YOU MUST GO
Jeremiah had a ministry that lasted over 40 years. He preached, he warned, he comforted, he prophesied - and he carried out his work faithfully to a largely unfaithful people. He spoke when no one wanted to hear him and he continued to repeat the words of the Lord even when he when the people tried to kill him because of it. Jeremiah was a dedicated servant of God in some very unspiritual times. But it didn’t come naturally for him. Jeremiah didn’t grow up knowing that he would be the one to serve as God’s prophet to the people nor did he think that his talents were even suited for that position. Jeremiah himself says to all of us at the beginning of his book: “The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’ ‘Ah, Sovereign LORD,’ I said, ‘I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.’” And Jeremiah probably was fairly young at the time. You don’t have a 40+ year ministry without starting relatively early in life. And because of his age Jeremiah wasn’t too thrilled to be chosen as God’s spokesman at first. There were so many more people that were older and more qualified than he was. And there were so many more people that were better speakers than he would ever be! Why would anyone ever listen to a young man like Jeremiah? How would he ever be able to come up with the words to convince their hearts? He didn’t know what to say! He didn’t know what to do!
But Jeremiah then records for us the Lord’s response, “The LORD said to me, ‘Do not say: I am only a child. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out this hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘Now, I have put my words in your mouth.’” God didn’t ask Jeremiah to be an eloquent speaker. He didn’t require him to come up with new and interesting ways to present the material or to concoct some captivating catch phrases to draw people in. The Lord simply wanted Jeremiah to repeat the clear words of God. That was it. Nothing more. Jeremiah was supposed to speak the words that God gave him to speak and Jeremiah had to go and do it. He had to. He had been given the Message of Life and there were so many people around him who were dying without it. He had to go; he was compelled to. As a Christian, as one who had been commissioned by God himself, he had to go to as many people as possible and invite them to hear about their sins and about their salvation. Their souls depended on it.
You have never audibly heard the Lord’s voice speaking to you as Jeremiah did, but the Lord speaks these same words to you through the pages of Scripture. You have never had the Lord physically touch your mouth and place his words on your tongue, but the Lord has certainly touched your heart with his gospel and placed his words in your hands. You have never been personally commissioned by the Father to be a prophet to his Israelite people, but you have been commissioned as a Christian to be his spokesman to the world. And so although you may not consider yourself of prophet caliber, you have really been asked to do exactly what the prophet Jeremiah did, just to a different set of faces in a different era of time. “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation” (Mark 16:15) Jesus tells you. And you must go. You cannot stay in. You must go because people around you are dying and their souls depend on the Message of Life you now hold.
And I know, I understand: you don’t want to go. Not always. Not every time. You don’t necessarily want to go and preach the Good News to all creation because it’s hard work and it takes time and it’s a little bit frightening. And I’m the same way. I don’t always want to go and share the Message and spread the Message and invite people to hear the Message. Because I’m not an eloquent speaker. I’m not a naturally gifted conversationalist who has a sharp wit and a golden tongue. I don’t have an outgoing personality that captivates entire groups of people. And so I try to use the same excuse as Jeremiah did: “Why would anyone ever want to listen to me? How am I supposed to come up with the words to convince their hearts? I don’t know what to say! I don’t know what to do! Why me? Why not someone else?” But the Lord answers me and he answers you in the same way he answered Jeremiah: “You must go.” “‘You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.” I must go. I must. I have no excuse and I have every reason. There are people in this town who do not know about their Savior and I have to tell them. And so do you.
I was at our annual Missionaries’ Conference this past week in Wichita, Kansas. And every time I go to a conference like that I hear about different ways to spread the gospel and different approaches to share the Word. And many of those ways - methods that are definitely worth trying - would mean that I would have to stick my neck out a little bit and open myself up to rejection or ridicule or failure. And that’s a little scary. It’s frightening. And this last week I also realized once again that there are so many more things that I could personally be doing to bring people into contact with the power of God’s Word - but things that would take a lot of time and quite a bit of concerted effort without any guarantee that any of my attempts would produce any visible results. But through God’s Word I was also reminded that I must go - I must go out with the gospel because there are thousands of people around me who do not know Christ - and I am letting them die. I am letting unbelievers die only so that they end up in hell when I hold in my hands the only Remedy. I hold it in my hands, but I hold it back. I hesitate to share and invite and encourage and express my faith for no legitimate reason at all. I must go, but I want to stay. I want to stay hiding in here where it’s a little safer and a little less hostile and a little less messy. I want to stay and keep this holy Medicine to myself instead of offering it to those who need it before they die. Don’t you? Don’t you like to stay in here among those who believe what you believe and think how you think and will end up where you will end up? Isn’t it easier to remain seated under the grace and glory of God instead of getting up and going about the ugly business of passing out God’s grace to those who don’t think they need it? Isn’t it natural to come up with excuses? Isn’t going out with the gospel something that is perpetually put off until tomorrow but never done today? Isn’t it more comfortable for you to sit and wait and see who walks through those doors instead of actually going out and bringing them back in?
We must go. We must go and invite people to hear about where Jesus went. We must go and bring people in to see the manger where Jesus was born, the temple in which Jesus answered questions at the age of 12, the river in which he was baptized, the desert in which he was tempted, the sea on which he walked, the countryside in which he preached, the houses in which he healed, and the hills on which he prayed. We must go and grab everyone we can so that they can see the garden in which Jesus was arrested, the courtyard in which he stood on trial, the palace in which he was condemned, the cross on which he died, and the tomb from which he rose. We must go and tell people that Jesus did all of these things for us, but that he also did all of these things for them. We must go and remind people that we are in the same position as they are: sinners to the core but saved by Christ’s blood, rotten and nasty and spiritually disgusting but also completely forgiven. We must go and show people their salvation. We must go.
How could we not? After everything the Lord has done for us, after everything the Lord has sacrificed for us, after everything the Lord has secured for us and promised to us, how could we not go and share this Message with the world? How could we sit by and watch as our own family members and own relatives and own co-workers and own neighbors come and go without the knowledge that their Savior has died on the cross for their sins? How could we keep an announcement like this to ourselves? As Christians we are not forced to invite others to hear the gospel, we are compelled to. We are not required to do so for the sake of our salvation, we are urged on because of our salvation, by our love for the Lord and our love for the souls of those around us so that they too will believe in the forgiveness we already have. We must go for the sake of the lost around us.
You can be sure that is why Jeremiah did what he did. He certainly didn’t repeat the words of God because it was the popular thing to do; people hated him for it! He certainly didn’t do it for the money; he didn’t get paid. And he didn’t do it because he could see the fruits of his labor; his ministry was a statistical failure. Jeremiah shared the Word of God with people because the Lord had shared the Word of God with him. And he knew what Jesus would do. He knew what Christ would accomplish. And Jeremiah wanted nothing more than to bring as many of his fellow Israelites to the true faith in their Savior as he could so that they would end up in heaven with him. Jeremiah worked hard at that goal for over 40 years. And even though his ministry was difficult and frustrating and seemingly unsuccessful, he never stopped carrying out the commission that the Lord gave him when he was still a young man: “‘You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah had to go - and he did.
We must go with him, as Christians and as a Christian congregation. Whether this remains a congregation of 50 people or grows to a group of 500, we can never be content with the number of souls in God’s flock. We must keep looking. We must keep striving. We must keep going out and bringing back in. It is essential to the souls that are still lost around us. It is crucial to the spreading of God’s kingdom. It is simply what Christians do. And if you need help doing this, I will help you. I will help you come up with as many ways as possible for you to approach a person in your life with an invitation or an encouragement or a confession. It is an urgent matter. Don’t assume that you will have a chance some other time. The time is now. The time is now for the Lord to work on the hearts of sinners to convince them that they are saved. And we have the incredible privilege and the inexpressible joy to go and find them. And so go. Go with God’s full support, his loving protection behind you, and his powerful Word at your disposal.
Amen.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” - Rom. 15:13
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
1/24/10 - Epiphany 3 - 1 Cor. 12:12-27
YOU ARE NEEDED
- You have something to offer
- You are part of something special
On July 6th, 1916, a drawing of a white-bearded man wearing a blue jacket, a red bow tie, and an American top hat was printed in a magazine called “Leslie’s Weekly.” The man had a stern look on his wrinkled face and he was pointing his finger right towards the viewer. This image became so popular that it was made into a poster and over 4 million of them were printed in the next two years as America became involved with the 1st World War. This poster became so well-known, in fact, that it is still familiar to most people today. You know it as the “Uncle Sam” poster with the big bold caption: “I want YOU!” at the bottom of it. It was a simple message, but an effective one. It targeted all those young Americans who were capable of serving in the army and it urgently called them to sign up. It was an effort to show each young man in this country that the United States government wanted him personally, that his skills were valuable, that he was needed. And, of course, the country did want every man they could get. A lot of lives were lost during that war and a lot of soldiers were needed.
People oftentimes say, “It’s good to be needed.” And it is. When you are needed you feel important, you feel as if you are part of something special. You know that you have a specific job to do and people are counting on you to get it done. That’s the mindset the army was trying to tap into with its Uncle Sam poster, that’s what any charitable organization tries to convey, and that’s what almost any group in this country expresses if they want you to join them: you are needed! You aren’t just a number; you aren’t just another body; it wouldn’t be the same without you; you are wanted; you are needed!
