the work our Lord calls us to do. .
In Romans 13:12 “ the Night is nearly over, the day is almost here, will you be ready? Will God Passover you or will you be destroyed.
Two things are stressed in verses 11-14; the first is why we are to increase in our worship of service through loving others-the day of Christ’s return draws closer every day. The second is how we are to do so. If one is to walk in love, putting service to others first above his own interests.
We’ve covered the rules spelled out in Romans now lets move on to Exodus
Exodus serves as a foundation for three important Jewish practices: the celebration of the Passover, the Feast of the Unleavened Bread and the dedication of firstborn children.
The Passover became the focal point in Jewish history and theology—just as the Crucifixion is the focal point in Christian history and theology.
There are several connections between the Jewish Passover and Christian communion. To begin, Jesus instituted the sacrament of Communion at a private Passover observance with is disciples as found in Matthew 26.
Jesus served as both Host and Lamb. Jesus presided over the meal and infused familiar Passover elements with new meaning. He was the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.
Exodus gives us scripture on top of scripture of what God expects,
God warned the Israelites that when He passed through if their home was not marked they would die. Although the story reads of blood being left over the door jam, how is your home marked? Gods’ instructions in Exodus 12 is clear, from how to pick the animals, how to divide them, what spices, what clothing was to be worn, details as little as what sandals and how your staff must be positioned. God is speaking clearly to the Israelites and to us today, follow my rules, obey my commands, (point to bible) this is God’s rulebook these are His commands. Obey his commands and no harm will come to you, Obey the laws of man live a life of hate, sin, selfishness and you will be destroyed.
Will God Passover your door, or will you be able to live? What is preventing you from becoming a faithful servant? If God came in the night or Jesus knocks on your door, what preparation will have been made?
In our passage Matthew 18: 15-20, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.” First we are to speak privately about the offense with the offender
If the offending party is unreceptive, then others are to be invited into the negotiations.
If after these two attempts, the person who committed the offense remains unwilling to work for reconciliation, then the offense is to be reported to the church.
Finally if no one in the local assembly can get through to the person, the group is advised to wash its hands of the situation.
Now I don’t know about you, but this seems like a lot of work for reconciliation. Should the church get involved in mediation? Should the church be a boxing ring? Well do we live by the motto that the world is our parish or that the church is our boxing ring? How we live together seems to be the general topic in all of our scripture readings today. It’s easy to figure out that hidden conflicts destroy churches and that members do not remain in churches that have undercurrents of controversy. But it is difficult to bring us to follow the recommendations as it spells out in Matthew.
Now I found this on the Internet and felt the need to incorporate it into today’s meditation on the scriptures.
If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend.” Matthew 18:15 (The Message)
And Love does no harm to its neighbor, therefore is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:10
Once upon a time, there were two brothers, Paul and Peter, Their father owned a large farm and when he became to old to work, he called both his sons together and said, I am too old to work anymore and I will divide my farm and give each of you half, I know that you will always work together and will be good friends.
When the brothers first started farming on their adjoining farms, they were the best of friends and would share everything together. Then, one day there was an argument between Paul and Peter. They stopped speaking and for many years not a word was spoken between them.
On day, Paul had a visitor show up at his door, the visitor was a carpenter who wanted to do some work. The carpenter asked Paul, “do you have any work I can do?’ Paul answered, “I would like for you to build a fence on my property. Build it down near the stream there that separates my farm from my brother’s. I don’t want to see my brother any more and I would like you to build a high fence.” Paul then said he was going away for the day but would return in the evening.
When Paul came back that evening he was shocked to see that the carpenter had not followed his instructions. Instead of a fence he built a bridge over the stream.
A very upset Paul walked down to the stream to take a look at the bridge, and as he did Peter came walking towards him over the bridge. Peter ran to his brother and said to Paul, “After all the terrible things I’ve done to you over the years, I can’t believe that you would build a bridge and welcome me back. Peter reached out to his brother and gave him a big hug.
Paul then walked back to his own farmhouse to speak to the carpenter. “Can you stay?” Paul asked the carpenter, “I have more work for you to do.” The carpenter answered, “ I’m sorry but I can’t stay. I have to go, for I have many other bridges to build.”
Sometimes you and I have a disagreement with our brothers and sisters in Christ. When that happens, we often build a fence between them and ourselves. WE stop talking to them. We don’t want to see them. We don’t want to be around them. That isn’t what Jesus wants us to do. Instead of fences, he wants us to build a bridge of love between us.
