The Bible reveals all manner of things God wants His children to know about, even warnings to protect us and give us security during our time here in the world. Any guesses as to what God – in His Word – has chosen to warn us about the most? [Wait for answers.]

Money. The New Testament refers to money, wealth, poverty, and stewardship more than any other topic. Money is one of the foremost topics on God’s mind to wake us up to, warn us about, and protect us from. So, as a part of a society which often defines people according to how much money they have or don’t have, by our “earning potential”, and according to the quality and quantity of our material possessions, what does a healthy attitude towards money look like? How can we as God’s children and Christ’s people use money responsibly without worshiping it and giving it power over our lives?

I believe our Father reveals to us three ways, across His Word: 1) uuu Godly people regularly remind themselves that money can’t solve the ultimate problems of daily life here in the world, only God can; 2) uuu godly people actively seek to be content with God’s provision and the knowledge that true riches are stored up in Heaven not in any manner of mattress or account here on Earth; and, 3) uuu godly people look for opportunities to give obediently, generously, and regularly to proactively fight-off the idolatry of money, wealth, and possessions, and to open our lives to the abundance only openhandedness and liberality allows.

Let’s begin with #1 – uuu Godly people regularly remind themselves that money can’t solve the ultimate problems of daily life here in the world, only God can. Open your Bibles to Matthew 5:1… I’m going to be reading from The Message translation of the Bible, so it may be different from whatever translation you may have open in front of you but please follow along. I’ve chosen The Message because it’s so fresh and different, but I want you to be comparing it to the more-traditional language you may have in front of you…

Matthew 5:1-12

5 ^1-2 When Jesus saw His ministry drawing huge crowds, He climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to Him, the committed, climbed with Him. Arriving at a quiet place, He sat down and taught His climbing companions. This is what He said:

³ “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule.

⁴ “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

⁵ “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

⁶ “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

⁷ “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

⁸ “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

⁹ “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

¹⁰ “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

^11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit Me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all Heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

Reflecting on this translation (and, again, please keep your eyes on your Bible translations as I go along): You are blessed when you’re at the end of your rope – when you can’t take any more; you’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you; you are blessed when you’re content with just who you are – no more, no less; you are blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God; you’re blessed when you care; you’re blessed when you get your inside world – your mind and heart – put right; you are blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight; you are blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution; and, you are blessed when people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you in order to discredit Jesus Christ…

But whether using the more traditional wording or this Message translation, Jesus’ qualifications for blessedness all have to do with being empty and weak and having to depend on and grow in our Father’s love because there’s no other help that can help. And when I look at these characteristics – spiritually empty, brokenhearted, content, zealous, compassionate, pure, harmonious, ill-treated – for everything else you might be able to use Mastercard, but not for any of these things. Only God can satisfy.

#2 – uuu Godly people actively seek to be content with God’s provision and the knowledge that true riches are stored up in Heaven not in any manner of mattress or account here on Earth.

Turn to Luke 12:22…

Luke 12:22-34

²² Then, turning to His disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. ²⁴ Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than any birds! ²⁵ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? ²⁶ And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

²⁷ “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. ²⁸ And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

²⁹ “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. ³⁰ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. ³¹ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need.

³² “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

³³ “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in Heaven! And the purses of Heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. ³⁴ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

What do you dream about? What are you saving up for? What are you willing to make sacrifices in order to achieve? What do you need to be happy? These are the kinds of questions that show us the desires of our hearts. And the desires of our hearts reflect what we truly treasure; what we believe will truly save us…

With #3 in mind – uuu Godly people look for opportunities to give obediently, generously, and regularly to proactively fight-off the idolatry of money, wealth, and possessions, and to open our lives to the abundance only openhandedness and liberality allows – these words of Jesus charge us, command us, “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in Heaven! And the purses of Heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Our Father has given us the tithe – calling us to give 10% of our income towards the strengthening and expansion of His Church here in the world – as a gift to us, to help us fight greed and the lure of selfishness and worldly-mindedness. But many of us could, and perhaps ought to, double-tithe – give away 20%. Some of us need to triple-tithe – give away 30% or even more – to fight the decay of our hearts and our faith, to stop our steady decline down the slippery-slope of our dependence and treasuring of money…

Preaching about money, I know, can make many people feel suspicious and uncomfortable: Maybe I’ve said some things that have hit a little too close to home (I know I’m feeling that way towards some of this stuff, even as I’m preaching it!); or maybe you’re thinking, “You’ve just said all this because you want my money.” And, of course, both of these reasons are exactly why our Father is so concerned about us and money: Because it can divide us, it can make us suspicious of each other’s motives, it can tempt us to treat each other unequally, and even move us to curse each other in our hearts out of jealousy on the one hand or contempt on the other. But He would save us from these things.

He would save us!

Life Together Can Be Sticky

Philippians 4:1-8

I don’t know if you’ve noticed this but life together can sometimes be sticky.  Parents have problems with their children, children have problems with their parents; we have problems with siblings, with relatives, with co-workers and so on.  The problem is that we don’t always see things the same way, or do things the same way.  I don’t know any relationship that shows this better than marriage.  As often is the case in a marriage, the bride and groom come from very different families.  Take this couple for example:

That’s Jeff and I as newlyweds in 1978 and we did come from two very different families!  My family was the warm and fuzzy kind of close.  Jeff’s family not so much!  We came from two very different backgrounds.  And the holiday where this showed up the most was Christmas.  Christmas was my mother’s favorite time of year, so it was always special in our home.  Christmas was not always the best time of year for Jeff and his family, so you can imagine that our first Christmas together was great!  NOT!  In fact, it was close to a disaster.  But, we’re still married, so I guess we survived!  That first Christmas I carried on the traditions I had in my home.  I decorated a tree, bought Jeff a gift and stuffed a small stocking with some practical goodies like soap and socks.  Jeff came home from work on Christmas Eve, looked at the tree, looked at the gifts, looked at me and said, “You got me a gift?”  Now mind you, Jeff had bought me some very nice gifts while we were dating, so I assumed this would continue now that we were husband and wife!  “I’ll be right back,” he said heading out the door.

Now, guys, last minute gift shopping is not always a good idea (unless you know exactly what the other person wants)!  Those kind of gifts have a tendency to look like, well, just like you ran out to any store and pulled something off the shelf!  Jeff ended up giving me a small candle that sat on a plastic base which was definitely not my taste and I didn’t know how to tell him I didn’t like it!  I was miserable.  But, we managed to get through that first Christmas and we’re still married so I guess we survived!  Sometimes life together can be sticky!

Of course, we NEVER have any problems in getting along in the church.  We all get along, don’t we?  Why are you laughing?  Yes, we do have problems in the church, because just like marriage, sometimes life together can be sticky.

I was listening to a phone conversation between Jeff and a friend of ours recently.  Now before you think I was eaves dropping, let me tell you that Jeff likes to put the phone on speaker phone and in our small house that means I can hear the conversation too!  Jeff and Ulvid were commenting on this very subject- the divisions and fragments in the church due to disagreements and the different way denominations interpret the things of faith.  “It’s too bad we can’t return to the way the church was in Acts” Ulvid said.  And I found myself somewhat agreeing with his lament.  We all love that beautiful passage at the end of Acts Chapter 2 where Luke takes note that the believers gathered together, and made a tremendous impact in Jerusalem and beyond by sharing their resources and in the way that they got along with one another.  But something wasn’t sitting right.   Something in the back of my mind urged me to take a second look, so I picked up my Bible and began to read.  Acts chapter 3, things are still great.  Acts chapter 4, still good.  Acts chapter 5, smooth sailing.  Acts chapter 6, uh oh!  Problems!!  A problem arose with the widows who needed assistance.  Some widows were being served and some were not.  Do you know what the early church’s solution to this problem was?  They created the office of deacons.  The deacons then collected the funds and resources and distributed them evenly among those in need.

In fact the whole New Testament is full of letters written to churches that had problems!  Life together, even in the early church, was sticky!  BUT WAIT!!  Wait, Ann!  I remember one church that was OK- one church that Paul wrote to that didn’t have any problems.  They loved Paul, they loved each other, and Paul loved them- it was the Philippian church- they got it right!!  Well, if you were listening to the Scripture reading this morning, you know that even in Philippi, life together could get sticky.

The Philippian church is one of the few churches that we have a fairly complete history of in the Scriptures.  In Acts 16, Luke records Paul’s visit there in AD 49/50.  But Philippi was actually a long established city by then.  Paul would have come in to Philippi on this road- the Via Egnatia.

The Via Egnatia was part of the Roman Empire’s extensive road system (very much like our interstate highways).  It stretched from the east side of the Empire to the west.  Philippi was established by Philip the second of Macedonia in 356 BC.  And when Paul traveled there the Via Egnatia would have led him right in to the heart of the city- the Forum which was an open market, Wall Street and Town Hall all rolled in to one.

The pillars you see in the distance here, were not there when Paul came to Philippi.  They’re from the 6th century but the pillar in the foreground is from Paul’s day and I can picture him leaning up against that pillar, checking out the people and looking for fellow Jews.  Paul followed this evangelistic process every place he went- to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16), but Philippi was a Roman colony with all the rights and privileges therein.  So the Jewish population here was quite small.  That meant Paul had to look for them elsewhere and that meant only one place- the river.  Why the river?  Because Jewish worship always involved ritual cleansing and you need fresh water for that.

Paul did find a gathering by the riverside.  He preached and Lydia responded.  Paul also returned to the Forum and preached there as well and a slave girl was delivered, which, in the long run, landed Paul and Silas in this-

the Philippian Jail.  In spite of being flogged and beaten, Paul and Silas praise God (amazing!) and lo and behold, long story short, the jailer and his household also believe!  I like how Barclay described this fledgling church.  He called it “the whole gamut” society” what with a wealthy Jew, a poor slave girl and a middle-class jailer all making up the congregation.

Not only that, Philippi was also a retirement community for the military.  Soldiers in the New Testament were enlisted in the Roman Army.  They served for 20 years and were recruited from all parts of the Empire.   They were also assigned duty away from home.  The army was divided into legions.  Legions consisted of 6 cohorts and each cohort was divided into 60 centuries, making a legion 36,000 men strong.  Centurions oversaw each century.  They were intelligent, well paid, highly motivated men who typically served well beyond the required 20 year period.   When they retired to cities like Philippi, they became effective and influential leaders there.  Add them into the combination of people in the church at Philippi and you realize that it was made up with just as many different kinds of people with just as many different backgrounds as any church today.  And although the church at Philippi is noted for its ability to demonstrate Christian love, life in Philippi could still get sticky.