You are needed. You are needed by a very special group of people. Not by the government or a charitable organization or an exclusive club, but by us. You are needed by your fellow Christians who share your same faith. You are part of something special. And you have something to offer those of us around you. Because the Lord himself says so. Listen to the reason why you are needed according to God’s words in 1 Corinthians: “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
You are needed. You have something to offer to the body of Christ because God has given you specific talents and skills and blessings that are meant to work alongside of the talents and skills and blessings of others. We don’t have the same talents and skills and blessings, of course, but that’s exactly the point. Just as a puzzle cannot be constructed of puzzle pieces that are all of the same shape, just as a body could not function if it were all one body part, a Christian congregation cannot be composed of Christians with all the same gifts. We must take our different gifts and fit them together. We must work collectively, using our own special blessings from the Lord in conjunction with the blessings of others for the good of God’s kingdom.
Some of you may have the ability to stand up in front of the congregation and give a report or offer an encouragement or make an announcement; others of us do not. Some of you may have been given the gift of understanding Scripture well and then being able to apply it to your life and others; others of us do not. Some of you may have been blessed with a great amount of patience and love for those less fortunate than you; others of us aren’t moved to such a great degree as you are. Some of you have the skill to teach or lead or encourage or listen or give or serve; others of us have been blessed with different things that are just as important to the functioning of the body. But the whole body cannot be an ear. The whole body cannot be an eye. The whole body cannot be a pinky finger either, and it isn’t. Each member of the body of Christ has different but equally important roles to play. Each member of the body is needed.
And so don’t hold back what you have to offer. Don’t waste the talents and skills and blessings the Lord has given you to the detriment of your brothers and sisters. And don’t trick yourself into thinking that you have nothing to offer at all! “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” That includes you. And that includes everyone sitting in this room. God has supplied you with the abilities to contribute to the work of his kingdom with the Christians that are around you. And everyone here is counting on you to use the gifts you’ve been given to the best of your abilities.
It’s just so easy to be lazy, though. And it’s so easy to be selfish. There are tasks we can do and time we can take and things we can give to further the work that God has given us to do, but we regularly put it off and we frequently ignore the need. We don’t feel like pitching in right now or we don’t want to put in the effort that it’s going to take or we just assume that it’ll get done by somebody else. And our abilities and our time and our gifts are left in the closet on the top shelf gathering dust. Laziness is harmful to the body of Christ. Laziness is not loving. If the right foot decides to take some time off and expects that the left foot will pick up the slack, there’s going to be a few problems. The body might be able to limp along, but certainly not effectively or efficiently.
Of course, we also step on one another’s toes sometimes too. We as an ear try to do the work of an eye. Or we as an eye try to do the work of a nose. And we attempt to do the job of other members of the body because we don’t think they are doing it right. Sometimes we have difficulty realizing what our talents are (and what the talents of others are) and then staying within the bounds of the duties the Lord has given us to do. It’s selfishness, really: not allowing the other parts of the body to function as they ought. Instead of working with them we end up trying to work for them. Selfishness is just as damaging to the body of Christ as laziness is. It is not loving at all. And each one of us tends to be guilty of both laziness and selfishness at times. It depends on the day! It depends on our mood! It’s hard to find that healthy balance between doing everything you can do and not trying to do more than what you should do for the sake of others.
It’s not easy to work together. And I don’t have to tell you that - you know that from experience! It’s not always easy to fit your gifts together with the gifts of others for a common goal. Because when we do have to interact with our fellow Christians for the work of God’s kingdom, instead of trying to understand and adapt, instead of attempting to be flexible, we would rather have that person change their ways to fit better with what we want to do or to step up and do some things that we think they should be involved with or to respect our boundaries that we have set or to back off all together. We would like the other body parts to be more accommodating for our sake so that we don’t have to strain ourselves beyond the regular movements we have gotten used to limiting ourselves to over the years.
My dear fellow members of the body of Christ, you are part of something special. You are part of a congregation of people that has a stronger bond than any other group in this world. We have been united by the Holy Spirit himself through faith in Christ. “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free [and might I add: men or women, working or retired, children or adults] and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” The Holy Spirit chose you. Not because of your outstanding credentials or your promising potential, but because he wanted you to be one of his own. He worked in your heart at your baptism to either bring you to faith for the first time or to strengthen the faith he had already given you, and he continues to convince your heart through the written and spoken Word of God so that you are a firm believer in your Lord and Savior who died for you on the cross. You are a member of the holy Christian Church - all believers of all times - and so you are also a member of Christ’s body. You didn’t apply for the position. You didn’t ask him to take you in. You didn’t qualify for this honor any way. You were picked by the grace of God alone. You are now part of something special. And so are all of these Christians who are sitting next to you this morning.
Of course, the body of Christ isn’t always an 18 year old body that is energetic and vibrant and without pain. Sometimes the body of Christ feels a lot older because the members of that body do not function like they used to. But the Lord knew before he picked you that you wouldn’t always function as a member of his body like you are meant to as a Christian. He knew you would be lazy at times and selfish most of the time. But he chose you nevertheless. Because before you were born he forgave you. He gave up his body to death so that you could be a member of his body. And he made sure that he physically rose from the dead so that you’re body will be physically raised on the Last Day as well to be reunited with your soul in heaven. You are not a perfect member of the body of Christ. You have scars and weaknesses and joint pains and sometimes just a simple lack of motivation - as do I - but we are still important members of the body of Christ. We are part of something special because that’s the way the Lord wanted it to be.
As part of this special body of Christ, keep looking for ways in which you can help the other members for the good of the body. The opportunities available for you to serve and the role you are going to play are going to vary depending on the congregation you are involved with and the talents and abilities and the gifts of the other Christians around you. But right now, you are involved with this specific group of Christians at this specific time in this specific location. The Lord has given you ways that you can serve. The Lord has given you people that you can help. The Lord has supplied you with other members of this body of Christ that you can work together to spread the gospel of Jesus to the world. Do not be afraid to stretch yourself in ways you haven’t before. Do not hesitate to bend and twist to make the job of others easier. Do not stop being patient with those other members as they work to do things for the Lord. And do not stop pouring out your talents and blessings for the good of the gospel because these are ways you can thank your God for making you part of something special. You are needed. There is no doubt about it. You are needed by us. You are needed right now. We are counting on you to function as a loving and caring member of the body of Christ just as you can and should count on all of us.
Amen.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” - Eph. 1:3
- You have something to offer
- You are part of something special
On July 6th, 1916, a drawing of a white-bearded man wearing a blue jacket, a red bow tie, and an American top hat was printed in a magazine called “Leslie’s Weekly.” The man had a stern look on his wrinkled face and he was pointing his finger right towards the viewer. This image became so popular that it was made into a poster and over 4 million of them were printed in the next two years as America became involved with the 1st World War. This poster became so well-known, in fact, that it is still familiar to most people today. You know it as the “Uncle Sam” poster with the big bold caption: “I want YOU!” at the bottom of it. It was a simple message, but an effective one. It targeted all those young Americans who were capable of serving in the army and it urgently called them to sign up. It was an effort to show each young man in this country that the United States government wanted him personally, that his skills were valuable, that he was needed. And, of course, the country did want every man they could get. A lot of lives were lost during that war and a lot of soldiers were needed.
People oftentimes say, “It’s good to be needed.” And it is. When you are needed you feel important, you feel as if you are part of something special. You know that you have a specific job to do and people are counting on you to get it done. That’s the mindset the army was trying to tap into with its Uncle Sam poster, that’s what any charitable organization tries to convey, and that’s what almost any group in this country expresses if they want you to join them: you are needed! You aren’t just a number; you aren’t just another body; it wouldn’t be the same without you; you are wanted; you are needed!
You are needed. You are needed by a very special group of people. Not by the government or a charitable organization or an exclusive club, but by us. You are needed by your fellow Christians who share your same faith. You are part of something special. And you have something to offer those of us around you. Because the Lord himself says so. Listen to the reason why you are needed according to God’s words in 1 Corinthians: “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
You are needed. You have something to offer to the body of Christ because God has given you specific talents and skills and blessings that are meant to work alongside of the talents and skills and blessings of others. We don’t have the same talents and skills and blessings, of course, but that’s exactly the point. Just as a puzzle cannot be constructed of puzzle pieces that are all of the same shape, just as a body could not function if it were all one body part, a Christian congregation cannot be composed of Christians with all the same gifts. We must take our different gifts and fit them together. We must work collectively, using our own special blessings from the Lord in conjunction with the blessings of others for the good of God’s kingdom.
Some of you may have the ability to stand up in front of the congregation and give a report or offer an encouragement or make an announcement; others of us do not. Some of you may have been given the gift of understanding Scripture well and then being able to apply it to your life and others; others of us do not. Some of you may have been blessed with a great amount of patience and love for those less fortunate than you; others of us aren’t moved to such a great degree as you are. Some of you have the skill to teach or lead or encourage or listen or give or serve; others of us have been blessed with different things that are just as important to the functioning of the body. But the whole body cannot be an ear. The whole body cannot be an eye. The whole body cannot be a pinky finger either, and it isn’t. Each member of the body of Christ has different but equally important roles to play. Each member of the body is needed.