So we read scripture in Romans on how to live and treat our neighbors, We’ve read in Exodus on what God expects from us regarding sacrifice and living a life filled as sinners, and in Matthew we learned we need to deal with conflicts in the church and in our lives. As Christians we live in the midst of offenses and conflict. How we handle and show others our way of living in the laws of Christ should be shown to the world.
Live according to God’s Law, live with a pure heart, be good to your neighbors and be prepared for the coming of the Lord.
Dear father, we know it is your desire for us to live in peace and harmony. Help us to love one another; it is hard even as Christians to love our neighbors with so many culture differences and challenges before us. We want to be ready Lord, ready for the day when Jesus Christ our savior returns, We want to live as good Christians as your son taught us to, we want to live a life pleasing to the Lord so that when the day is done and night has begun we are ready.
Amen
Lets go back if only for a moment to our recent weeks of scripture. Romans 1-11 Paul was laying a doctrine foundation –laying the groundwork so to speak, in Chapter 12 he is challenging his believers to show action based on the truth previously taught.
Later when we turn to chapters 14-15 Paul will still be applying the principle of love, this can be seen in Romans 14:15, “ for if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love” Love is not only the motivation which inspires our actions, it is the principle by which our actions are governed.
Verse 8 “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another,” as I understand Paul’s words, he is teaching that our highest obligation toward men is our obligation to love them. We are not necessarily speaking in the financial sense. I am sure some have heard the saying “Pass it forward”.
Have you received a blessing from god, has a friend helped you, has the church? We may not be able to repay what has been done for us directly to whomever, but did we pass it on. Did we see someone in need and help him or her with out expecting something in return?
Verses 9 the instructions of God’s laws are “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” well first you have to love yourself, and not in a conceited look at me in the mirror way. I am not suggesting you become a boaster, or become high maintenance or I am above all type person. Now I am certainly not an expert nor do I always follow what the law implies.
But I believe IF you want to be respected for your actions, then your behavior must be above reproach. One should respect oneself and live right that is how you gain the respect of others. If our lives demonstrate that we are peaceful, humble and trusted this will be recognized by others-
If our lives demonstrate something else, that will be noticed also. If you follow Gods word this will bring peace and understanding to your life.
When anything you do is in God’s name you will find contentment and God’s love will shine through you. This is how you learn to love your self. When God’s love shines through you your friends and neighbors will want to know more about you, they would want to hear and share how God’s love shines through you.
Now by only raising your hands in your head, how many today struggled to come to church this morning? It’s a beautiful day, you may have wanted to stay longer in bed, go out for breakfast or just be lazy around the house. But hopefully you came because you wanted fellowship-you wanted to see you felt a need to worship with your Christian friends, some wanted to see how bad the sermon would be with the checklists in your mind—Oh and by the way the people that I gave my scorecard to please note I did mispronounce a few of the words in the scripture reading
I myself would have chosen any of the above instead of standing before you today sharing God’s words. Its not that I mind sharing God’s words, it’s when so much is depending on me to get it just right that worries me.
God so loves to wrestle in our minds. God loves to give us free will. He also loves to see what we will choose to do with the instructions he has laid out for us.
You see everyone is born with a sinful nature.
In Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.” All of us like Paul have those darn inner conflicts. The great news is nothing can separate us from the love of God. Only through the perfect Jesus Christ can we become righteous. Justification is by faith, not by good works.
The instructions in Romans continues
Do not commit adultery; we must begin by affirming that adultery is sin simple because God says so. Adultery is also considered sin in our text because it harms our neighbor. It ultimately produces no good and brings much evil. Because of this, adultery is condemned as sin and contrary to love. You do not commit adultery because you are in love; you commit adultery as a sin against love
Do not murder, this could mean in the death sense or in demeaning someone, hurting someone, did you destroy another human being for your own self-interest?
Do not steal; have you taken what doesn’t belong to you? If I walked into a bank and stole $3 million dollars – although if I did I might be having this discussion in Hawaii or someplace else, but if I did would God think any different of me if I just borrowed money from someone and didn’t pay it back. If you get something free, or win some money do you make sure you pass it on?
Do not covet,
The dictionary defines covet as to wish for earnestly, to desire
Coveting is also harmful to your neighbor, in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5: Jesus taught that those attitudes, which lead to sinful actions, are just as sinful as the actions themselves. Coveting is a sin because it leads me to wish that my neighbor were deprived of something just so that I can possess it.
I really wish I had my neighbor’s house, car, oh wow they have a wonderful lifestyle; if I had what they have life could be so much better.