Euodia and Syntyche were members of the Philippian church and very active members from what we can see in these few passages directed to them.  Apparently there disagreement is between the two of them at the moment, but Paul is concerned that it could spread.  Their names add a sense of irony to the situation.  Euodia means prosperous journey or fragrance.  Syntyche means fortunate.   But their behavior is anything but fortunate or fragrant.  Euodia and Syntyche were not pew warmers.  Paul says that they “contended” with him for the Gospel.  This word has a powerful athletic tone to it, like a wrestler.  It reminds me of a football team.  Now, I am not an expert in football (nor do I want to be!), but I have learned this much about running plays.  In a running play, the quarterback hands the ball off to his “runner” who will push through the opposing team’s players in order to get a certain amount of yardage.  His teammates have the task of blocking the opposing team’s players who are intent on tackling the runner.  If the blockers don’t block, the ball won’t move forward.  If the quarterback drops the ball, the ball won’t move forward.  If the runner doesn’t run, the ball won’t move forward.  They each have an equal part in making the play.  No one is more important than the other.  Paul sees Euodia and Syntyche in this way.  Their participation in his ministry was just as important as Paul’s role in it.

We don’t see this in our English translations because translators are always trying to word things as smoothly and succinctly as possible in the English, but Paul actually addresses each of them separately.  I PLEAD with Euodia.  I PLEAD with Syntyche.  This shows that his words have urgency and importance.  He does not see their disagreement as a “female” thing.  He sees it as a CHURCH thing.  If they can’t work out their individual problems, the whole church will suffer for it.  He writes separate admonitions to them, because he sees them equally responsible to repair and reconcile their relationship.  Life for Euodia and Syntyche had become sticky.  But Paul believes they can overcome their differences and he encourages them to get busy and do it.

How do we work through issues when life becomes sticky?  I believe this passage has some valuable tools that we can use when we are faced with disagreements within the body of Christ.  I would like to highlight a few of them now.

The first tool can be found in verse 3.  Paul asks someone he calls his “true comrade” (NAS), or “teammate” (NLT) to assist Euodia and Syntyche as they work through this issue.  Sometimes we need someone to step in and work as a mediator.  A mediator often has a clearer perspective on things because they are not emotionally invested in whatever is causing the problem.  That perspective can bring two parties together when the people involved are willing to look at the issue in a new way.  That person must be a “true comrade”, that is someone who also has the same goal in mind or same view of life, that is a fellow believer.  That way everyone is on the same page with the same goal- to glorify Christ- in mind.

The second tool comes to us in verses 4 and 5.  First Paul encourages us to rejoice.  This is not something we would naturally do when things are not going well, but it makes a huge difference when we do.  Paul also encourages us to be forbearing (NAS) or considerate (NLT) in spirit.  Again, this is not easy to do.  Our natural tendency is to complain and tell anyone and everyone about our misery!  But what good does this do?  Oftentimes it only makes matters worse.  So, here is my paraphrase for these verses (the ALV- Ann LeFevre Version):  Refuse to complain!  Instead find things that give you joy and talk about them instead!

The third effective tool in dealing with sticky issues is prayer (verse 6).  Not a prayer that goes like this, “Dear Lord, please make so and so see it my way!”  No, we are to bring our needs to the Lord but with a willingness to let Him correct and reprove our perspective so that in the end we bring Him glory.

But I believe the greatest tool to dealing with issues that come up and become sticky is found in verse 8.  The key to working through sticky issues is found in the things we set our minds on.  Let’s look at some of these attributes.

We are set our minds on whatever is true.  This word means “real”- whatever is consistent with both fact and reality.  I might walk outside and say the sky is blue on a cloudy day.  It doesn’t look blue, but the fact is that if the clouds moved away, we’d see the blue sky.  That’s a fact and it’s consistent with reality.

We are to set our minds on admirable things.  These are things of “good repute”; they have a good reputation.  Perhaps there is a store you recommend to someone, or an auto mechanic who has earned your trust.  You do not hesitate to tell others about them because you know they will live up to their reputation.

We are to set our minds on things which are excellent.  These are things that have more than a monetary value.  They are valuable in intangible ways as well.  They are virtuous and have integrity.

And lastly we are to set our minds on things which are praise-worthy.  Simply they are worth being talked about because they are just THAT good.   Your favorite restaurant, an amazing athlete, a good book- things that inspire you that you know others will also benefit from if they come in contact with them.

I have long looked at this familiar passage from the vantage point of an artist.  I thought these adjectives described the beauty of Greek art which the Romans perfected.  The attributes of truth, purity, excellence, all these things were deified in art.  But after studying these words I realized I was all wrong!  These words are not about ART, they are about SOLDIERS!  The attributes of Philippians 4:8 epitomized the dedicated centurions of the Roman army, and retired army personnel were a dominant part of the Philippian society, and quite possibly the Philippian church too.

The Roman army was a fine example of unity.  Even though the soldiers came from all parts of the Empire, they were trained to function as one.  By assigning command to a smaller amount of leaders, who in turn oversaw manageable groups of infantry, the army was able to conquer formidable foes and keep peace within the realm.  Paul makes his point in a subtle way.  If the army could uphold honorable and desirable attributes like these, the church should do so even more.  If the Roman army could live by these standards and keep peace over a vast Empire, the church should do so even more.

How ridiculous then for Euodia and Syntyche to be arguing over some disagreement.  They had served as soldiers in the cause of the Gospel, and now the “harmonious two” could not live up to the names they bore.  Like their Roman counterparts, Euodia and Syntyche, as well as the rest of the Philippians, needed to set their minds on those things that were true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.  By doing so they would receive more than earthly peace, they would receive the peace of God.

But what does this mean to the people of First Presbyterian Church of Milford?  What does it mean to you?   To be honest with you, I don’t know what this message means to you.  I know this- in May, long before Pastor Ben asked me to speak to you this morning the thought came to me, “IF I ever get asked to speak again, I think I’ll speak on Euodia and Syntyche.”  I am not sure why I thought that!  Who really picks disagreeing women as a sermon subject? And when Ben did ask me, I tried my best to come up with a different passage!  But the Lord would not let this one go.  So here I am presenting this to you this morning.

I am reminded of the words of Christ in Matthew 5:21-24 where Jesus says that if you come to the altar to worship with an offering and remember that (ALV again) your life with someone else has become sticky, you must put the offering down and repair the relationship.  Why is this so important to us?  Why so critical?  I believe it is because of WHERE we are in this community- prominently poised on the corner of Broad Street and Ann Street.  AND because of what we are here to do in this community.  We are to be a light in a dark world, in a community that is in darkness.  If we cannot set our minds on whatever is right, whatever is true, and so on, we will NOT make an impact here and the Gospel will not be proclaimed.  All Christians contend together in the proclamation of the Gospel.  It’s important not to let disagreements cause division among us.  We are a team.  We work together to accomplish a goal.  God is saying something to you today.  What are you going to do about it?

Final Thoughts:

When the tribes of Israel gathered together in Jerusalem to worship at the Temple, they didn’t always come with the best of attitudes.  Sometimes life together in Jerusalem was sticky.  So King David wrote to them, “Hine ma tov, uma niyim chevet achim gam yachad!”  Sounds pretty cool in Hebrew, doesn’t it!?  “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”  (Psalm 133:1) David goes on to say that unity is like a fragrant oil that is poured out over Aaron’s head and it trickles down his beard on to his robes and the beautiful fragrance fills the whole room!

James wrote to believers who were spread throughout the Roman Empire, “What is the source of the quarrels and conflicts among you?” (James 4:1)  His answer was SELF.  But there is no joy in self.  There is no peace in self.  There is no unity in self.

To conquer self, the mind MUST be tuned into things that are outside of self.  Your mind must be set on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise.  Today is the day to change the sticky-ness of your life to that sweet smelling oil of unity.  Today is the day to let your mind dwell on these things.

So finally my brothers and sisters in Christ, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute;  If there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.  And may they be reflected in the way you relate to one another in Christ.

And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us, be within us, and be among us until the Lord Jesus returns to take us all home!  Amen.

September 2, 2012

Reading & Sermon – “What Makes God Happy?”

We have several readings this morning. Our Psalter selection this morning is Psalm 149, verses 1 through 5:

¹ Praise the Lord

Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.

² Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
³ Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to him with timbrel and harp.
⁴ For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.
⁵ Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor
and sing for joy on their beds.

We continue with an Old Testament reading – Jeremiah 9: 23-24:

²³ This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
²⁴ but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

And finally, our New Testament Lesson, Hebrews 13: 15-21:

¹⁵ Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. ¹⁶ And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

¹⁷ Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

¹⁸ Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. ¹⁹ I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.

²⁰ Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I’m going to share a little secret with you…not a big secret, so don’t get your hopes up…just a little something I’m sure you don’t know about me. (Pick up the Styrofoam cooler and take a container out.) I really love mint chocolate chip ice cream. (take taste) Now some of you might be saying to yourselves, “How can he even think about eating ice cream in the morning?” To that I just reply, “Somewhere in the world, it’s time for an ice cream social, so I’m just being sociable!” Speaking of which, would anyone like a taste? I have plenty of spoons…(Encourage as needed, then put container away.) By the way, I have also been known to enjoy cold pizza for breakfast, but that’s another story.

Why do I like mint chocolate chip ice cream so much? I don’t really know…my mother is partial to coffee ice cream, so that’s not it. By the way, it has to be the premium stuff…the ice milk or “light ice cream” just won’t work for me. Is it the cool minty creaminess and the way it feels in your mouth? Maybe. I just know that it makes me happy.

Of course, there are a lot of things that make me happy:

• You probably know that I like computers and other high tech gadgets…why right now I am installing a new server at home that will hold over 20 terabytes of storage. If you don’t know what that is, forget it, it’s not important.
• And you know I like theatre, performing in plays and musicals. Just last week I was in “Murder Among Friends” up at Forestburgh that starred Loretta Swit from the TV show MASH. And in two weeks I open in the musical “The Drowsy Chaperone” over in Monroe. Oh, and not to mention I have a meeting today to discuss the set I’m building for the fall junior high musical at DV, “A Year With Frog and Toad.”