And so don’t hold back what you have to offer. Don’t waste the talents and skills and blessings the Lord has given you to the detriment of your brothers and sisters. And don’t trick yourself into thinking that you have nothing to offer at all! “God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” That includes you. And that includes everyone sitting in this room. God has supplied you with the abilities to contribute to the work of his kingdom with the Christians that are around you. And everyone here is counting on you to use the gifts you’ve been given to the best of your abilities.
It’s just so easy to be lazy, though. And it’s so easy to be selfish. There are tasks we can do and time we can take and things we can give to further the work that God has given us to do, but we regularly put it off and we frequently ignore the need. We don’t feel like pitching in right now or we don’t want to put in the effort that it’s going to take or we just assume that it’ll get done by somebody else. And our abilities and our time and our gifts are left in the closet on the top shelf gathering dust. Laziness is harmful to the body of Christ. Laziness is not loving. If the right foot decides to take some time off and expects that the left foot will pick up the slack, there’s going to be a few problems. The body might be able to limp along, but certainly not effectively or efficiently.
Of course, we also step on one another’s toes sometimes too. We as an ear try to do the work of an eye. Or we as an eye try to do the work of a nose. And we attempt to do the job of other members of the body because we don’t think they are doing it right. Sometimes we have difficulty realizing what our talents are (and what the talents of others are) and then staying within the bounds of the duties the Lord has given us to do. It’s selfishness, really: not allowing the other parts of the body to function as they ought. Instead of working with them we end up trying to work for them. Selfishness is just as damaging to the body of Christ as laziness is. It is not loving at all. And each one of us tends to be guilty of both laziness and selfishness at times. It depends on the day! It depends on our mood! It’s hard to find that healthy balance between doing everything you can do and not trying to do more than what you should do for the sake of others.
It’s not easy to work together. And I don’t have to tell you that - you know that from experience! It’s not always easy to fit your gifts together with the gifts of others for a common goal. Because when we do have to interact with our fellow Christians for the work of God’s kingdom, instead of trying to understand and adapt, instead of attempting to be flexible, we would rather have that person change their ways to fit better with what we want to do or to step up and do some things that we think they should be involved with or to respect our boundaries that we have set or to back off all together. We would like the other body parts to be more accommodating for our sake so that we don’t have to strain ourselves beyond the regular movements we have gotten used to limiting ourselves to over the years.
My dear fellow members of the body of Christ, you are part of something special. You are part of a congregation of people that has a stronger bond than any other group in this world. We have been united by the Holy Spirit himself through faith in Christ. “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free [and might I add: men or women, working or retired, children or adults] and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” The Holy Spirit chose you. Not because of your outstanding credentials or your promising potential, but because he wanted you to be one of his own. He worked in your heart at your baptism to either bring you to faith for the first time or to strengthen the faith he had already given you, and he continues to convince your heart through the written and spoken Word of God so that you are a firm believer in your Lord and Savior who died for you on the cross. You are a member of the holy Christian Church - all believers of all times - and so you are also a member of Christ’s body. You didn’t apply for the position. You didn’t ask him to take you in. You didn’t qualify for this honor any way. You were picked by the grace of God alone. You are now part of something special. And so are all of these Christians who are sitting next to you this morning.
Of course, the body of Christ isn’t always an 18 year old body that is energetic and vibrant and without pain. Sometimes the body of Christ feels a lot older because the members of that body do not function like they used to. But the Lord knew before he picked you that you wouldn’t always function as a member of his body like you are meant to as a Christian. He knew you would be lazy at times and selfish most of the time. But he chose you nevertheless. Because before you were born he forgave you. He gave up his body to death so that you could be a member of his body. And he made sure that he physically rose from the dead so that you’re body will be physically raised on the Last Day as well to be reunited with your soul in heaven. You are not a perfect member of the body of Christ. You have scars and weaknesses and joint pains and sometimes just a simple lack of motivation - as do I - but we are still important members of the body of Christ. We are part of something special because that’s the way the Lord wanted it to be.
As part of this special body of Christ, keep looking for ways in which you can help the other members for the good of the body. The opportunities available for you to serve and the role you are going to play are going to vary depending on the congregation you are involved with and the talents and abilities and the gifts of the other Christians around you. But right now, you are involved with this specific group of Christians at this specific time in this specific location. The Lord has given you ways that you can serve. The Lord has given you people that you can help. The Lord has supplied you with other members of this body of Christ that you can work together to spread the gospel of Jesus to the world. Do not be afraid to stretch yourself in ways you haven’t before. Do not hesitate to bend and twist to make the job of others easier. Do not stop being patient with those other members as they work to do things for the Lord. And do not stop pouring out your talents and blessings for the good of the gospel because these are ways you can thank your God for making you part of something special. You are needed. There is no doubt about it. You are needed by us. You are needed right now. We are counting on you to function as a loving and caring member of the body of Christ just as you can and should count on all of us.
Amen.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” - Eph. 1:3
Monday, January 18, 2010
1/17/10 - Epiphany 2 - John 2:1-11
IT'S NOT YET TIME
- Jesus will act when he is ready
- It will turn out better than expected
Abraham badly wanted a son. And it wasn’t just an optimistic wish. Abraham knew he would one day receive a son because when he was 75 years old the Lord came to him and had promised to make his descendants into a great nation. But as the years passed and his wife Sarah remained barren and they were getting increasingly older, they had still not been blessed with a child of their own and Abraham wasn’t so sure that this promise would work out. And so Abraham approached the Lord one day and said, “O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless? You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir” (Genesis 15:2,3). But Abraham’s plea didn’t work. The Lord did not give him a son at that very instant. And no matter how many times Abraham appealed to the Lord and no matter what Abraham did to take the situation into his own hands - including sleeping with his maidservant - it was not yet time. It was not yet time for him to have the son that the Lord promised him. The Lord would not be pushed into doing something before he was ready. And Abraham ended up waiting 25 years for this promise to be fulfilled until finally at the age of 100 his son Isaac was born to him.
The Lord will keep his promises. He will not let one of his promises go unfulfilled. But he will not be forced, he will not be coerced, he will not be swayed to do anything before it is time to do it. He will act when he is ready. But when he does act, the results will always turn out better than anyone could have expected.
Jesus’ mother, Mary, came to understand this concept early on in her son’s ministry. They were at a wedding in the town of Cana at the time. Jesus’ disciples were there along with the usual crowd of friends and relatives that gathered for such events. But right in the middle of this extensive celebration, the banquet ran out of wine. And the gospel writer John records for us that “when the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’ ‘Dear woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My time has not yet come.’” Now, Mary obviously understood who Jesus was. And she understood what he could do. And she understood that he was more than willing to help people out with the problems. There was nothing wrong with Mary’s faith. There was just something wrong with her timing. She tried to push Jesus to do something before he was ready to do it. But it was not yet time. Jesus would decide when and where and how and why he would display his glory to those around him. He would not be influenced by the urgency of the situation or even his own mother’s request. Jesus would determine when he was ready. And when the time was right, he would act.
As Christians we know and trust in the power of our God just as Mary did. We realize he can do anything: he created this entire world, he has protected his people from their enemies throughout the centuries, and he still does great and miraculous things for us today. We have no problem believing in the power of our Lord. And as Christian we also know and trust in the love of our God as well. He has shown this world grace as far back as the Garden of Eden, he has watched over his children in every age, and he still cares for and provides for his sheep right now. We have no problem believing in the love of our Lord either. But just like Mary, we don’t always know the will of our Lord. And sometimes we try to push him to demonstrate his power and love before he is ready to do it. We want him to act before it is time.
Because we all have plenty of opinions floating around inside of our heads, don’t we? And we all think that we have a pretty good idea about how something should be done and where something should be done and especially when something should be done. And we don’t mind giving the Lord our advice either! And so when we have a family member or relative who doesn’t go to church and doesn’t hear the Word of God on a regular basis, a person whom we’ve been working on and inviting and talking to for years, we then like to go to the Lord and say something along the lines of, “I think it’s time, Lord. It’s time to bring them back. It’s time to bring them in. I’m not sure what you’re waiting for, Lord! I’ve spread the Word. I’ve put in the effort. I want to see them in heaven with me and I don’t know how much longer they will have on this earth! They need some major help and they might completely slip away if something isn’t done right now!” And it’s difficult for us to admit that maybe it’s not yet time. Maybe it’s going to take a little longer. Maybe it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets any better. Maybe the Lord even has different plans altogether.
And that’s frustrating, isn’t it? It’s frustrating when the Lord’s plans do not coincide with our expert advice and well-positioned opinions! It’s frustrating to us when it seems as if the Lord misses opportunities. We are here as a congregation that is still too small to support itself. We belong to a group of Christians that relies on the funding of our church body to survive. We are a family of believers that has worked hard to spread the Word of God to those around us, that has longed to see this congregation grow in size and diversity, that has tirelessly searched for a piece of land on which we can live and to build a building that we can call our own. But it is not yet time. It is not yet time for those things to happen because they have not yet be given to us.