In verse 10: Love does no harm to its neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
And again we go back to Love your neighbor, as you love yourself. What is it about your neighbor, Co-worker, which you don’t like? Could the very thing you don’t like about them be the very thing you don’t like about yourself, could their behavior be a reflection of you? Are you envious or jealous is it fear? Is that person over critical, demeaning. ARE any of those qualities what you see in the mirror? What is preventing you from practicing a Christian life style with your neighbor? Did anyone new come to church recently, what prevented you from inviting that person, family to sit next to you. What stopped you from reaching out?
Paul’s teachings in verses 8-10 might be summed up in this way: We are to view our neighbor from the perspective of love. When we do, we will seek his good, avoid doing what is harmful to him, and thus fulfill the laws.
Even more, The Christian should look beyond himself to others with a spirit of obligation, rooted in gratitude toward God. In our sinful, self-seeking flesh, we do not look upon others with an obligation to serve them at our expense, but to be served by them at their expense.
In verses 11-14; Paul turns our attention to both the motivations that inspire love and the means, which help it function. Our motivation for love is presented in the text of time. We are to love others “knowing the time” Paul uses the symbols of “night and day” “darkness and light,” and sleeping and waking up.” We usually go to bed at night when it is dark. The coming of light indicates the passing of night and the beginning of a new day. What Paul describes in verses 11-14 happens to all of us
We go to bed at night, and then in your first waking moments you become increasingly aware of the light. Suddenly it may dawn on you, its morning! Good grief, what time is it? You check your clock and realize you overslept. The day has begun, but you have not. You jump out of bed and now your fumbling, out of sorts, not sure
I think this is the picture Paul is painting. We have been oversleeping. We need to wake up. The night has passed. The new day is dawning. We must get about doing those things that need to be done. We must put off our nightclothes and put on the clothes appropriate for the work our Lord calls us to do. .
In Romans 13:12 “ the Night is nearly over, the day is almost here, will you be ready? Will God Passover you or will you be destroyed.
Two things are stressed in verses 11-14; the first is why we are to increase in our worship of service through loving others-the day of Christ’s return draws closer every day. The second is how we are to do so. If one is to walk in love, putting service to others first above his own interests.
We’ve covered the rules spelled out in Romans now lets move on to Exodus
Exodus serves as a foundation for three important Jewish practices: the celebration of the Passover, the Feast of the Unleavened Bread and the dedication of firstborn children.
The Passover became the focal point in Jewish history and theology—just as the Crucifixion is the focal point in Christian history and theology.
There are several connections between the Jewish Passover and Christian communion. To begin, Jesus instituted the sacrament of Communion at a private Passover observance with is disciples as found in Matthew 26.
Jesus served as both Host and Lamb. Jesus presided over the meal and infused familiar Passover elements with new meaning. He was the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.
Exodus gives us scripture on top of scripture of what God expects,
God warned the Israelites that when He passed through if their home was not marked they would die. Although the story reads of blood being left over the door jam, how is your home marked? Gods’ instructions in Exodus 12 is clear, from how to pick the animals, how to divide them, what spices, what clothing was to be worn, details as little as what sandals and how your staff must be positioned. God is speaking clearly to the Israelites and to us today, follow my rules, obey my commands, (point to bible) this is God’s rulebook these are His commands. Obey his commands and no harm will come to you, Obey the laws of man live a life of hate, sin, selfishness and you will be destroyed.
Will God Passover your door, or will you be able to live? What is preventing you from becoming a faithful servant? If God came in the night or Jesus knocks on your door, what preparation will have been made?
In our passage Matthew 18: 15-20, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.” First we are to speak privately about the offense with the offender
If the offending party is unreceptive, then others are to be invited into the negotiations.
If after these two attempts, the person who committed the offense remains unwilling to work for reconciliation, then the offense is to be reported to the church.
Finally if no one in the local assembly can get through to the person, the group is advised to wash its hands of the situation.
Now I don’t know about you, but this seems like a lot of work for reconciliation. Should the church get involved in mediation? Should the church be a boxing ring? Well do we live by the motto that the world is our parish or that the church is our boxing ring? How we live together seems to be the general topic in all of our scripture readings today. It’s easy to figure out that hidden conflicts destroy churches and that members do not remain in churches that have undercurrents of controversy. But it is difficult to bring us to follow the recommendations as it spells out in Matthew.
Now I found this on the Internet and felt the need to incorporate it into today’s meditation on the scriptures.
If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend.” Matthew 18:15 (The Message)
And Love does no harm to its neighbor, therefore is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:10
Once upon a time, there were two brothers, Paul and Peter, Their father owned a large farm and when he became to old to work, he called both his sons together and said, I am too old to work anymore and I will divide my farm and give each of you half, I know that you will always work together and will be good friends.