No I do not seem to get a lot of sleep…but I put myself through all that because it makes me happy. When you are doing what makes you happy, you get energized in a way that coffee and tea just can’t touch. But enough about me, I want to hear from you what makes you happy? If you would like to share, just raise your hand.

(Get several examples from the congregation.)

You know, it’s funny…it’s a lot easier to describe what makes us happy than to define just what happiness is. Pastor Ben might say it’s sitting around the lake cabin up north, surrounded by friends. Many Americans might describe it as a three day Labor Day weekend, meant for cookouts and kids games. But Webster’s Dictionary defines “happy” as:

1. favored by luck or fortune, as in a happy coincidence.

2. notably fitting, effective, or well adapted, as in a happy choice.

3. enjoying or characterized by well-being and contentment, as in she is the happiest person I know.

4. glad or pleased, as in I’m happy to meet you.

5. having or marked by an atmosphere of good fellowship, as in a happy office…or church.

I actually think the Urban Dictionary gives the best definition: A feeling of contentment and peace, like you don’t need anything else.

Under that definition, I would like to think that is the reason we are all here in church this morning…for a feeling of contentment and peace, like you don’t need anything else. To sum it up in a bumper sticker, “Church-goers are happier.”

And it is good for you too…I mean physically. For example:

• In 2006, the American Society of Hypertension established that church-goers have lower blood pressure than the non-faithful.
• Likewise, in 2004, scholars at the University of California, Los Angeles, suggested that college students involved in religious activities are more likely to have better mental and emotional health than those who do not.
• Meanwhile, in 2006, population researchers at the University of Texas discovered that the more often you go to church, the longer you live. As they put it: ‘Religious attendance is associated with adult mortality in a graded fashion: there is a seven-year difference in life expectancy between those who never attend church and those who attend weekly.’
• Exactly the same outcome was recently reported in the American Journal of Public Health, which studied nearly 2,000 older Californians for five years. Those who attended religious services were 36 per cent less likely to die during this half-decade than those who didn’t. Even those who attended a place of worship irregularly — implying a less than ardent faith — did better than those who never attended.

So, we are happier and healthier when we go to church…when we are in a relationship with God. Is our happiness…and His happiness…important to God? What makes God happy? Can the Almighty even be happy, as we know it?

Let’s start by looking back at our readings for this morning. We read in Psalm 149:4, “For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.” Nothing cold and impersonal and unapproachable in that statement. He takes delight in us, in our relationship with him…can it be that we can be what makes God happy?

Let’s look at the reading from Jeremiah now, chapter 9, verse 24, “I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.” There is that delightful word delight again. So much more expressive than God is pleased. But this time he delights in things that he is doing.
And finally, there is Hebrews 13:16, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Other translations change that last word to “happy”…God is happy when we do good to others. So what makes God happy is our relationship with him, what he does for us and what we do for others. Just think of it as three “happy bullet points” or what I am going to call “vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.”

Let’s start with vanilla, our relationship with God. There is nothing “plain ol’ vanilla” about God’s special relationship with his people, but it is vanilla in the sense that it is offered to everyone, even if not everyone accepts the offer.

The basis of this relationship is simple: God wants to bring His children joy and in the process we can bring God joy too. This is not a business relationship here: the party of the first part agrees to worship God and believe in Jesus and in return gets one gallon of salvation…no. Because we are saved by grace through faith, we have no desire to bribe or manipulate God; He is already predisposed to us. We can therefore please Him freely without self-interest: We are not His client…this is very personal. In the case of God, we are His guests; there is no charge; we are freely forgiven, so we can freely please Him

It is faith that makes this relationship work. Without faith it is impossible to please Him: those that come to God must believe in him. He rewards those that diligently seek him. Faith reflects our attitude toward God. Is God’s integrity something we value to the point that we trust His Word? Or is He fickle and undependable?

If someone does not believe me, it could be because they think I am a liar or I am wrong. But, since God makes no mistakes, if we do not believe God we make Him out to be a liar; there are no other options. So faith affirms God’s character, disbelief insults His integrity. So, if we want to be right with God, we must believe.

Also, we must remember that God takes no pleasure in the wicked. He wants the sinner to repent. Fortunately, God loves to forgive. Nothing makes Him happier. In fact, all of heaven throws a party and celebrates every time someone is forgiven. Jesus shared several parables that show off His excitement about forgiving those who are in trouble. In fact, His parable on the lost son takes forgiveness to new heights.

This is pretty easy to understand. If you are a parent you probably take great joy and delight in your children. Is it any wonder that God feels the same way about his children?

Now let’s turn to chocolate, God exercising kindness, justice, and righteousness in the world. And for this section, I’m going to let you in on a little sermon writer’s secret. You can go to websites on the internet and read other people’s sermons for inspiration on a topic. That’s why they posted them in the first place. They don’t expect you to pay a fee or anything. And every once in a while a sermon you are reading will explain just what you hoped to explain. So I am going to borrow some words from George Toews that I found on Sermons.Logos.com, in which he talks about this passage from Jeremiah.

Loving Kindness

God delights in loving kindness. The Hebrew word used here is a well known word used almost 300 times in the Old Testament. It is the word “hesed.” Some of you may have heard of the House of Hesed in Winnipeg which is a mission whose purpose is “to provide a home for persons living with HIV/AIDS, sharing mercy, hope, dignity, and peace. Consistent with the Christian perspective of caring for those in need…” They have chosen the name House of Hesed because of their mission to share mercy and care for those in need.

God loves to show mercy, to be compassionate. God has told us this so many times. I John 4:8b says, “God is love.” But God has not only told us this, He has also demonstrated it. I John 4:9 goes on to say, “This is how God showed his love among us…”

The foundational reality of life for the children of Israel was their deliverance out of Egypt. They were a slave nation in the midst of the people of Egypt. They cried out to God for help and He sent Moses to deliver them. It is practically unfathomable that one slave nation should be entirely removed from the midst of a master nation. When he brought them out he delivered them through the Red Sea, he guided and provided for them through the wilderness. He brought them to Sinai to enter into a covenant relationship with them and he brought them into the promised land. All the way along, they were rebellious and disobedient, but God continued to work with them. In this entire story we see how much God loves to show compassion.

The foundational reality of life for Christians is the deliverance from sin which God has brought through the death of Jesus Christ. Every person on earth is steeped in sin and bound through sin to death. God sent His son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. He did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all. He has given us forgiveness of sin through faith in Christ, the hope of eternal life and the beginning of that eternal life in the presence of His Spirit with all who trust in Him. In this entire story we see how much God loves to show compassion.

Justice

God also delights in justice. The word for justice comes from a word which has to do with ruling or governing. In the “Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament” it says that this word refers to – “what is doubtless the most important idea for correct understanding of government.

Government includes three functions – legislative, executive and judicial. When there is justice, those who make the laws – the legislators – will not play favorites. They do not oppress one people in the nation and favor another. Those who carry out the programs of the land are fully aware of all people and give each what is fair. The judges know all justice and reflect it in their decisions.

If that is what justice means, what does it mean for the reign of God? Perhaps Psalm 146:7-9 expresses it well when it says, “He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.”

This is sometimes tough for us to fathom. How is God just when He allows a couple who have had difficulty conceiving to become pregnant but then that child miscarries? How is God just when 6 million Jews are killed in the holocaust? How is God just when evil men who earn millions off the drug trade live in luxury and ease?

What it tells us is that God does not delight in these things. Abraham had a good understanding of that when he pleaded for Lot’s life when Sodom was about to be destroyed. In Genesis 18:25 we read, “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

The wonder of the justice of God is revealed in the story of salvation. If God is absolutely fair, it seems right that everyone who does wrong must be punished. Since that is everyone, the sentence of death on every human being is justice. But in His compassion God does not want everyone to die. How can God exercise the compassion which is at the core of His being and still be just? Romans 3:25, 26 tells us, “God presented Him (Jesus) as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” God delights in justice!!

Righteousness

The third thing we learn is that God delights in righteousness. What is the difference between justice and righteousness? Justice could be described as fairness, whereas righteousness could be described as goodness. One definition is that righteousness is that which is “ethically right.” God is consistent with the standard of holiness which identifies Him as God. In contemporary terms we might say “it’s all good!” God delights in righteousness, in what is good.

This is God! Loving kindness, justice and righteousness make Him happy. God not only delights in these things, but does them!

God not only delighted in loving kindness, justice and righteousness. He delights in them now. God has not changed. This is what God is like.

And finally that brings us to strawberry. We do good and share with others and that makes God happy. I sometimes think that this imperative gets lost in our focus on praising God and improving ourselves. It makes perfect sense…we saw under chocolate that our God is a God of action, more of a verb than a noun. We are created in His image and He wants us to be a bit more like him. The reading calls this a sacrifice, as if it were a burnt offering or something. Well, maybe it is…we are offering a bit of our own selfishness when we share with others. And God is really tough on us, since he expects us to be happy doing it.

And here is a little bit of an attitude check: we should not be boasting about all the good that we are doing, since it is not our plan to do so…it is God’s plan. God is working through us to achieve His plan and that makes Him happy. Our actions help validate and honor the death of Christ. That is, it affirms the reason that Jesus suffered and shows that His death was effective in its purpose. That affirmation makes God happy. Finally, when you do good and share your life, you display God’s trustworthiness. You trust God over your own selfishness. It can be a leap of faith and that makes God smile.

If you are like me, this is about sharing more than money…it is about sharing your time and talents as well. If you put five dollars in the Salvation Army kettle at Christmas, God has a slight smile. But if you are the one out there ringing the little bell, I bet God positively grins.

This is not only an individual action item, it should also be a goal that we are working toward as a church body as well. Now that we have succeeded in joining the EPC, maybe some of the focus that required can be re-channeled into outreach and good works toward others. Remember, we are not saved by our good works, but God has put it on our  to do list.

So there you have it, vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry make God happy. Sort of a Neapolitan sermon today. Actually, I wanted to talk about happy and God in the same sermon topic today because I am frankly a little worn out by all the discord in the larger world outside.  We still have two months to go of divisive political campaigns, endless attack ads, and enough debating and spinning to turn our world upside down, just like a lot of mortgages. We are constantly on alert for hurricanes, flooding, droughts, and the disaster of the day. And you know they still haven’t fixed Route 209 from last year’s disaster. The wider world presents us with civil war in Syria, economic peril in Europe, and our soldiers in harm’s way from people we are helping. We all need all the happiness we can get.