Yes, there have been opportunities that have come and gone. There have been promising situations that have arisen only to pass us by. And sometimes we get frustrated. We almost get a little aggravated because he doesn’t seem to take advantage of the openings that come our way. And we forget that he will act, but only when he is ready. He will carry out his will, but only when it is time. We do not know what is best. We do not understand how it can work out for our good. We are not able to predict when the right opportunity will present itself. But the Lord can. And if the right situation arises, he will act. If the time is ever right, he will take advantage of it. Because the Lord never misses an opportunity.
He didn’t miss the opportunity at the wedding in Cana - even though his mother was worried that it would pass him by. She immediately ran to Jesus when she saw the problem, and that was fine! We should go to the Lord when problems come up in our lives. But Mary wanted something done at that very moment. She wanted Jesus to do something right away. And so Jesus turned her down. But soon after Jesus reminded his mother Mary that his time had not yet come, the right opportunity did arise. He told some of the servants to fill up 6 stone water jars and then to take a sample of that water to the master of the banquet. When they did, the water had been miraculously turned into wine. The man in charge didn’t know what had happened and the groom didn’t seem to be cognizant of where it had come from, but the servants did and Jesus’ disciples found out and Mary certainly knew. Her son had acted when he was ready. And the results turned out better than she ever could have expected.
And that is true across the board. Whenever Jesus acts, it always turns out better than anyone could have expected. Just look at the way Jesus secured your salvation! It couldn’t have turned out any better! When the time was just right, Jesus came to this earth in the womb of a virgin. When everything was prepared by John the Baptist, Jesus started his ministry in the waters of the Jordan River. Whenever an opportunity arose to help the sick or preach the Word or proclaim his power in an appropriate way, he acted. When everything was set in place just the way it had to be, Jesus walked out to the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples and was led to the Jewish courts under guard and stood before Pilate with a death sentence hanging over his head and marched out to Calvary to die on a cross. And there was no better time for Jesus to do what he did. Because there was no other time. Everything happened exactly the way Jesus had always planned it would. And it turned out better than anyone could have ever expected. The sins of all people were forgiven because of what Jesus did at exactly the right time. The lives of all believers were saved. Your eternity was assured. Our resurrection is now inevitable. And we can live this life in peace knowing that God promises us a place in the life to come.
And don’t fail realize: faithful Christians had to wait over 4000 years for this promise to come true! From the time Jesus gave that first promise of a Savior to Adam and Eve at the foot of the tree they were not supposed to eat from until the day he died on a tree that we deserved to hang on ourselves, 4000+ years passed by. For four millennia believers waited and waited and waited and prayed and prayed and prayed for Christ to come. But through all those centuries and all those wars and all those hardships and all those deaths that God’s people had to deal with, it was not yet time. It was not yet time for the Savior to come. Until the angel Gabriel came to Mary that night, until a man named Caiaphas was the high priest in the 33rd year of Jesus’ life, until two unknown criminals were set to be crucified on that particular afternoon… Then it was time. Then Jesus was ready. Then he acted. And the results were spectacular.
Trust that Jesus acts in your life at exactly the right time as well. And trust that he knows when to act better than you do. Things will come together according to his will just like he always has for his people. Just like he always will. And so there is no reason to be frustrated if the Lord has not yet given you the health you have asked him for. It is simply not yet time. There is no reason to be frustrated if the Lord has not yet given you the financial stability you have worked so hard for. It is simply not yet time. There is no reason to be frustrated if those around you do not yet appreciate the Lord as much as you want them to. It is simply not yet time. There is no reason to be frustrated if your relationship with your children or your spouse or your parents is not yet where you want it to be. It is simply not yet time. There is no reason to be frustrated if this congregation has not yet grown or your own personal life as a Christian has not yet progressed in the way you had hoped it would. It is simply not yet time. It may never be time. It may never be time for what you want. It may never be time for what you have hoped for or what you have planned for or what you have worked for. Because the Lord’s will does not operate on what you think is the best. The Lord’s will is governed by what he knows is the best. And when the times comes, he will give the best to us.
Nothing, nothing can be better than what the Lord does for the sake of his people. Nothing. Our advice, our opinions, our grand plans for what should be done and when it should be done are only good if they happen to match up with the Lord’s grand plans for us. And so, by all means, ask the Lord! Pray to him for what you want and what you hope for and what you strive after. Request that he might bless those things that you see as God-pleasing and that he help you carry out his work for the good of kingdom. But know that your plans might not be a part of his blueprint and, even if they are, your timing might be a little off. Rest on the fact that whatever needs to happen for the sake of our faith and our salvation, he will do. And when he does whatever he does, it will be far better than we could have ever expected.
Amen.
“Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable is judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” - Romans 11:33,36
- Jesus will act when he is ready
- It will turn out better than expected
Abraham badly wanted a son. And it wasn’t just an optimistic wish. Abraham knew he would one day receive a son because when he was 75 years old the Lord came to him and had promised to make his descendants into a great nation. But as the years passed and his wife Sarah remained barren and they were getting increasingly older, they had still not been blessed with a child of their own and Abraham wasn’t so sure that this promise would work out. And so Abraham approached the Lord one day and said, “O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless? You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir” (Genesis 15:2,3). But Abraham’s plea didn’t work. The Lord did not give him a son at that very instant. And no matter how many times Abraham appealed to the Lord and no matter what Abraham did to take the situation into his own hands - including sleeping with his maidservant - it was not yet time. It was not yet time for him to have the son that the Lord promised him. The Lord would not be pushed into doing something before he was ready. And Abraham ended up waiting 25 years for this promise to be fulfilled until finally at the age of 100 his son Isaac was born to him.
The Lord will keep his promises. He will not let one of his promises go unfulfilled. But he will not be forced, he will not be coerced, he will not be swayed to do anything before it is time to do it. He will act when he is ready. But when he does act, the results will always turn out better than anyone could have expected.
Jesus’ mother, Mary, came to understand this concept early on in her son’s ministry. They were at a wedding in the town of Cana at the time. Jesus’ disciples were there along with the usual crowd of friends and relatives that gathered for such events. But right in the middle of this extensive celebration, the banquet ran out of wine. And the gospel writer John records for us that “when the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’ ‘Dear woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My time has not yet come.’” Now, Mary obviously understood who Jesus was. And she understood what he could do. And she understood that he was more than willing to help people out with the problems. There was nothing wrong with Mary’s faith. There was just something wrong with her timing. She tried to push Jesus to do something before he was ready to do it. But it was not yet time. Jesus would decide when and where and how and why he would display his glory to those around him. He would not be influenced by the urgency of the situation or even his own mother’s request. Jesus would determine when he was ready. And when the time was right, he would act.
As Christians we know and trust in the power of our God just as Mary did. We realize he can do anything: he created this entire world, he has protected his people from their enemies throughout the centuries, and he still does great and miraculous things for us today. We have no problem believing in the power of our Lord. And as Christian we also know and trust in the love of our God as well. He has shown this world grace as far back as the Garden of Eden, he has watched over his children in every age, and he still cares for and provides for his sheep right now. We have no problem believing in the love of our Lord either. But just like Mary, we don’t always know the will of our Lord. And sometimes we try to push him to demonstrate his power and love before he is ready to do it. We want him to act before it is time.
Because we all have plenty of opinions floating around inside of our heads, don’t we? And we all think that we have a pretty good idea about how something should be done and where something should be done and especially when something should be done. And we don’t mind giving the Lord our advice either! And so when we have a family member or relative who doesn’t go to church and doesn’t hear the Word of God on a regular basis, a person whom we’ve been working on and inviting and talking to for years, we then like to go to the Lord and say something along the lines of, “I think it’s time, Lord. It’s time to bring them back. It’s time to bring them in. I’m not sure what you’re waiting for, Lord! I’ve spread the Word. I’ve put in the effort. I want to see them in heaven with me and I don’t know how much longer they will have on this earth! They need some major help and they might completely slip away if something isn’t done right now!” And it’s difficult for us to admit that maybe it’s not yet time. Maybe it’s going to take a little longer. Maybe it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets any better. Maybe the Lord even has different plans altogether.
And that’s frustrating, isn’t it? It’s frustrating when the Lord’s plans do not coincide with our expert advice and well-positioned opinions! It’s frustrating to us when it seems as if the Lord misses opportunities. We are here as a congregation that is still too small to support itself. We belong to a group of Christians that relies on the funding of our church body to survive. We are a family of believers that has worked hard to spread the Word of God to those around us, that has longed to see this congregation grow in size and diversity, that has tirelessly searched for a piece of land on which we can live and to build a building that we can call our own. But it is not yet time. It is not yet time for those things to happen because they have not yet be given to us.
Yes, there have been opportunities that have come and gone. There have been promising situations that have arisen only to pass us by. And sometimes we get frustrated. We almost get a little aggravated because he doesn’t seem to take advantage of the openings that come our way. And we forget that he will act, but only when he is ready. He will carry out his will, but only when it is time. We do not know what is best. We do not understand how it can work out for our good. We are not able to predict when the right opportunity will present itself. But the Lord can. And if the right situation arises, he will act. If the time is ever right, he will take advantage of it. Because the Lord never misses an opportunity.