When the brothers first started farming on their adjoining farms, they were the best of friends and would share everything together. Then, one day there was an argument between Paul and Peter. They stopped speaking and for many years not a word was spoken between them.
On day, Paul had a visitor show up at his door, the visitor was a carpenter who wanted to do some work. The carpenter asked Paul, “do you have any work I can do?’ Paul answered, “I would like for you to build a fence on my property. Build it down near the stream there that separates my farm from my brother’s. I don’t want to see my brother any more and I would like you to build a high fence.” Paul then said he was going away for the day but would return in the evening.
When Paul came back that evening he was shocked to see that the carpenter had not followed his instructions. Instead of a fence he built a bridge over the stream.
A very upset Paul walked down to the stream to take a look at the bridge, and as he did Peter came walking towards him over the bridge. Peter ran to his brother and said to Paul, “After all the terrible things I’ve done to you over the years, I can’t believe that you would build a bridge and welcome me back. Peter reached out to his brother and gave him a big hug.
Paul then walked back to his own farmhouse to speak to the carpenter. “Can you stay?” Paul asked the carpenter, “I have more work for you to do.” The carpenter answered, “ I’m sorry but I can’t stay. I have to go, for I have many other bridges to build.”
Sometimes you and I have a disagreement with our brothers and sisters in Christ. When that happens, we often build a fence between them and ourselves. WE stop talking to them. We don’t want to see them. We don’t want to be around them. That isn’t what Jesus wants us to do. Instead of fences, he wants us to build a bridge of love between us.
So we read scripture in Romans on how to live and treat our neighbors, We’ve read in Exodus on what God expects from us regarding sacrifice and living a life filled as sinners, and in Matthew we learned we need to deal with conflicts in the church and in our lives. As Christians we live in the midst of offenses and conflict. How we handle and show others our way of living in the laws of Christ should be shown to the world.
Live according to God’s Law, live with a pure heart, be good to your neighbors and be prepared for the coming of the Lord.
Dear father, we know it is your desire for us to live in peace and harmony. Help us to love one another; it is hard even as Christians to love our neighbors with so many culture differences and challenges before us. We want to be ready Lord, ready for the day when Jesus Christ our savior returns, We want to live as good Christians as your son taught us to, we want to live a life pleasing to the Lord so that when the day is done and night has begun we are ready.
Amen
Friday, June 27, 2008
Interesting way to look at life...
This is not written by me, I found it while searching the net, I thought I would share and maybe you too can use it as fuel for thought... Have a pleasant day
"I have always found that each step we take in life is to be regretted--if we once begin to wonder how many other steps might have been possible." John Oliver Hobbes
Today''s Meditation:This is another way of looking at our tendency to focus on what we don''t have rather than focusing on what we have right in front of us. We can never go back to other roads in our lives that we chose not to take, for the roads now are different--they have changed as we have changed. Even if you decide to do something now that you wanted to do ten years ago, like go to college *or* take a certain vacation, that road isn''t the same as the one that it would have been then. You are a different person with different experiences behind you, and your life situation has changed a lot, if only because you''re now ten years older.There are many ways that I could have gone in life in my past, many directions that would have led to a different now for me. But I honestly don''t even think about them any more, for they''re in the past, and they didn''t happen. I am where I am, and I want to make the most out of that. If I spend my time and energy regretting the things that I didn''t do, how much time and energy will I have to contribute to today?
Questions to ponder:
1. What kinds of regrets do you have? Do they help you live your today?
2. How many other routes would have been possible in your life?Do you think that the fact that you didn''t take them means anything to you?
3. What happens to the energy that we spend on regret?Is it useful to us?
For further thought: Your past is always going to be the way it was.
Stop trying to change it. anonymous
"I have always found that each step we take in life is to be regretted--if we once begin to wonder how many other steps might have been possible." John Oliver Hobbes
Today''s Meditation:This is another way of looking at our tendency to focus on what we don''t have rather than focusing on what we have right in front of us. We can never go back to other roads in our lives that we chose not to take, for the roads now are different--they have changed as we have changed. Even if you decide to do something now that you wanted to do ten years ago, like go to college *or* take a certain vacation, that road isn''t the same as the one that it would have been then. You are a different person with different experiences behind you, and your life situation has changed a lot, if only because you''re now ten years older.There are many ways that I could have gone in life in my past, many directions that would have led to a different now for me. But I honestly don''t even think about them any more, for they''re in the past, and they didn''t happen. I am where I am, and I want to make the most out of that. If I spend my time and energy regretting the things that I didn''t do, how much time and energy will I have to contribute to today?