I know we were all taught believe that we are “…endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” I just thought it might be useful to focus on the Creator’s happiness for a few minutes this morning.

You know, I worked on a musical a few years ago called, “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” based on the Peanuts characters created by Charles Shultz. The last song in the show is called “Happiness” and is sung around a campfire. This is how it ends:

(sing)

HAPPINESS IS MORNING AND EVENING,
DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME TOO.
FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL
THAT’S LOVED BY YOU.

That sort of describes what makes God happy and how we can be happy in a relationship with Him, doesn’t it?

Psalm 8 [NLTse]

Last week we talked about some of our Father in Heaven’s promises to us when we pray and what His Word tells us we should pray for. This week I believe the Lord would have us focus on why He asks us to pray.

Last week we acknowledged some of the questions Christians can have when it comes to prayer, like: Does it really matter if we pray, isn’t God just going to do what He wants to anyway? And if our praying does matter, why does it sometimes take so long for our prayers to be answered?

Open, if you would, to Psalm 8 that we just read this morning… Look with me at vv. 6-8, “You gave them [that is, us, human beings] charge of everything You made, putting all things under their authority—the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.” God gave us – men and women, boys and girls – charge of everything He made, putting all things under our authority…

With that in mind, let’s turn to Genesis 1:26… Whether you believe God made the world in six literal days or whether you believe the opening chapters of Genesis poetically portray the foundational principles of creation, one of those foundational principles the Lord God inaugurated on Day Six was setting humankind to “rule” – to be God’s manager, His governor – over the Earth and its inhabitants. (I’m reading v. 28:) Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Psalm 115 speaks of this in a slightly different way. Let’s turn there together… Psalm 115:16 says, “The Heavens belong to the Lord, but He has given the Earth to all humanity.” That’s our New Living Translation, the Bible we read from and have in our pews here, but The Message version of the Bible adds an important Hebrew nuance when it says, “The Heaven of heavens is for God, but He put us in charge of the Earth.” So the Lord didn’t give away possession of the Earth to us, as we might get from our New Living Translation. (And this is confirmed for us elsewhere in the Bible. Turn to Psalm 24:1… It says, “The Earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him.”) So the Lord didn’t give us possession of the Earth, but He did put us in charge of things around here.

Therein lies the reason for prayer: Human beings are God’s ambassadors – His managers, His governors – here on the Earth. He tells us what He wants us to do here, and then when we’ve understood His will we ask Him to bring it about, even as we join Him in doing our part to bring it about with Him.

Not only is that what the Bible tells us, but – at least in my reasoning (and the reasoning of many others across the centuries) – that is the only process that makes sense of the biblical record: Why the Bible can show God’s desire to judge Sodom and Gomorrah, while also showing Him waiting for His believing people to pray asking Him to judge those cities before sending His angels to bring His judgment; why the Bible shows us that, although the LORD desired for Israel to be free from their bondage in Egypt that, it was only after believing Israel began praying to be delivered that the Lord called Moses forth to be His agent of deliverance.

A little confusing, perhaps. But that’s the pattern we see again and again throughout the prophets, and as the Lord Jesus prays, and across the Book of Acts: 1) The Lord reveals Himself and His will for the Earth and for the people of the Earth to His believing people, 2) but He does not act until His believing people ask Him for His revealed will to be done here on the Earth.

God has not and will not go back on His Word: This Earth is ours to rule, and He will not impose His will upon a person or a situation without first being invited and asked to do so!

It’s similar to my interactions with my kids when they are in their rooms: Their rooms are mine, I own the house (Amy and I do) and I can do with their rooms whatsoever I please. However, out of love and respect for my children, and because we have set those rooms apart for them, I choose to knock and ask their permission to enter their rooms every single time I enter their rooms when they are there in them.

That’s the picture, I think, the Bible gives us, and I believe it is the only explanation as to why God asks us to pray when He already knows what He wants to do and already knows what’s best for us and already knows our needs even before we ask Him to supply them: He asks us to pray because He wants our permission to save us and care for us and heal us and provide for us and impose His will (when we’ve asked that His will be done) on our lives and in the situations and circumstances of the world around us.

And so that’s the Bible’s answer to last week’s question: Does it really matter if we pray, isn’t God just going to do what He wants to anyway? Yes, but He wants our permission to act here on the Earth before acting.

That being answered, what about our next question: If our praying does matter, why does it sometimes take so long for my prayers to be answered? Well, as we’ve seen, God set Mankind to “rule” – to be His manager and governor – over the Earth and its inhabitants, but…

So complete and final was Adam and Eve’s (and through Adam and Eve, all humanities’) authority over the Earth that, just as God had given it to Adam and Eve to rule, Adam and Eve also had the authority and ability to give it to another.

It’s like our Pulpit here: You have hired me to be your pastor, so according to the Holy Spirit you have given me the authority to minister the Word of God to you week after week. Now, our church’s Constitution defines the terms of that authority as being so complete that I alone get to decide who’s going to preach and to even have others preach, if and when I so choose. (The Elders can make recommendations and any of you can ask for your favorites to fill in, but the authority you have given me over the Word of God here during Worship is such that I can even give it to another if and when I choose.)

So when Adam and Eve shifted their allegiance from obeying the Lord to begin obeying that serpent Satan (and in Adam and Eve, all humanity after them) – in that sinful shifting of loyalties – Adam and Eve suddenly took Satan as their master: And the dominion the Lord God had given them they, in turn, gave to the Devil, Satan! Turn to Luke 4:6… This is why, while tempting the Lord Jesus with all the kingdoms of the Earth, the Devil could say, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.”

What was intended by God to be a peaceable dominion across the face of the Earth as Adam and Eve and all humanity continued in trusting communion with God – learning His will for the Creation and asking Him and working with Him to bring it about – had fallen and has become Satan’s dominion, so that even the Lord Jesus would call Satan “the ruler of this world”. (Look at John 12:31 with me… Jesus says, “The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.” And John 14:30… Jesus says, “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches…” And 16:11… Jesus saying, “Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.”)

Why does it sometimes take so long for our prayers to be answered? Because Almighty God has unequivocally granted Adam and Eve dominion over the Earth. And that dominion was so complete that Adam and Eve could give it away to another, which they did, giving Satan dominion over the Earth and its inhabitants in their place. So even though Satan’s dominion over believing Christians has been broken and – in Christ – our dominion re-established, Satan has real authority around here, too.

We need to be persistent, we need to fight and push and do (what can sometimes be) the hard work of prayer because there are powers out there opposing us. The famous passage from Daniel 10:12 exemplifies this… Then [God’s messenger] said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in Heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”

Daniel prayed fervently, persistently for weeks and nothing seemed to be happening. But the messenger reveals that Daniel’s prayer had been heard the very first day Daniel began to pray. The delay in God’s response was simply some demonic powers that tried to get in the way.

Anglican priest John Wesley once said, “God does nothing on the Earth save in answer to believing prayer.” Building on Wesley’s comment, Methodist pastor E. M. Bounds wrote: “God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil… The prayers of God’s saints are the capital stock of Heaven by which God carries on His great work upon Earth. God conditions the very life and prosperity of His cause on prayer.”

God our Father is counting on us, and what a privilege it is: Let us pray!

According to Luke 11:1-13 [NLTse]

Would anybody here like to experience a greater closeness to God? I know this can be kind of a sticky-wicket kind of question to ask because our feelings and experiences can be so subjective: What makes me feel close to God might not make you feel close to God. And then, of course, there’s always the temptation (when seeking after certain feelings or experiences) to begin to get hooked on the high or emotionalism that good feelings and thrilling experiences can leave us with and come to a place where the high and the thrill are more important to a person than God. Ultimately it’s not about our feelings anyway: The Lord Jesus promises that He is with us and even within us whether we feel it or experience the reality of it or not.

All that being said and acknowledged, does anybody here desire to feel or experience a greater closeness to God? … Are you willing to work for it? I’m not trying to offend anyone, I’m just asking because we’ve become such a “microwave” culture: Looking for instant gratification; expecting instant relief; demanding instant results. And getting to enjoy a sense of closeness with the Lord is less like microwaving and more like marinating…

If you want to grow closer to God I want to invite you to begin growing your time with God in prayer. Now perhaps you already have a strong prayer habit, and that’s wonderful! And history tells stories of great men and women of prayer who had focused, set-apart prayer times of two, three, four hours and more during special seasons of intercession! So we can always grow!

Many Christians struggle with prayer, I know. Perhaps you are one of them. I hear Christians sometimes wondering: Does it really matter if I pray, isn’t God just going to do what He wants to anyway? And if our praying does matter, why does it sometimes take so long for my prayers to be answered? Is there a difference between times when we should keep on praying until we get a response and times when we should just trust that the Lord has heard our prayers and thank Him ahead of time in faith? If everything that happens to us and our loved ones is allowed by God then does it matter if I pray for God’s protection for them? And the questions and the confusion can go on and on…

And there are answers to many of those questions and other questions like them. And perhaps the Lord will share them with us over time. But for now I’d simply like to take us through a little bit of a survey of what the Bible has to say about prayer that I hope will encourage us to make time to pray before we go to bed tonight, and tomorrow, and the day after that, and so on.

Father, inspire us; fill us Holy Spirit; help us, Lord Jesus. Amen?

Open your Bibles (or feel free to use the Bible in your pew) to Psalm 62:8… Verse 8 tells us that God is our refuge – our place of safety. Now, because God is our refuge, what does v. 8 tell us to do? trust in him at all times; pour out our hearts to him. uuu Because the Lord is our safe place He calls us to pour out our hearts to Him.