He didn’t miss the opportunity at the wedding in Cana - even though his mother was worried that it would pass him by. She immediately ran to Jesus when she saw the problem, and that was fine! We should go to the Lord when problems come up in our lives. But Mary wanted something done at that very moment. She wanted Jesus to do something right away. And so Jesus turned her down. But soon after Jesus reminded his mother Mary that his time had not yet come, the right opportunity did arise. He told some of the servants to fill up 6 stone water jars and then to take a sample of that water to the master of the banquet. When they did, the water had been miraculously turned into wine. The man in charge didn’t know what had happened and the groom didn’t seem to be cognizant of where it had come from, but the servants did and Jesus’ disciples found out and Mary certainly knew. Her son had acted when he was ready. And the results turned out better than she ever could have expected.
And that is true across the board. Whenever Jesus acts, it always turns out better than anyone could have expected. Just look at the way Jesus secured your salvation! It couldn’t have turned out any better! When the time was just right, Jesus came to this earth in the womb of a virgin. When everything was prepared by John the Baptist, Jesus started his ministry in the waters of the Jordan River. Whenever an opportunity arose to help the sick or preach the Word or proclaim his power in an appropriate way, he acted. When everything was set in place just the way it had to be, Jesus walked out to the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples and was led to the Jewish courts under guard and stood before Pilate with a death sentence hanging over his head and marched out to Calvary to die on a cross. And there was no better time for Jesus to do what he did. Because there was no other time. Everything happened exactly the way Jesus had always planned it would. And it turned out better than anyone could have ever expected. The sins of all people were forgiven because of what Jesus did at exactly the right time. The lives of all believers were saved. Your eternity was assured. Our resurrection is now inevitable. And we can live this life in peace knowing that God promises us a place in the life to come.
And don’t fail realize: faithful Christians had to wait over 4000 years for this promise to come true! From the time Jesus gave that first promise of a Savior to Adam and Eve at the foot of the tree they were not supposed to eat from until the day he died on a tree that we deserved to hang on ourselves, 4000+ years passed by. For four millennia believers waited and waited and waited and prayed and prayed and prayed for Christ to come. But through all those centuries and all those wars and all those hardships and all those deaths that God’s people had to deal with, it was not yet time. It was not yet time for the Savior to come. Until the angel Gabriel came to Mary that night, until a man named Caiaphas was the high priest in the 33rd year of Jesus’ life, until two unknown criminals were set to be crucified on that particular afternoon… Then it was time. Then Jesus was ready. Then he acted. And the results were spectacular.
Trust that Jesus acts in your life at exactly the right time as well. And trust that he knows when to act better than you do. Things will come together according to his will just like he always has for his people. Just like he always will. And so there is no reason to be frustrated if the Lord has not yet given you the health you have asked him for. It is simply not yet time. There is no reason to be frustrated if the Lord has not yet given you the financial stability you have worked so hard for. It is simply not yet time. There is no reason to be frustrated if those around you do not yet appreciate the Lord as much as you want them to. It is simply not yet time. There is no reason to be frustrated if your relationship with your children or your spouse or your parents is not yet where you want it to be. It is simply not yet time. There is no reason to be frustrated if this congregation has not yet grown or your own personal life as a Christian has not yet progressed in the way you had hoped it would. It is simply not yet time. It may never be time. It may never be time for what you want. It may never be time for what you have hoped for or what you have planned for or what you have worked for. Because the Lord’s will does not operate on what you think is the best. The Lord’s will is governed by what he knows is the best. And when the times comes, he will give the best to us.
Nothing, nothing can be better than what the Lord does for the sake of his people. Nothing. Our advice, our opinions, our grand plans for what should be done and when it should be done are only good if they happen to match up with the Lord’s grand plans for us. And so, by all means, ask the Lord! Pray to him for what you want and what you hope for and what you strive after. Request that he might bless those things that you see as God-pleasing and that he help you carry out his work for the good of kingdom. But know that your plans might not be a part of his blueprint and, even if they are, your timing might be a little off. Rest on the fact that whatever needs to happen for the sake of our faith and our salvation, he will do. And when he does whatever he does, it will be far better than we could have ever expected.
Amen.
“Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable is judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” - Romans 11:33,36
Sunday, January 10, 2010
1/10/10 - Baptism of Christ - 1 Samuel 16:1-13
THE RIGHT FIT
- The Lord's servants are hand-picked
- The Lord's servants are well-equipped
David was out with the sheep in the pastures around Bethlehem. He was just a boy at the time and taking care of his father’s sheep was one of his regular duties. It was something he was good at and a job that he took seriously. But on this particular day David was probably a little irritated that he had to be out there. Because the well-known and the well-respected prophet, Samuel, had just arrived in their little village of Bethlehem! And not only had Samuel showed up in the town where David lived, this famous prophet of the Lord was actually coming to David’s own house! Samuel had personally requested to meet at the house of David’s father, Jesse, and to offer a sacrifice there! What an unexpected honor! What a privilege! But as everyone was gathered there to celebrate with Samuel, David himself was stuck in the fields taking care of the flocks. Somebody had to; the sheep couldn’t be left alone. And since David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, the short straw automatically fell to him. He had to work while the rest of his family got to meet this spiritual celebrity of Israel.
But as David was sitting out there watching over the sheep, suddenly someone came running to him from the direction of his father’s house. “David! Come on! Let’s go! Samuel the prophet wants to see you!” this messenger must have said. “Really? Me?” David probably wondered. “Who’s going to take care of the sheep?” “I don’t know! It doesn’t matter! Just hurry up because Samuel specifically asked for you!” And David must have ran back to the house as fast as he could to see what this legendary man of God wanted with someone like him. Of course, what Samuel wanted was something David never could have guessed. The moment David entered the house Samuel got up from where was sitting, took a animal’s horn filled with oil, walked right up to David, poured the oil on his head, and proclaimed him as the next king of Israel in front of all of the elders of Bethlehem gathered there, in front of his own father, and in front of his seven older brothers still standing in the room. Soon after, Samuel left and went back to his home in Ramah leaving a surprised father and probably some jealous brothers to figure out what had just happened.
As an older brother I’m sure I would have been jealous. “Out of all the people Samuel could have picked, David is going to be the king? The youngest out of all eight of us? The kid who sits out in the fields all day playing the harp to himself and talking to the sheep? That doesn’t seem right! Why not someone a little older and more experienced? Why not Eliab, the tallest and most impressive and the firstborn son of our father?” Why not the firstborn? Why not someone a little older? Why not someone a little more experienced? Because as the Lord had told Samuel, “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” God did not choose Eliab or Abinadab of Shammah or any other of the older sons. David was the one who had been hand-picked by the Lord himself. David was the one whom God told Samuel to anoint. There was no denying what had just happened in the house of Jesse that day. David was the one who was chosen whether or not anyone else thought he was going to be the right fit for the job.
I would guess that David’s relationship with his brothers was a little strained after that. They certainly weren’t about to bow down to his feet or give him any special privileges in any way. They were still his older brothers and he was going to continue to do what they told him to do! In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to me if his brothers treated him a little harshly because of what had just happened. They probably didn’t think he was qualified or capable of the position because they had grown up with him and they didn’t think of him as anything special - he was their youngest brother, after all! This attitude is, ironically, the same kind of attitude that people had about David’s most famous descendant, Jesus Christ, many years later.
Do you remember what the people around Jesus’ time thought of him? When he performed miracles and claimed to be the Son of God, the Bible records that the people said to themselves, “‘Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him” (Mark 6:3). They took offense at him because Jesus wasn’t all that impressive as far as how he looked. He wasn’t outwardly overpowering or “god-like” in the eyes of those around him. He didn’t seem to be the right fit for the prophesied Messiah because the Messiah was supposed to be a king and a conqueror who would save the people from their enemies! Jesus seemed to be just a regular man. And the people had a hard time accepting the fact that Jesus was the Chosen One even though they heard God the Father speak from heaven about Christ when he was baptized in the Jordan River and they saw the Holy Spirit descend on him in the form of a dove. The Father made it clear that Jesus was the Son of God and that he had been hand-picked to do the work of saving people from their sins, regardless of what other people thought about him.
And that same thing still happens today. Not only with Christ but with the other servants that God has chosen for his work. God’s hand-picked earthly servants are sometimes dismissed as the right fit for the job because of how they look or how they speak or what we think we know about them. Each of us has come into contact with plenty of different pastors and teachers and different called workers over the years. And for each one of them we automatically make a determination based on outward appearances that aren’t as important as we make them out to be. “He’s too old to be a decent pastor anymore… He’s too young… She’s overweight! How is she ever going to teach phy. ed. to the kids!... He always reads his sermons off the page so he must not put in a whole lot of preparation time … He doesn’t seem to connect with children very well; I guess he’s not an outreach-minded pastor… She’s never in her classroom after hours! How can she say that she prepares lesson plans for the following days?... He doesn’t really have a personality that’s right for the job… She doesn’t seem to fit in with everyone else… He’s kind of goofy looking… She always looks mad… He doesn’t talk to me as much as I think he should… She wears too much makeup…” And I’m not accusing you of saying some of these things about me - even if you have! I’m just reviewing some of my own thoughts about the Lord’s hand-picked servants that I have known over the years and some of the shallow evaluations that I’ve heard from others. We like to determine who fits our ideal candidate for the public ministry and who doesn’t. And to those who don’t we tend to show less respect and less love and less honor, even though we are looking at outward appearances because we certainly cannot look at the heart.