Questions to ponder:
1. What kinds of regrets do you have? Do they help you live your today?
2. How many other routes would have been possible in your life?Do you think that the fact that you didn''t take them means anything to you?
3. What happens to the energy that we spend on regret?Is it useful to us?
For further thought: Your past is always going to be the way it was.
Stop trying to change it. anonymous
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sticky situation
I guess I can tell you guys about getting stuck in a dress at Kohls the other day, yup that was me on ther front page of the paper. See I had to go to a PBA ball Friday night, and well you all know I had two funerals last week and it never occured to me that a nice dress was needed, not until the Pastor (who was also attending the b all) mentioned that after the funeral service she was going to get her hair done. Suddenly my brain had thoughts of me going to a fancy event and nothing, not even a black dress to wear. So after the service I went to Kohls, since its the only store within close range. I grab three black dresses and off to the dressing room I go. First dress I dont like, next dress I try on I like but its too tight, way way too tight. I try to pull it up over my head, its stuck on my arms, and no matter how I wrangled and moved it got stuck even further. This is not good, I know its not good and now I am panicking. Ever panick with a dress stuck around your head? So I open the door of the dressing room to which you can see out into entire store, theres me a dress stuck over my head arms in the air and me in my underwear asking people in the area to please find a store employee and send them to me. Three showed up, yup it too three store employees to slowly pry my arms out of this dress. All the while my underwear in plain view. I am only imagining store security was up their eyebrows in laughter. They finally released me from the dress and said do you want to buy it?? Can you just imagine my look? As they were leaving me to return to the dressing room I heard one of them say, geez I never had that happen before, to which I commented, umm its not like my daily routine. The sad thing I still had to try on the last dress. Which I did and it fit and I ran out of there faster than you could imagine. When I got home to relive the story with my 18 year old, she gasped and said oh no I know at least three people that work there I hope they didn’t see you. Gee thanksanyways, have a great day
Friday, May 2, 2008
Passing Class
or should I say gas,, ha ha
for the past two weeks from 8;30 am to 4 pm I attended a Real Estate Class, after which I would head off to work, then go home and study or pass out whichever seemed the most important
Today which is Friday, I finished my class and I passed. Geez lots of passing,
my head is spinning as it was a tough two weeks and your brain can only absorb so much before it starts leaking out of the sides.
when I finished my test, the instructor who grades them immediately so he can either pass and give your certificate or he fails you. Well at first he failed me, but gave me the test to read and the answers so I could take again. So I reread it, studied for about five minutes and re took just the portion he told me I failed. (the exam is broken down in different parts) When he graded it the second time, he said I just barely passed that portion. He then was nice and said take the questions that you got wrong to study for the state exam. So I sit there looking over what was wrong, and opened my book we used only to see that one of the questions marked wrong was actually right, so I asked if he would look at what I was looking at. I was right, but then he noticed four other questions he marked wrong were also right.. what the ....?
so on one portion of the test I got a 84 the other a 75.. 70 was passing for all
Now I have to take the state exam in the next few weeks. I will continue studying until I am sure I will get a passing grade, then I will make an appointment to take it.
So here i sit at work, yes I am at work. You would think my husband will take me out for dinner to celebrate but he is going hunting. Anyone want to go out to eat?
I bet I will be sleepping at a very early time this evening.
God is so good,
for the past two weeks from 8;30 am to 4 pm I attended a Real Estate Class, after which I would head off to work, then go home and study or pass out whichever seemed the most important
Today which is Friday, I finished my class and I passed. Geez lots of passing,
my head is spinning as it was a tough two weeks and your brain can only absorb so much before it starts leaking out of the sides.
when I finished my test, the instructor who grades them immediately so he can either pass and give your certificate or he fails you. Well at first he failed me, but gave me the test to read and the answers so I could take again. So I reread it, studied for about five minutes and re took just the portion he told me I failed. (the exam is broken down in different parts) When he graded it the second time, he said I just barely passed that portion. He then was nice and said take the questions that you got wrong to study for the state exam. So I sit there looking over what was wrong, and opened my book we used only to see that one of the questions marked wrong was actually right, so I asked if he would look at what I was looking at. I was right, but then he noticed four other questions he marked wrong were also right.. what the ....?
so on one portion of the test I got a 84 the other a 75.. 70 was passing for all
Now I have to take the state exam in the next few weeks. I will continue studying until I am sure I will get a passing grade, then I will make an appointment to take it.
So here i sit at work, yes I am at work. You would think my husband will take me out for dinner to celebrate but he is going hunting. Anyone want to go out to eat?
I bet I will be sleepping at a very early time this evening.
God is so good,
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