Turn to Hebrews 10:19-22… Let me read it for us: “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter Heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. This is the new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of His death for us. And since we have a great High Priest Who rules over God’s people, let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting Him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood making us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” Look at this passage; think about what this passage is saying: uuu How should we approach God when we come to pray?

o Fearful and cautious

o Confident and open

o Making sure we speak the right words

o Proud and complacent

confident and open. uuu We can fearlessly enter God’s presence on account of Christ, with true hearts, fully trusting in Him. uuu

Turn with me to Luke 11:9-10… What three things does Jesus tell us to do? uuu keep on asking; keep on seeking; keep on knocking. uuu And when we do, what does He promise will happen? when we keep on asking we will be given what we’ve been asking for; when we keep on seeking we will find what we’ve been looking for; when we keep on knocking what’s been closed to us will be opened. uuu

Let’s turn to Philippians 4:6-7… What does the Holy Spirit through Paul tell us not to do? don’t worry about anything. Instead, what are we told to do? pray about everything: tell god what we need and thank him for all he has done. What are we promised when we do this? we will experience god’s peace, and his peace will guard our hearts and our minds as we live in christ. uuu

Turn to John 14:13-14… The Lord Jesus tells us to pray in His name, why? because the work of the son brings glory to the father. uuu Trusting in what Buddha has done does not bring glory to the Father. Believing Mohammed’s teaching does not bring glory to the Father. Asking the help of some other god or power does not bring glory to the Father. Jesus is the only way to God. The more often we pray relying upon Jesus, and every time He gives us what we’ve asked Him for, those around us are more and more convinced that our Father is indeed God!

Over to Jeremiah 33… The prophet Jeremiah has been taken into custody by the King of Judah, and, in v. 3, the LORD speaks to him: “Ask Me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here.” Why does God want Jeremiah to pray? god wants to tell jeremiah “remarkable secrets” about what’s going on and what he is going to make happen. uuu God wants to let us in on His secrets! Sometimes when the Lord is calling us to pray it’s because He wants us to know what He’s about to do before He does it!

Lastly, let’s go to Ephesians 3:20… Concerning prayer, how does the Holy Spirit through Paul describe God here? able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. uuu

The experience of prayer is a very intimate one for most people: Trusting that Jesus is next to us as we walk and talk to Him; visualizing Him sitting across from us or next to us as we sit and pray; believing the voice in your head that just responded to your words was the Holy Spirit’s voice, it is all very profound and faith-building!

But, again, I know many struggle with what to pray for: We often ask God for such temporal (as opposed to eternal) and worldly (instead of godly) things which works to quench our sense of intimacy and closeness with the Lord. So, let’s finish up exploring a couple more Scripture.

Turn to Romans 10:1… What did Paul pray for the people of Israel? for them to be saved. uuu

Over to Matthew 9:37-38… What did Jesus tell the disciples to pray for? for the lord to send more workers out to bring people to christ and disciple them. uuu

Here are a couple that are all together: Start with Psalm 19:14… What request is being made? for our words and thoughts to be acceptable to god. uuu How about in Psalm 51:2… to free us from guilt and purify us from sin. uuu Down to 51:10… a clean heart and a loyal spirit. And lastly, Psalm 86:11… to teach us to live out his ways with purity of heart. uuu

I’ve included in today’s Bulletin an Insert listing many of the members and adherents here at First Presbyterian. (I’m sure it’s not complete, so if your name is not on it but you consider yourself a part of the church here, make a note about it later on when we sign the Red Books and we’ll make sure the church is praying for you, too.) Set aside special time each morning and each evening when no one will disturb you, or perhaps call or meet to pray with a friend if that enhances your sense of closeness and fellowship with Christ. Kneel, walk, sit, … It takes some work, but you want to grow closer to God!

He rewards those who sincerely seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Good morning family, good morning friends, good morning newcomers since I’ve been gone! I have been blessed to be part of this church for about ten years. Many of you have watched me grow from a 20 year old woman struggling with many things in life to an independent woman who is crazy enough to move across the world! Each and every one of you have had a part in my transformation from a victim in life to a victor in Christ! I’m so grateful for the time of training I had here at First Pres as a youth leader, worship leader and a lay leader in training. I enjoyed being part of this amazing family who takes care of one another and serves Jesus wholeheartedly. All of you helped to send me and our church team out to Russia the summers of 04’ and 05’ to take care of orphans, which in turn changed the direction of my life completely towards full-time missionary work in the Slavic regions. When I came back in 2005 I wanted to jump right in and move to Russia, but God in his wisdom knew best and had me wait another 7 years. He knew that he needed to send me over whole. I have been longing since then to go back to Russia, knowing that this was the place where God burdened my heart for the lost and the hurting, no matter what age they are or social status. Sometimes the wait to go back to where I call “home” has been painful, but I see so clearly now why God needed to take me through each trial, each joy, each season these past 7 years.

I moved to Missouri in 2006 to go to a Christian College that didn’t fully understand who Jesus was and the mission he had for us. But in spite of this, I learned a great deal about myself and about the Lord. Many of you know that I came back from Missouri very ill and it’s taken up until today for me to receive healing from most of it from the Lord. God’s grace and love in my life through the hardest circumstances increased my faith in who he was and who he is to all people. I started recovering and learning how to treat my body as God would want me to treat it. I then transferred to Nyack College in 2007 and received my Bachelor’s in Psychology in 2011, all with the purpose of having a skill for missions. God used my Psychology professor to mentor me, give me health advice and she encouraged me to be a powerful woman in God’s kingdom. Everywhere I went these past 5 years God put someone in my life to mentor me and to lead me into wholeness. God brought me through a complete change of mind and healing in my body. It has been a wonderful journey with the Lord and I can’t wait to see what He has in store in this next chapter in my life.
After graduating from Nyack last spring, I started praying about going to Ukraine. Ukraine has been a war ravaged country and needs to find her identity. Orphans need the love of the Father tangibly expressed to them in a saving fashion. Ukraine has a very high divorce rate, abortion is at an all -time high, and sex-trafficking is on the rise. Families need to know the restoring power of Jesus.
God led me to YWAM (Youth with a Mission) to complete a 6 month practical missionary training, or put simply Discipleship Training School. We will be partnering with existing ministries to serve orphans, relieve the burden of the homeless, lay hands on the sick and see God transform lives surrounding the capital city of Kyiv. After 3 months of class and ministry there, we will most likely travel to Moldova and Albania to bring Jesus love to people on the streets.
My life verse is from James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” I want to take this lifestyle to Ukraine with me in September.
I want to share a bit with you about why I feel that taking care of orphans, looking after widows, the sick and anyone in distress is a call from God to all people. But more importantly I want to share with you what God has put on my heart for all of you, because it is the backbone of everything in life.
What compels us to do anything in life? I think if we were all honest with ourselves is that we are motivated by being loved. SHOW OF HANDS I know that all of us have heard about God’s love for us. Some have had experiences with God’s love, given to us by others in word or deed. Scripture says that “We love because He first loved us” 1 Jn 4:19 Even though we “know” the love of the Father, have we experienced it? For instance, have we experienced it in a transforming, I have completely and utterly been undone fashion? Most of my life I knew that God loved me. I knew of his great compassion and great sacrifice for me on the cross. There is no greater love than someone who would lay down his life for his friends (Jn 15;13). I “knew” this and a few times I actually felt the tangible, manifest, here with us now kind of love come from the Father. This has been a journey for me because I grew up in a church that quenched the Spirit and also quenched a love encounter with the Risen Jesus. I was taught to shut my emotions off, that I had to know God’s word through and through (which I am grateful for), but feelings never were much in the picture. I’m not saying that feelings should be the most important thing, but God didn’t make us to shut it off! We are a whole being that He created to experience Him in every sense were were created with. Those of you who know me well, know that I’m an extremely cognitive person. I usually won’t trust anything until I’ve thought about something over and over in my mind, which in turn has to fit into a box of understanding. I’ll do this over and over until I find a solution. I guess this is what helped me to get my Psych degree!
I have had a great deal of sickness in my life which has sometimes left me feeling like God cares to heal others more than he wants to heal me. I would always hear God say to me ever so softly, “My grace is sufficient.” I was ok with this answer, because I trusted God’s words towards me that He indeed was good. I didn’t get angry with him, but I would ask him why everyone else was being healed and he told me to be patient. I started to learn that He wanted to receive the most glory and the most impact on others through my healing.
When I went to Nyack College, I started to learn how to receive more from others I didn’t know well. Most of the things I was receiving was words that God gave them to pray over me and I started to be able to receive the love of God. Each time the love encounter I had with God was deeper, but I still rejected much of what He said over me. Shame? Maybe. Guilt? maybe. Believing that everyone was more special and I had to suffer to receive blessing? Yes!
I was asked to be part of a new prayer training at my church this past winter. The focus of this prayer meeting was to learn how to hear the voice of God, to know His character more deeply, to speak truth over one another and to hear fresh revelation from God about the here and now as revealed through His word.
For most of my life I had a beggar mentality when it came to asking things of God for myself. I acted as though I had no authority in the Kingdom of God and that if I requested anything personal from him I was asking too much. My needs were always just too much, just like I was too much for others to handle. I was sometimes afraid of God’s presence because I wasn’t ready to receive His love. I loved to worship the Lord but don’t ask me to get emotional or overwhelmed by His love.
I had never felt God hug me before and I’ve begged Him for this for years. All the times I was in physical pain and enduring all medical problems I face, I would beg Him. This past March, I had my first overwhelming experience of God’s love for me. I was out of a job and had health problems that were getting me down. I sat down on my bed to have my quiet time with God and I cried out in desperation and asked him to hug me. For the first time I felt it! I don’t know why God chose this moment, but there were tears of Joy coming down my face. I remember asking Him, can I ask you to come any time? Do you really want to be that close to me? God said an overwhelming Yes!!!!! He said that He delighted in me and that I was his daughter. This revealing of His presence stayed with me for about an hour and I just basked in His love for me.
My second encounter with His presence was last Saturday. I went to the International House of Prayer conference, in NJ. The preacher was speaking of our intimacy with God and how much of a part of our lives that we allow God to be. (I will share this in person)
What is this good news that I want to share? God is completely ravished by you! When you experience this kind of love in a tangible way, what do you do with it? My pastor from Nyack said, “anytime God gives you a gift, in whatever form it comes in, God wants you to give it back. It will come back to you tenfold” ~Pastor Mike
In my degree program, we learned very profoundly that we can’t give what we don’t have. If I haven’t received God’s love for me, responded to him, and decided to give it away to others (in whatever form God reveals himself in), I don’t have anything of value to give away. The reality of that situation would be that my love that I am giving away is not filled with God’s spirit, and has no eternal value.
I recently found a couple quotes by Charles Spurgeon that I feel illustrates this idea fairly well. “As fire grows by the addition of fuel, so does our love to Christ
increase by renewed and enlarged discoveries of his love to us.”