We cannot forget that these are God’s special servants. Hand-picked, in fact. God chose them to do a specific job in a specific place for a specific reason. Sure, they all have their faults, and so do I, but their weaknesses and their failures do not take away from the fact that they are the right fit for that job at that time. Things might not go according to plan and the results might seem to be disastrous at times, but the Lord hand-picked that person and placed him/her in that situation for a good reason. Maybe to teach that servant a lesson; maybe to teach us; certainly to drive his people closer to his Word in one way or another, whether through a pleasant situation or a difficult one. And in any case, we have no right to dispute the Lord’s decisions about whom he hand picks because only he can read the heart.
David ended up being a fairly decent king, wouldn’t you say? Even though he started from very humble beginnings and those around him probably doubted he’d ever turn into anything great, he was definitely the right fit for the job. Not only because he was hand-picked by the Lord, but also because the Lord made sure that he was well-equipped for the job ahead of him as well. David was a shepherd by trade; he was used to taking care of sheep and he frequently put his life on the line to defend them. As king and the spiritual leader of Israel years later, he continued to do the same thing for his flock. David himself recounts how he fought off wild animals to rescue his flock; and in his battle against Goliath David reassures everyone else that just as the Lord had protected him against a bear and a lion in the pasture, the Lord would surely give him the victory over the heathen Philistine giant. Soon after Samuel anointed David, King Saul was looking for someone to soothe him with music; and the Lord conveniently led Saul to choose David so that this young king-in-training could live in the palace for years before he took the throne. David was even appointed as an officer in Saul’s army, gaining experience for the wars he would have to lead his people through in the future. The Lord made sure that his hand-picked servant was well-equipped to do what needed to be done.
Jesus was no different. This special hand-picked servant of the Lord was also well-equipped to do the job assigned to him. He was a true human being so that he could suffer in our place and die for our sins. And he was true God so that he could live a perfect life and rise from the dead. He was from the city of Nazareth and born of a virgin girl in the town of Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecies spoken about him hundreds of years before. He was filled with wisdom to answer his enemies’ trick questions. He was filled with power to heal the sick and the physically disabled. He was filled with love to forgive those who hated him and to sacrifice himself for those who doubted him. Jesus was perfectly equipped to do everything that had to be done for your salvation. He was prepared for what was to come, he was willing to undergo the difficulties, and he was capable of handling the pressure of someone in whom very few people believed. His enemies despised and rejected him, but his Father exalted him to his right hand. His countrymen mocked him and beat him, but his children now revere his name. We question his selection of servants and disrespect those he has placed over us, but he uses those very servants to feed us the gospel words of our salvation. Our Servant-Lord is well-equipped not only to do what no one else can do, but he is also well-equipped to well-equip the spiritual leaders he has hand-picked to lead the ones he has saved.
These spiritual leaders the Lord has assigned to us might not be perfectly suited as Jesus was to do the job, but they are still the right fit. Because Jesus himself gives them the tools and the training to serve his sheep. Jesus himself bestows on them the honorary title of pastor or teacher or staff minister or missionary or director or president or professor. Jesus himself gives them the breath-taking task of publically proclaiming the gospel on behalf of his people. It is true, unfortunately, that some of these hand-picked servants end up throwing their title away in unbelief or arrogance or sinful mistakes. David’s own predecessor, King Saul, did. And so did many of the kings after him. But a failed servant is not the fault of the perfect Master. He didn’t make the wrong choice or put that servant in the wrong situation. The Lord did exactly what had to be done at exactly the right time. And so as long as one of the Lord’s spiritual servants is still one of the Lord’s spiritual servants, we are to honor them and respect them as such. They have been hand-picked. They have been well-equipped. They are the right fit. Because “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” And he sees not only what one of his servants can do, but also exactly what you need. And he will make sure that you are taken care of by the leaders he carefully selects for your benefit.
Amen.
“Jesus appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” - 1 Tim. 3:16
- The Lord's servants are hand-picked
- The Lord's servants are well-equipped
David was out with the sheep in the pastures around Bethlehem. He was just a boy at the time and taking care of his father’s sheep was one of his regular duties. It was something he was good at and a job that he took seriously. But on this particular day David was probably a little irritated that he had to be out there. Because the well-known and the well-respected prophet, Samuel, had just arrived in their little village of Bethlehem! And not only had Samuel showed up in the town where David lived, this famous prophet of the Lord was actually coming to David’s own house! Samuel had personally requested to meet at the house of David’s father, Jesse, and to offer a sacrifice there! What an unexpected honor! What a privilege! But as everyone was gathered there to celebrate with Samuel, David himself was stuck in the fields taking care of the flocks. Somebody had to; the sheep couldn’t be left alone. And since David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, the short straw automatically fell to him. He had to work while the rest of his family got to meet this spiritual celebrity of Israel.
But as David was sitting out there watching over the sheep, suddenly someone came running to him from the direction of his father’s house. “David! Come on! Let’s go! Samuel the prophet wants to see you!” this messenger must have said. “Really? Me?” David probably wondered. “Who’s going to take care of the sheep?” “I don’t know! It doesn’t matter! Just hurry up because Samuel specifically asked for you!” And David must have ran back to the house as fast as he could to see what this legendary man of God wanted with someone like him. Of course, what Samuel wanted was something David never could have guessed. The moment David entered the house Samuel got up from where was sitting, took a animal’s horn filled with oil, walked right up to David, poured the oil on his head, and proclaimed him as the next king of Israel in front of all of the elders of Bethlehem gathered there, in front of his own father, and in front of his seven older brothers still standing in the room. Soon after, Samuel left and went back to his home in Ramah leaving a surprised father and probably some jealous brothers to figure out what had just happened.
As an older brother I’m sure I would have been jealous. “Out of all the people Samuel could have picked, David is going to be the king? The youngest out of all eight of us? The kid who sits out in the fields all day playing the harp to himself and talking to the sheep? That doesn’t seem right! Why not someone a little older and more experienced? Why not Eliab, the tallest and most impressive and the firstborn son of our father?” Why not the firstborn? Why not someone a little older? Why not someone a little more experienced? Because as the Lord had told Samuel, “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” God did not choose Eliab or Abinadab of Shammah or any other of the older sons. David was the one who had been hand-picked by the Lord himself. David was the one whom God told Samuel to anoint. There was no denying what had just happened in the house of Jesse that day. David was the one who was chosen whether or not anyone else thought he was going to be the right fit for the job.
I would guess that David’s relationship with his brothers was a little strained after that. They certainly weren’t about to bow down to his feet or give him any special privileges in any way. They were still his older brothers and he was going to continue to do what they told him to do! In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to me if his brothers treated him a little harshly because of what had just happened. They probably didn’t think he was qualified or capable of the position because they had grown up with him and they didn’t think of him as anything special - he was their youngest brother, after all! This attitude is, ironically, the same kind of attitude that people had about David’s most famous descendant, Jesus Christ, many years later.
Do you remember what the people around Jesus’ time thought of him? When he performed miracles and claimed to be the Son of God, the Bible records that the people said to themselves, “‘Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him” (Mark 6:3). They took offense at him because Jesus wasn’t all that impressive as far as how he looked. He wasn’t outwardly overpowering or “god-like” in the eyes of those around him. He didn’t seem to be the right fit for the prophesied Messiah because the Messiah was supposed to be a king and a conqueror who would save the people from their enemies! Jesus seemed to be just a regular man. And the people had a hard time accepting the fact that Jesus was the Chosen One even though they heard God the Father speak from heaven about Christ when he was baptized in the Jordan River and they saw the Holy Spirit descend on him in the form of a dove. The Father made it clear that Jesus was the Son of God and that he had been hand-picked to do the work of saving people from their sins, regardless of what other people thought about him.
And that same thing still happens today. Not only with Christ but with the other servants that God has chosen for his work. God’s hand-picked earthly servants are sometimes dismissed as the right fit for the job because of how they look or how they speak or what we think we know about them. Each of us has come into contact with plenty of different pastors and teachers and different called workers over the years. And for each one of them we automatically make a determination based on outward appearances that aren’t as important as we make them out to be. “He’s too old to be a decent pastor anymore… He’s too young… She’s overweight! How is she ever going to teach phy. ed. to the kids!... He always reads his sermons off the page so he must not put in a whole lot of preparation time … He doesn’t seem to connect with children very well; I guess he’s not an outreach-minded pastor… She’s never in her classroom after hours! How can she say that she prepares lesson plans for the following days?... He doesn’t really have a personality that’s right for the job… She doesn’t seem to fit in with everyone else… He’s kind of goofy looking… She always looks mad… He doesn’t talk to me as much as I think he should… She wears too much makeup…” And I’m not accusing you of saying some of these things about me - even if you have! I’m just reviewing some of my own thoughts about the Lord’s hand-picked servants that I have known over the years and some of the shallow evaluations that I’ve heard from others. We like to determine who fits our ideal candidate for the public ministry and who doesn’t. And to those who don’t we tend to show less respect and less love and less honor, even though we are looking at outward appearances because we certainly cannot look at the heart.
We cannot forget that these are God’s special servants. Hand-picked, in fact. God chose them to do a specific job in a specific place for a specific reason. Sure, they all have their faults, and so do I, but their weaknesses and their failures do not take away from the fact that they are the right fit for that job at that time. Things might not go according to plan and the results might seem to be disastrous at times, but the Lord hand-picked that person and placed him/her in that situation for a good reason. Maybe to teach that servant a lesson; maybe to teach us; certainly to drive his people closer to his Word in one way or another, whether through a pleasant situation or a difficult one. And in any case, we have no right to dispute the Lord’s decisions about whom he hand picks because only he can read the heart.
David ended up being a fairly decent king, wouldn’t you say? Even though he started from very humble beginnings and those around him probably doubted he’d ever turn into anything great, he was definitely the right fit for the job. Not only because he was hand-picked by the Lord, but also because the Lord made sure that he was well-equipped for the job ahead of him as well. David was a shepherd by trade; he was used to taking care of sheep and he frequently put his life on the line to defend them. As king and the spiritual leader of Israel years later, he continued to do the same thing for his flock. David himself recounts how he fought off wild animals to rescue his flock; and in his battle against Goliath David reassures everyone else that just as the Lord had protected him against a bear and a lion in the pasture, the Lord would surely give him the victory over the heathen Philistine giant. Soon after Samuel anointed David, King Saul was looking for someone to soothe him with music; and the Lord conveniently led Saul to choose David so that this young king-in-training could live in the palace for years before he took the throne. David was even appointed as an officer in Saul’s army, gaining experience for the wars he would have to lead his people through in the future. The Lord made sure that his hand-picked servant was well-equipped to do what needed to be done.
Jesus was no different. This special hand-picked servant of the Lord was also well-equipped to do the job assigned to him. He was a true human being so that he could suffer in our place and die for our sins. And he was true God so that he could live a perfect life and rise from the dead. He was from the city of Nazareth and born of a virgin girl in the town of Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecies spoken about him hundreds of years before. He was filled with wisdom to answer his enemies’ trick questions. He was filled with power to heal the sick and the physically disabled. He was filled with love to forgive those who hated him and to sacrifice himself for those who doubted him. Jesus was perfectly equipped to do everything that had to be done for your salvation. He was prepared for what was to come, he was willing to undergo the difficulties, and he was capable of handling the pressure of someone in whom very few people believed. His enemies despised and rejected him, but his Father exalted him to his right hand. His countrymen mocked him and beat him, but his children now revere his name. We question his selection of servants and disrespect those he has placed over us, but he uses those very servants to feed us the gospel words of our salvation. Our Servant-Lord is well-equipped not only to do what no one else can do, but he is also well-equipped to well-equip the spiritual leaders he has hand-picked to lead the ones he has saved.
These spiritual leaders the Lord has assigned to us might not be perfectly suited as Jesus was to do the job, but they are still the right fit. Because Jesus himself gives them the tools and the training to serve his sheep. Jesus himself bestows on them the honorary title of pastor or teacher or staff minister or missionary or director or president or professor. Jesus himself gives them the breath-taking task of publically proclaiming the gospel on behalf of his people. It is true, unfortunately, that some of these hand-picked servants end up throwing their title away in unbelief or arrogance or sinful mistakes. David’s own predecessor, King Saul, did. And so did many of the kings after him. But a failed servant is not the fault of the perfect Master. He didn’t make the wrong choice or put that servant in the wrong situation. The Lord did exactly what had to be done at exactly the right time. And so as long as one of the Lord’s spiritual servants is still one of the Lord’s spiritual servants, we are to honor them and respect them as such. They have been hand-picked. They have been well-equipped. They are the right fit. Because “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” And he sees not only what one of his servants can do, but also exactly what you need. And he will make sure that you are taken care of by the leaders he carefully selects for your benefit.
Amen.
“Jesus appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” - 1 Tim. 3:16
Monday, January 04, 2010
1/3/09 - Christmas 2 - Luke 1:68-75
There are certain people in Scripture who are only remembered for the sins they committed - and rightly so. Cain, for example, is known exclusively for killing his brother Abel out of jealousy. And any mention of the first king of
But there are also some characters of the Bible who have a bad reputation a little unfairly - people who may have clearly fell into sin or two, but Christians who should be remembered for more than just the mistakes they made. I think Zechariah would be one of those people who has that unfortunate distinction of being known only for his faults rather than for his faith. Because if anyone remembers anything about John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, it’s usually not too flattering. Some of you might remember that he was serving as high priest in the temple when the angel Gabriel came to visit him. But when Gabriel told him that his aging and barren wife Elizabeth would actually conceive and give birth to a son, Zechariah doubted the words of the Lord. And so Gabriel pronounced that Zechariah would be unable to talk for the next 9 months until his son was born and the promise was fulfilled. And although all of that is certainly true, and I wouldn’t fault anyone for remembering that part of the story, it’s not fair to Zechariah to stop there. Because when his wife finally did give birth to their son, Zechariah wrote down on a tablet that his name was to be “John” in accordance with the words of the angel Gabriel. And at the moment he wrote those words, “his tongue was loosened and he began to speak, praising God” (Luke 1:64), Scripture says. And what most people don’t remember is that the rest of Luke chapter one is entitled “the Song of Zechariah” in which he praises the Lord for his mercy and even predicts what his own son will do and what Jesus, the coming Son of Mary, will accomplish as well. Zechariah went from doubting God’s promises at the beginning of the story to proclaiming God’s promises at the end of it. He finally learned. He finally learned that God’s words would always come true. Even though you could say that he learned the hard way, he eventually came around. The Lord had revealed his plans to Zechariah and then he taught Zechariah to trust them.
Our gospel lesson for this Sunday is the first part of Zechariah’s Song. It is a beautiful proclamation of his faith and a prediction of the Christ that was soon to come. And along with Zechariah’s doubts earlier on, this song is also something that we should remember Zechariah for: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of
Will we ever learn? Will we ever learn to trust that God’s plans will come true no matter how improbable they may seem at the time? Or are we going to continue to be just as stubborn as Zechariah was? Are we going to continue to hear the clear words of God like he did but refuse to buy into the fact that God might actually do what he said he would do? Because there are plenty of teachings we know about in Scripture that we have a hard time trusting.
For instance, we know from Jesus’ words in the Bible that if we seek his kingdom first - that is, if we put his Word and his will number one in our lives - everything else we need will be given to us as well. But there are times when we have serious doubts that Jesus’ words to us are accurate. Because when we do run into problems, when we do struggle to make ends meet, when we do face difficulties in this life, we rarely run back to his Word before we do anything else. More often than not we try to fix the problem first, or worry about the outcome, or complain about the difficulties. Instead of putting God’s kingdom first and knowing everything else will be taken care of, we end up putting God’s kingdom last until we have taken care of everything else. We act like Zechariah at the beginning of the story (not trusting God’s Word) instead of like Zechariah at the end of it (fully relying on God’s Word).
We also have been taught from Scripture that God plans to spread his Word to all the world and that his Word will always carry out his will. That is his promise. But when we are in the middle of a situation where the Word doesn’t seem to be working or people don’t seem to be listening or a congregation doesn’t seem to be growing or city doesn’t seem to be responding then we again have serious doubts that what God’s Word says is true. Because we aren’t seeing the results. We aren’t getting any positive feedback. We seem to be spinning our wheels in all kinds of different directions. And we end up acting like Zechariah at the beginning of the story instead of like Zechariah at the end of it.
Will we ever learn? Will we ever learn to simply take God at his Word and trust that what he says to us is true even if this world and our sinful nature tell us differently? Will we ever learn that if God says everything will be taken care of then it will be taken care of? Will we ever learn that if God says that his Word will work then his Word will work? I hope that we learn this important lesson! I hope that I’m taught to learn this truth a little better myself! Because I’m inclined to trust God’s promises only as long as I can see it’s possible that they might come true in the near future. I’m prone to fully rely on God’s promises only as long as it isn’t too much of a nuisance and doesn’t disrupt my every-day life. I wouldn’t be surprised if I were much more stubborn than Zechariah ever was. And if I had been in his position the Lord probably still wouldn’t allow me to speak!
Will we ever learn? Yes, we will. Slowly sometimes, but we’ll learn. Because the Lord himself will teach us to trust him. He will patiently instruct us in the ways of his will until we are comfortable relying on his love. But understand that he may very well teach us to depend on him in the same way he taught Zechariah - the hard way. He may allow temptations to surround you and surge over you at points in your life just so that you come to understand why Jesus had to come to this earth and live perfectly in your place. He may send to you some extremely painful health problems so that you can get a little taste of the pains and tortures that he went through in this life for your sake. He may use the destroyed relationships in your life to remind you that his own Father rejected him while he was on the cross. He may continually strike your conscience with guilt through his Word so that you never forget the agony of hell that he experienced to take away that guilt. He may take the death of someone you love and shove it right in front of your face so you cannot ignore the result of sin but also so that you can clearly see the result of Christ’s cross. He may make you weak so that you can no longer trust in yourself but only in your powerful Lord. He may make you fail many times over so that you can no longer be proud of yourself but only of your victorious Savior. He may take away everything you’ve ever had so that you are only left with his Word and his promises - and they are the last things you have to rely on.