“Where much of divine love is perceived by the soul, there will be
a return of affection in some degree proportionate to the measure
of the manifestation. As we pour water into a dry pump when we
desire to obtain more — so must we have the love of Christ imparted
to the heart before we shall feel any uprisings of delight in Him.”

Without a fresh revelation, a filling of God’s love in our lives we’re impoverished. We’re incapable of running the race with endurance. We’re inept to carry out the compassion, the depth and the height of God’s love for other people.
So why did I share all of this? It is because of this verse that I even have the power to serve Jesus: Ephesians 3:14-21 “ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named (we bear the name of God, my point), that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
This is why taking care of orphans, looking after widows, the sick and anyone in distress is a call from God to all people. Most of these groups of people in some form are stricken by some form of poverty, such as monetary, physical, relational, emotional, etc. Most of all they are in need of the love of Jesus. Can I share my heart with you about this?
First lets start with what is poverty? Poverty is a very loose term and everyone I speak to has a different definition. A simple definition of poverty would be expressed as:
The state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. Poverty is said to exist when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs. In this context, the identification of poor people first requires a determination of what constitutes basic needs. These may be defined as narrowly as “those necessary for survival” or as broadly as “those reflecting the prevailing standard of living in the community.” (poverty. (n.d.). © Encyclopedia Britannica)
Even more disheartening are the plight of the individuals whom the name is given “the poor.” Behind the label of “poor” is a face; a person or group of people deeply loved by God. In Genesis 1:27 (NIV), God says, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Since “mankind” is made the image of God there is no partiality in that statement. The poor are held in high esteem by their Creator. With the economic state in the world right now being so real to all of us, Let us move to one of the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures. Isaiah 61:1-3 so perfectly states God’s heart for the poor:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. (NIV) (Emphasis added) A similar passage is again spoken by Jesus is in Luke 4:18 in the New Testament. This verse is a strong statement concerning the poor. It was revolutionary statement in ancient times, it is equally revolutionary now, if not more so. This is not just a call from the Old and New Testament scriptures. This was Jesus’ calling on earth and he bestowed it to us by the Holy Spirit to carry on his work.
Who are the poor?
The poor have been portrayed many ways throughout the centuries. Strong’s concordance Greek word for “poor” is ptochos, and its transliterated meaning is:
reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms; destitute of wealth, influence, position, honour; lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches, helpless, powerless to accomplish an end, poor, needy, lacking in anything as respects their spirit, destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture…” (Strong & Kohlenberger III, 2001, # 4434).
The poor have always been vulnerable, as history pens. In New Testament times, the peasants, who were in the majority Jews tied to the land, were a prime example of the oppressed and abused. The Jews did not only have to pay taxes to Rome and Herod, but they had to pay tithes to the Temple (Friesen, 2005). Historians estimate that 25 to 30 percent of a peasant’s wages were given from their harvest to taxation. On top of this, the peasants had to pay enormous rent whenever asked, and without notice. Eviction was the outcome and indebted slavery to pay off their debts was their reality (Friesen, 2005). This kind of oppression was perpetuated in part because the peasants were considered as less worthy of being able to have a working wage.
What does the Bible say about the poor? : Jesus view in the New Testament
First of all, the scriptures speak about the specific word “Poor” at least 176 times. God must have been rather serious about the topic if the poor are mentioned so much, although one could never exhaust talking about each passage. Jesus is seen as the liberator of those who are in bondage. Romans 8:21(NIV) says, “…that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” Right before this verse Paul speaks of creation being in eager expectation for this hope of restoration.
Luke 1:52 states that, “He puts down the mighty from their thrones, and exalts the oppressed. He fills the hungry with good things, and the rich he sends away emptyhanded” (NIV). The “he” in this passage is Jesus; one could say that what Jesus was proclaiming is a moral and social and economic revolution (Linskens, 1976). In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus enters the Synagogue, opens up the scroll and proclaims that He is the one who will proclaim good news to the poor, proclaim freedom to prisoners, heal the blind, set the captive free and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. The “year of the Lord’s favor” was very clear to the audience he was speaking to because it referred to the “Year of Jubilee” from the Hebrew Scriptures; the Jews would have known this passage very well. In the Deuteronomic Legislation (code) of chapter 15, the author speaks of the cancellation of debts every seven years, which is called the Sabbatical Year; the Jubilee was commanded to be done every 49 years (Kinsler & Kinsler, 2005). In short, God’s command was from Isaiah 61, which was to proclaim liberation and liberty, referring to the laws of Exodus and Deuteronomy which instructs the Jews to proclaim “freedom for slaves, cancelation of debts, and the recovery of land” (Kinsler & Kinsler, 2005, p. 47). It is our job as the church to proclaim the year of Jubilee.
Peace in the New Testament
It is the “Church’s” role to bring about justice for the poor. John 20: 19-22 reads:
“So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again,” Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them,” Receive the Holy Spirit. (NIV, emphasis added). The meaning of the word “peace” alluded to complete wholeness or “Shalom.”
A similar word for ‘peace’ is used in this passage as the word shalom, right after Jesus’ ultimate demonstration and action of peace, the resurrection from the dead. This Greek word in Strong’s is called “Eirene,” (#1515) which is transliterated as: a state of national tranquility; exemption from the rage and havoc of war; peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord; security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous); of the Messiah’s peace; the way that leads to peace, or salvation (Strong & Kohlenberger III, 2001). Jesus goes even further in this meaning of Shalom, as He is the absolute embodiment of what was prophesied in the above passage of Isaiah 9. Jesus came to bring peace through His people (the disciples in context) to everyone they touch and minister to. Jesus has sent us, today, His church to be moved by the Holy Spirit to be his ‘bringers of harmony,’ his menders of the world (Dr. Assur, Lecture, Fall 2010). This tranquility includes justice for the poor and right relationships to be had by all.
James goes even further in this concept in chapter 3, verse 18: “Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (NKJV) The same word “Eirene,” is used in this passage for peace. It is very important for us to realize that the fruit of being in Jesus kingdom are just works which brings Shalom. Before this passage James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (NIV). Justice, flowing out of a love for God and a love for neighbor is what keeps us from being corrupted by the world.
The Kingdom of God
There are many parables in the New Testament that Jesus told. This story in Luke 6:20-26 was more like a sermon demonstrating who the people of the “Kingdom” look like: And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven…”
We are blessed when we take care of those who God loves, for those he died for.
Poverty in families
Poverty has a cyclical effect in families. As happens often in poor families, mothers who grew up in poor environments tend to pass all the negative influences that affected them on to their children; these parents did not have the necessary attention they needed, leaving the same hopelessness and negative view on life to their children (Stapleton, 2007). Secure attachments allow children to feel that everything is alright with the world and poor children most likely are not securely attached to their parents in the above situation (Stapleton, 2007). In Ukraine, we hope to reverse this pattern in families.
Everything that we have is God’s, including our monetary and physical possessions. So therefore, in Deuteronomy 15: 7-11, the law which does not bind us instructs us:
…rich Israelites are exhorted, do not be hardhearted or tight-fisted toward your needy brother” (v. 7) but “open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need of the poor” (v. 8). This is an exhortation or a legal admonition, which in general is typical of Deuteronomistic language” (Kinsler & Kinsler, 2005, p. 85).
Jesus even went to the extreme of asking his Disciples to share in his poverty, which He did willingly; He asked for them to give up all their material possessions to follow Him (Mulhern, 1973). What is interesting about this request is that most of the disciples were poor, yet God asked them to give all they had. We may conclude that God wanted all that may captivate their hearts, all their being to be offered up to Him and that He would always provide for all their needs. The role of the Church has not changed. We should give all we can to help those in need.
Scripture gets even more specific as to who we are to be as the Church. Isaiah 1:17 states, “Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow” (NKJV). The church is not to sit and watch the poor suffer while we enjoy our comfort. We are to stand up (advocate) for those being oppressed and fight for their freedom. The church has become lazy with our comfort especially in the United States, with the assumption that someone else or the government will help the poor. This is a stance of the Presbyterian church back in the 90‘s which should be a pattern for us: God’s unconditional love is the measure by which every person is to be valued. God’s special concern for the poor and powerless makes our attitude toward them and actions for them a test of our loyalty to God (De Vries, 1998, p. 223). We must rebuke those who are oppressing the poor and seek just laws so that this generation and the coming generations will not have to suffer. We are to plead for those who cannot help themselves like the widows, the orphan, the foreigner and all those who are in need of assistance. Doing justice is not an option given in scripture for God’s people; it is etched within us because God first loved us. It is time for the Church to rise up and do His work in the world. This is the Whole Gospel. This is the heartbeat of Heaven.

The question I want to ask ourselves is this. What has God put in your heart to bring the kingdom of God to your neighborhood? We don’t have to go overseas to bring the love of Christ to people. What talents, what giftings do you have that can be used for the Lord? Where is God’s love taking you? Can I share with you what I will be doing over in Ukraine?

1 Kings 18:16-39 [NLTse]

This contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal came to my mind while listening to reports about the controversy over the Chic-fil-A restaurant chain owner’s pro-Bible and pro-family position. As you may or may not know, the Chic-fil-A owner’s position is not new: Chic-fil-A’s founder, Truett Cathy established the restaurant chain on biblical principles, and has long been a proponent of traditional, biblical, family values as well as practicing and offering biblical hospitality to its communities.

I got thinking about Elijah’s challenge on Mount Carmel because Chic-fil-A is a significant corporation in our nation. And just as Elijah stood, not just against the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah in this confrontation, but against King Ahab and all of Israel’s gathered leaders and nobility, Chic-fil-A is standing, not just against the well-funded, media-wielding pro-gay lobby, but against the President, many state governors and other government leaders who – for moral, political, or personal reasons – are promoters and supporters of homosexual practice and gay marriage in our nation.

I got thinking about the Lord God versus Baal because our culture would convince us – if it could – that Chic-fil-A (and Bible-believing Christians, in general) are troublemakers in our communities: “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?” King Ahab greets Elijah.

And as we can perhaps imagine the pressure against Chic-fil-A as they seek to not waver in their proclamation and witness, I think all of us can commiserate with them on account of the pressures we can face, as well, in school and our work places, in our close relationships, and in and around our communities to not waver in our proclamation and witness.

Although we’ve read this morning about the prophet Elijah’s great victory against the prophets of Baal and Asherah, let’s not forget that within days of the event Elijah had fled Israel for his very life, (when Queen Jezebel heard what he had done she threatened to put him to death) and Elijah was hiding in the Sinai Desert feeling sorry for himself and asking God to kill him.

With that in mind I know there are days when we have our great victories of standing firm and being bold for Christ, and other days where our sinful nature seems to have the upper hand and where we want to simply run away and hide. But the Lord is calling us to exercise our faith, to use it and strengthen it and build it up.

Because we have been given great news to share! Humanities alienation from God has ended! Although human beings have cut ourselves off from God by choosing to trust ourselves and our own judgment of right and wrong and what’s best in a given situation, God has not let our rejection of Him and His Way of Life ruin His plans for life and everlasting life with us. Jesus Christ has broken the chains of sin that have bound all humanity. And this eternal security Christians have because Jesus has opened the gates of Heaven for us means that no earthly insecurity needs to ever hold us captive again! The unconditional love our heavenly Father has shown us in Christ means we no longer have to work and strive after the all-too-conditional love of those around us. God’s acceptance of us and adoption of us on account of our faith and trust in Jesus means we can truly live at peace, we don’t have to fight and wrestle to make our dreams happen or to have our will be done. No, in Christ we can rest in the knowledge that our Father is all-powerful and in charge of all existence and human history: No power in Heaven or on the Earth can separate us from His love; no power can hurt us or come against us without His first giving permission (and we know that He loves us); and no power ever again can convince us that we are no good or not good enough as the Holy Spirit pours His love and favor into our hearts!

Now that’s hope! That’s a reason to get up in the morning! That’s a reason to try again after messing up again! That’s a reason to forgive and be reconciled with those around us! And this is just a part of the great news we have been given to share with the world! And this is what the Lord is calling us and giving us His Holy Spirit to stand firm and share.

Elijah and Chic-fil-A show us that we need to be public about our Christian morality. Our Father is calling us to be clear that we believe and act the way we do because the Bible tells us so. And He wants us to be forthright that the reason we’re living our lives according to the Scriptures is because we died with Jesus on the cross and because we have begun living a new life through the Holy Spirit He has given us!

Are you reading your Bible everyday? The Lord has given us His Word so we can filling ourselves up with truth? Are you praying and asking the Lord to work through you and speak through you? God wants us to ask Him and call upon Him so we can be more-assured and confident that He is indeed working and speaking through us every time we act and speak?

I know we may never find ourselves standing up against the President of the United States or even more-local powers or officials, but each of us has those God is calling us to stand up for Him against, every day. And Christ is calling us the same way He was calling Elijah and has been calling Chic-fil-A: To speak up for Christ; to give witness to God’s goodness; to tell those around us what He’s done for us and how He’s transformed and is transforming us.

Like with Elijah, we’re not responsible to convince anyone. As you keep on reading you’ll see that the crowds cheered, worshiped, and slaughtered the Baal and Asherah prophets as Elijah had called them to, but the Bible tells us that their faith and fervor was short-lived. And though perhaps things will be different with this Chic-fil-A hullabaloo, history shows us that likely many of those who have begun filling up on chicken sandwiches these past couple of weeks will likely go back to “wavering between two opinions” once the uproar and drama dies down.

God wants all the world to know that He alone is the one, true God. He uses many different ways to reveal Himself and open the eyes and hearts of those who do not know Him. And one of those ways is showing Himself through people like you and me who have put their faith and trust in Him! We reveal Him as we obey His laws, as we reflect His ways in our thoughts and actions, and as we speak out and tell others what God has done – and is doing – in our lives. And when we’re not totally committed to loving and obeying God, not only do we suffer, but what God desires to accomplish through our testimony suffers, as well.

Is the hand of the Lord too short or not strong enough to save? Is an army of opposition – or any power – too great, too powerful for the Lord?

We’ve got the goodness and glory of the one and only God to proclaim. And the greatest news the world has ever heard to share! As we share the Lord’s Supper this morning, let us recommit ourselves – let’s devote ourselves – to Jesus Christ wholeheartedly and never be ashamed of Him or back down, so that our special acts as well as our everyday lives will show God to the world in such a way that those around us will recognize Him as a Savior, and as a Shepherd, and as the Light and Life of the world.

Isaiah 43:1-4; Isaiah 62:1-5; Jeremiah 2:1-3; Mark 12:28-31

The Lord our God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father, loves us with an everlasting love. (See Jeremiah 31:3) Like a husband is supposed to love his wife, like a father is supposed to love his children, the Lord God loves us fiercely and unconditionally. And He desires to be loved in return.

I bring all of this up today as I think about the twelve who were shockingly killed in Colorado this past week. Equally tragic, weeks earlier, was the news of a young man in his mid-40’s who’d always exercised and eaten right, but who died suddenly as he sat at his cubicle at work. Sudden, seemingly meaningless deaths, hit us human beings where it hurts.

Fox News Religion Correspondent Lauren Green hosted a program the other day asking “Where is God during tragedies?” because the Bible tells us that God is good, “God is light,” John writes, “and there is no darkness in Him at all.” (1 John 1:5) And when we human beings think of “goodness” and “light” we have trouble seeing where suffering and tragedy and death fit with that. So we can ask, “If God is truly all-powerful, and if He is truly good and filled-with-light, then why didn’t the Lord find some way to have authorities discover Mr. Holmes plan and stop him, or simply use His almighty power to keep Mr. Holmes car from starting that night? And we can doubt the Lord’s goodness and that He is truly “filled-with-light”, or we can doubt whether or not He is truly all-mighty…

Another response people can have to the uncertainty of random violence and insecurity is fear: Since we can’t control everything we control what we can. So we never go to the movies ever again; and we demand our doctors check us for everything and anything, everytime; and we lobby for more and more safety and security measures from government and businesses; etc… And parents live anxious and worried every moment their children are out of their sight; and children live anxious and worried every moment their parents are out of their sight.

I believe the Lord has another option for us: To be ready.

The all-too shocking, tragic events that seem to fill our newspapers and news shows hopefully remind us how precious life is, but they clearly show us that we do not have as much control over our lives and the world around us as we think we do (no matter how hard we may have worked to be in control). We are not promised to live even to see the end of this Worship Service, let alone the end of today or tomorrow or even five years from now. There are no guarantees.

However, the Bible tells us that God our Father is in control of all life. Singing to the Lord, Psalm 139 tells us: “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Verse 16) The good-Shepherd-of-our-souls knew the day of our birth and knew the day of our death before we were even a twinkle in our parents eyes; and before even they were a twinkle in their parents’ eyes! No evildoer, wasting disease, natural disaster, or random accident can shorten our lives or take human history out of the Sovereign God’s almighty hands.

And, as we’ve read and said, He loves us with an everlasting love and desires for us to love Him in return.

So what do I mean when I say we can “Be ready”? I mean that in the Bible God has sought to prepare us for the troubles and sadnesses that are a part of life in this world. For instance, the Lord Jesus said, “Here on Earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) And in another place He said, “You will always have the poor among you.” (Matthew 26:11; Mark 14:7; John 12:8) And in another place states, “You will hear of wars and threats of wars… There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world… You will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are My followers.” (Matthew 24:6, 7, 9) He’s let us know how very troubled and dark this sinful, fallen system of things has become.

But the Lord also comforts us in the midst of it all, promising that, just as our Lord Jesus has gone away into Heaven to intercede and provide for us, in the same way Jesus will one day return for us, take us out of the world, put an end to this sinful, fallen system of things, replace it with a new Heaven and a new Earth – a new Creation where there is no more mourning, nor crying, nor pain, nor death anymore – He will make all things new. (See Revelation 21:1-4)

The Lord Jesus tells us, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the Flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

“Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” (Matthew 24:37-44)

Which brings us back to being ready, and which brings us back to our God and Father loving us with an everlasting love, and desiring that we love Him in return, which is how He calls us to be ready, by loving Him in return as we wait for His return.

You see, I know that many of you believe in God – that He exists, is all-powerful, even, perhaps, that He is truly good and “filled with light”. But the Lord our God is calling us to more than mere belief, to more than mere acknowledgment of His existence. After all, the devil knows that God exists, and even fears Him. But the devil doesn’t love God, and God is calling us to love Him.

Do you love God? Like a bride is to love her groom, do you love God? Like a child loves and absolutely trusts their parents, do you love God? I think about the ways I love my wife and ask you, When you get ready in the morning, do you think of yourself as getting ready for your Beloved? Would your Beloved feel loved and considered by the modesty of your clothing? When you talk with your friends at work or at school or over the phone, would your Beloved feel loved and considered by the language you use and the subject matter you talk about? When you post onto Facebook, would your Beloved shine at the way your posts and page shows the world your love for Him? When you’re planning the day you’ve been given or the ways you are going to spend the money you have, would your Beloved feel loved and welcome to be a part of your activities what you buy?

When I think of the ways I respect and love my and Amy’s parents I realize that, although I might think they have more time to visit us than we have to visit them, I know that the Bible tells me to honor them if I want a good, long life here; it doesn’t command them to keep on honoring me. Likewise, although I’m always counting on God to be there for me when I want and need Him, I realize that He is God: I need to be there for Him; I need to set apart the time to be with Him, and to work to make it all about Him (especially since I’m so prone to always want to make it about me), and to honor and respect what He says when we meet.

Surprises are going to happen. Tragedies are going to occur. And, unless Jesus returns in our lifetimes, each of us is going to die, as are our parents and our spouses and our children and our other loved ones. Instead of doubting God’s goodness every time something bad happens around us that we don’t understand, and instead of living in anxiety and fear, trying to control every aspect of our lives in ways we were never meant to be in control, how about just being ready for trouble and trials and tragedy whenever it’s going to happen? How about simply returning God’s love?

The Lord our God loves us with an everlasting love, and He desires for us to love Him in return. Are you ready to actively begin pursuing a love-relationship with God and make Him your Beloved? Are you ready?

Leviticus, the Third Book of Moses, 4:27-35, 6:26-29 [NLTse]

In a few moments we are going to be celebrating the Lord’s Supper together. It’s a ritual we share at least once a month here at Milford Presbyterian, and oftentimes more.

Have you ever really thought about what you are doing when you eat and drink? Have you ever really thought about why you are eating and drinking at all?

When I eat the Lord’s Supper I believe that – somehow, someway – I’m in the heavenly Temple – that God showed Moses on Mt. Sinai, that we read about in the Revelation, that the Holy Spirit has made all of us Christians into together. I’m in the heavenly Temple participating in a sacrificial meal: I am eating the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world! Jesus is the Lamb I have chosen to offer for my own sins, and yet I am also, myself, a priest of the Most High God offering the sacrifice, and eating the flesh of the sacrifice just offered, and applying its life-blood to my life.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe we’re sacrificing the Lord Jesus over and over and over again (as the Roman Catholic Church used to teach and sometimes still does teach). No, here in the heavenly Temple, here outside of Time in eternity – by the Holy Spirit of God – every time we eat and drink I’m participating in the Lord Jesus’ once-and-for-all sacrifice. By the Holy Spirit I am a sinner confessing my own sins, as we’ve been commanded to do; by the Holy Spirit I am a priest of God eating the sin sacrifice, as we’ve been commanded to do; applying the blood, as we’ve been commanded to.

Just as we’ve read of those Israelites long ago being told to bring a goat or a lamb to the Temple and to confess their sins over it; just as we’ve read of those priests long ago being told how to offer and how to eat the sacrificial meal, I am both offering and sharing in Christ’s sacrificial meal.

I am showing God by my faith – my faith in eating and my faith in believing what the Lord has told me happens in the heavenlies when I eat – I am showing God that Jesus is the sacrifice I have picked, the Lamb I have picked to sacrifice. As I come to the Table I have put my hands on Jesus’ head and I have admitted my sins there. Not just that I’m a sinner, but I have admitted my specific sins while laying my hands on Him. And in His once-and-for-all sacrifice I am refreshing and renewing that Covenant of Grace the Father has offered me – has offered the world – in His Son.

Do I need to – do we need to – eat this bread and drink this cup to be forgiven? No, we’re saved according to the saving-faith His Holy Spirit’s given us. And yet Jesus does say, “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, do it in remembrance of Me.” So, in order to show Jesus our love for Him we do as He’s asked us. And since we celebrate the Lord’s Supper once a month here at Milford Presbyterian, every month I remember His sacrifice, and let – by faith and by the power of the Holy Spirit doing His work in the heavenly realms – I let this bread and this cup be my sin sacrifice.

And yet, the Lord’s Supper is more than just the “sacrifice for sin” meal. It is also the “Passover” meal: The Lamb we feast upon together here in God’s House (all of us together made into God’s House); and the Lamb’s blood that we apply to our souls by faith; believing that by eating His flesh and applying His blood that the Lord God will protect us from the death-Angel from the Bottomless Pit who’s been given authority to torment and destroy all those who’ve not put their trust in Christ. (You can read more about that in Exodus 12 and in the Trumpet Woes of the Revelation 8:6-9:21.)

We don’t believe the bread becomes the Lord Jesus’ flesh. No, it remains bread. And we don’t believe the cup ever contains His actual blood. No, it’s all the Holy Spirit’s work when we eat by faith and drink by faith: The Holy Spirit applies God’s forgiveness to our souls; the Holy Spirit applies to us God’s protection assuring us of everlasting life! (And, of course, when we don’t eat and drink by faith… well, I hope you enjoy the bread and the juice! J But, beware! You also drink God’s judgment upon yourself!

Even so, the Lord’s Supper is also our sacrifice of praise! The joyful feast of the people of God! The Letter To the Hebrews proclaims of us, “We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make His people holy by means of His Own blood. So let us go out to Him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace He bore. For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

“Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.” (13:10-16)

According To Matthew 5:17-48 [NLTse]

Message
As I’ve spoken of several times over the years, every summer my family vacations off the coast of Acadia National Park in northeastern Maine. One of the famous attractions around Acadia is a place called “Thunder Hole”. Thunder Hole is a small inlet, naturally carved out of the rocks, where the coastal waves come crashing in. At the end of the inlet is a small cavern just below the water’s surface. When the tide is right, air gets trapped in this little cavern every time the waves recede. And as each new wave comes breaking in a booming thunder-like sound rumbles as the air explodes out of the little cavern super-compressed by the crashing surf. Water may spout as high as 40 feet with a thunderous roar! And, of course, it’s called “Thunder Hole”.
When I was little (my family’s been vacationing there since before I was born) I remember visiting Thunder Hole. There was no fence around the ledge then: You could walk right up to the overhang and see into the little cavern. They put up the fence because Thunder Hole’s more dangerous than it looks. On sun shiny days, even when storms are hundreds of miles out to sea, their currents crash powerfully against Thunder Hole and can without warning break over the rocky ledge and slam you onto the rocks or suck you back into the sea and carry you away in its fierce rip tide. Even so, when you visit you can regularly see tourists climbing through the fence hoping to catch a glimpse of the cavern and watch the water erupt to spout and spray above them.
I share all this about Thunder Hole with you because of God’s Word to us this morning from the Sermon on the Mount. Elder Neil Frazer read to us the Lord Jesus’ words, “I have not come to abolish the Law… but to accomplish their purpose… I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”
So let’s start by reminding each other that the cross of Jesus Christ has not done away with the Law of God. The Lord Jesus has revealed to us that human beings don’t have to keep every small detail of the Law to be made right with God and to live with Him here on the Earth and, in the life to come, in the new Heaven and the new Earth. But Jesus clearly says to us today, “…unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”
Although it’s been popular to teach the impossibility of keeping all of God’s commandments, and how despairing the Jews must have been thinking they needed to keep the Law in order to be saved, the apostle Paul said the Law could be kept, and wrote to the Philippians that he himself had kept it: “5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old,” Paul wrote. “I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish Law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the Law without fault.” (3:5-6)
So though some teach that we Christians no longer need to keep God’s commands because the Lord Jesus has accomplished their purpose on the cross, here the Lord Jesus Himself tells us this is not so: If we ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, we will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But if we obey God’s laws and teach them we will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. And if the Pharisees were able to keep the Law in their own power, how much more ought we be able to keep it, and not just the letter of the Law but the very intention of the Law, as well, having God’s Holy Spirit dwelling inside and empowering our lives!
We don’t keep God’s Law so that He might love us, so that He might adopt us and make us new in this life. No, we keep God’s Law because the Lord Jesus has told us, “If you love Me, obey My commandments,” “those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me,” and “all who love Me will do what I say.” (14:15, 21, 23) We obey God’s commandments because God does love us, because God has adopted us and made us new. Because God has done all these things in bringing us to trust Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we obey God’s commandments because He tells us that’s the way we can show Him our love in return!
But, again, it’s not just keeping the Law – God’s commandments – “do not murder”, “do not covet”, and so on the Lord Jesus calls us to keep, it’s the intention of God’s Law, as well. So the Lord Jesus says, “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder’… But I say, if you are even angry with someone you… if you call someone an idiot… if you curse someone… you are in danger of the fires of Hell…
“You have heard the Law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife’… But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery…
“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows’… But I say, do not make any vows…
“You have heard the Law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye’… But I say, do not resist an evil person…
“You have heard the Law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies!”
Taking God’s commandments and expanding their application was not unique to the Lord Jesus, many of the rabbi’s of Jesus’ day did likewise. (The Lord simply did it with greater authority.) It’s a practice called “fencing the Law”. (And here’s where Thunder Hole comes back in.) Just as Park officials erected the fence to protect people from the dangers of Thunder Hole, the rabbi’s would “fence the Law”, that is, expand upon it and broaden its scope, in order to keep people from breaking it or even violating its intention that can sometimes happen when we get too close.
I told you about the tourists you can see climbing through the fence around Thunder Hole to get a closer look. Well, three of those tourists were swept out to sea one bright sunny day in 2009 because of a severe storm that was raging 300 miles away in the North Atlantic, and 20+ others were hospitalized for broken bones and other injuries after they were slammed against the rocks by just one, freak, pounding wave. That fence was for their good, but they thought they knew better.
Likewise, Christians get angry at those who’ve hurt them, call them names, and even tell horrible stories about them and yet often feel righteous in doing so because at least they didn’t murder them! Our economy thrives by nurturing covetousness, and we Christians often go along – coveting their hair, their car, their clothes, their wife, their husband, their girlfriend, their home, their vacation, on and on – (“lust” is the New Testament word for the Old Testament word “to covet”) and we’ve become convinced it’s okay as long as we aren’t stealing to get it, or committing adultery to get him or her, or lying or cheating to get what we want…
So the Lord Jesus, with God’s Own authority, is “fencing the Law” for us. He’s saying, “Adultery is death, so don’t even lust after someone who’s not yours. Stealing is death, so don’t even covet what’s not yours. Breaking your promises is death, so don’t even make any promises. Retribution leads to death, so don’t even resist those who would do you wrong…” and on and on.
Obeying God’s commandments to us are a big part of the ways God tells us we can show Him we love Him. And disobeying His commands to do what we want or to go along with the crowd in big and little ways nurtures death and suffering in our lives and the lives of those around us.
What ways are you tempted? Which of the commandments do you have the most trouble keeping? I believe the Lord Jesus is offering you and me the blessing today of “fencing these Laws” we struggle with. Do you have trouble saying “no” to your friends when they try to get you to do something you know is wrong? Fence the Law and stop even hanging around with those so-called friends! Do you have trouble not turning into that bar or liquor store parking lot when you drive by? Fence the Law and plan a different route for getting where you need to go that avoids having to drive by such places!
I don’t know each of your struggles, but you don’t need me to erect your “fences” for you anyway. The Lord’s given you His Holy Spirit! Ask Him to help you build a safety “fence” around those commandments you struggle with. You want to show Him your love for Him, and He wants you to show Him your love for Him. You don’t want to nurture death or darkness in the lives of those around you, nor does the Lord want you to be any part of such things. So you can trust the Lord will help you, if you ask planning to carry it out!
Let’s pray and ask Him…

Protect Your children from thinking we need to earn Your love and good gifts
Protect Your children from thinking we can earn Your love and good gifts by keeping Your commandments
Help us be assured and confident of all the good things You have accomplished for us on the cross and the good gifts You have given us in Your resurrection through the Holy Spirit
Teach us Your Law
Make clear to us those commandments we are vulnerable to disobeying
Grant us the wisdom and devotion to build the fences necessary to keep us from temptation and to keep us victoriously showing our love for You