In order to teach us what we need to know, the Lord might teach us the hard way. Because sometimes we need a kick in the backside, frankly; we need a slap in the face; we need the chair pulled out from under us to get our attention. We are sinfully stubborn and it’s crucial that the Lord keeps forcing us back to his Word. Because the devil doesn’t stop, this world doesn’t care, and our sinful nature doesn’t go away. We are attacked every day by those enemies of our faith and so it’s absolutely essential that we are brought back to the “horn” - the Strong One - who gives us “salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.” It is necessary that we keep coming back to Zechariah’s Lord and Savior: the Rock, the Fortress, David’s Son and the King of all creation. And we can only come into contact with our Lord through his Word. That’s where he talks to us. That’s where he comforts us. That’s where he strengthens us. That’s where he teaches us. That’s where he saves us.
Zechariah learned that the hard way. But he did learn. And we might have to learn the hard way as well. But although it may be an unpleasant process at the time, thank your God that he teaches you the hard way. Because that means he cares. That means he’s willing to put in all of the time and all of the effort it takes to keep you in his fold. He is concerned about your spiritual welfare and he will do everything necessary to make sure you end up in heaven. He has already done everything on the cross; now he will do everything to make sure you believe it.
Will we ever learn? We have been. The Lord has been teaching us throughout our lives with every experience we have gone through, every sin we have committed, and every truth in his holy Word we have ever heard. We were being taught when we didn’t even know we were in the Lord’s classroom. We were learning when we didn’t even know there was anything to learn. And throughout the years the Lord has molded you into a good student - if not a smart one then at least a grateful one! Because the Lord doesn’t ask you to have a perfect faith; he simply moves you to trust in your perfect Savior. And so as you go about this life learning even more about your Savior and your salvation, keep your textbook handy. It contains everything you need to know. All of the answers are there. Trust that its Author knows what he’s talking about.
Amen.
“Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” - Romans 11:33,36
Saturday, January 02, 2010
12/31/09 - New Year's Eve - James 1:16-18
FIRSTFRUITS FOR HIS FIRSTFRUITS
Every year the Israelites were to gather together in Jerusalem for three annual celebrations. The second of these religious festivals was called the Feast of Weeks. Seven weeks after they began to gather their harvest God’s people were to come to Jerusalem and sacrifice various offering, including an offering of “firstfruits” to the Lord. The firstfruits were to be the very best of the crops and the oil and the wine that the Israelites had been blessed with during the harvest - and so the firstfruits weren’t necessary first in time, but first in quality. It was a way in which the Israelites could show their love and appreciation for the Lord by giving back to him the best of what they had in proportion to the blessings he had given to them.
And although we don’t celebrate the Feast of Weeks anymore, we still give the Lord the firstfruits of our blessings today, don’t we? And the only reason we are moved to give the Lord our firstfruits is because the Lord has also given us the firstfruits of his blessings. We have been blessed this past year with more gifts than we could ever make use of, haven’t we? He has showered us with both physical and spiritual blessings, both in our own family and within our congregational family, both in our home towns and in our country. And all of his blessings have been good. In fact, they have been the best. We have once again received the firstfruits of God’s love in 2009 when there was no reason for him to even glance our way.
It’s exciting to live under God’s grace! You never know what blessing he will suddenly throw into your lap next! You can never predict what he will do through you or accomplish for you tomorrow! And it’s very important to remember that. It’s important to remember that the Lord is the one who produces all of these good things. The Lord is the one who is behind every success and achievement and accomplishment that we benefit from in our lives. We really can’t take credit for anything good that happens in this life - no matter how many people try to convince us otherwise.
“Wow, you made that? That’s impressive. It looks professionally done!” And we may try to deflect a compliment like that and attempt to make no big deal about it, but in the back of our minds we really like to think, “Ya know, it did turn out pretty well if I do say so myself. I guess I’m a little more talented that I thought I was. I surprise myself sometimes!” Or maybe a person comments on the nice life that you’ve made for yourself in your retirement; and it’s so tempting to think: “Well, I did put in a lot of grueling hours for quite a few years. I worked hard. I was smart with my money. I paid my dues. I suppose I have earned a little time to relax and enjoy the things I’ve been able to acquire for myself throughout life.” And sometimes it’s something as simple as looking back at the day gone by and reviewing all of the things that you’ve seemed to accomplished all on your own: “Let’s see: I got up early, did the laundry, made breakfast, exercised, fixed the faucet, wrote three letters, balanced the checkbook, called my neighbor, bought some groceries, cleaned the mess up in the garage, prepared supper, read my Bible… I got a lot of things done today! That’s not a bad day’s work!” And then we give ourselves that proverbial and well-deserved pat on the back before we lay our heads down on the pillow.
It’s not wrong to enjoy the blessings we receive, of course. In fact, we’re supposed to be happy about what we have and what gets done. But “Do not be deceived, my dear brothers,” the apostle James warns us. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” It’s OK to be glad about the blessings in this life; but it’s not OK to take any of the credit away from the one from whom these blessings come. We are inclined at times to put too much stock in our own abilities and our own hard work and our own determination and our own efforts instead of attributing every good thing to the Lord. How easily we forget that no matter how hard we work, no matter how much effort we put into something, no matter how many abilities we have, and no matter how determined we are to get it done, nothing good would ever happen if the Lord didn’t want it to. The only reason good things happen in our lives is because God gives his firstfruits to his firstfruits.
God gives the firstfruits of his blessings to the firstfruits of his creation - and that’s what we are. Again James reveals to us that, “He chose to give us birth through the Word of Truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” We are God’s firstfruits. We are the best of his creation. We are the most treasured and the most valuable of everything he has ever made because he has given us birth through the Word of Truth. He has made us believers through the gospel of Christ and his cross. He has made us a part of his family and has forgiven our sins through the water and Word of baptism. He has made us one with his own body and blood through the power of the Lord’s Supper. He has made us his own; and that means we are worth more to him than anything else in creation.
The most beautiful sunset known to man is no comparison to your beauty in the eyes of your God. The most magnificent mountain on this earth is a mere clod of dirt compared to the great heights to which the Lord has lifted you. The dark depths of the sea, the blinding brightness of the sun, the unreachable expanse of this boundless universe fades into the background compared to the glory and the splendor and the brilliance that the Lord has placed on you. There is nothing, nothing more precious to him than you are. You are his firstfruits. You are his greatest creation. He is proud to have made you. And he is even more thrilled to have saved you.
And so, of course, he gives the firstfruits of his creation the firstfruits of his blessings. He gives you nothing but the best. He gives you nothing other than what is for your good and for the good of those other believers around you. That doesn’t mean he gives you everything, of course! Good parents do not give their children everything they want even if money is of no issue. Good parents will give their children everything they need, everything they should have, and even many more things that will make their children happy. But sometimes that also means withholding various things from time to time. Good parents determine what is the best for those they love and they make their decisions accordingly.
Your God is the best parent of all. He is your heavenly “Father” for a reason. He gave you birth through the Word of Truth. He raised you up with the gospel in his own house. He supplies for your every need. You are very special to him. And so don’t be surprised when the blessings keep coming. He likes to make you happy! He likes to shower his children with gifts! But also don’t be depressed if the blessings seem to stop. Because first of all, the blessings never really stop; and second of all, whatever God your Father gives you is good enough. Really, whatever God your Father gives you is the best. It’s the firstfruits of his love. And if you always receive the firstfruits of God’s love, you can’t ever receive anything better. And the Lord isn’t going to give you anything less. We’ve seen that again in 2009. We’ll continue to see it in the years to come.
Amen.
“God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” - Philippians 4:19-20
Every year the Israelites were to gather together in Jerusalem for three annual celebrations. The second of these religious festivals was called the Feast of Weeks. Seven weeks after they began to gather their harvest God’s people were to come to Jerusalem and sacrifice various offering, including an offering of “firstfruits” to the Lord. The firstfruits were to be the very best of the crops and the oil and the wine that the Israelites had been blessed with during the harvest - and so the firstfruits weren’t necessary first in time, but first in quality. It was a way in which the Israelites could show their love and appreciation for the Lord by giving back to him the best of what they had in proportion to the blessings he had given to them.
And although we don’t celebrate the Feast of Weeks anymore, we still give the Lord the firstfruits of our blessings today, don’t we? And the only reason we are moved to give the Lord our firstfruits is because the Lord has also given us the firstfruits of his blessings. We have been blessed this past year with more gifts than we could ever make use of, haven’t we? He has showered us with both physical and spiritual blessings, both in our own family and within our congregational family, both in our home towns and in our country. And all of his blessings have been good. In fact, they have been the best. We have once again received the firstfruits of God’s love in 2009 when there was no reason for him to even glance our way.
It’s exciting to live under God’s grace! You never know what blessing he will suddenly throw into your lap next! You can never predict what he will do through you or accomplish for you tomorrow! And it’s very important to remember that. It’s important to remember that the Lord is the one who produces all of these good things. The Lord is the one who is behind every success and achievement and accomplishment that we benefit from in our lives. We really can’t take credit for anything good that happens in this life - no matter how many people try to convince us otherwise.
“Wow, you made that? That’s impressive. It looks professionally done!” And we may try to deflect a compliment like that and attempt to make no big deal about it, but in the back of our minds we really like to think, “Ya know, it did turn out pretty well if I do say so myself. I guess I’m a little more talented that I thought I was. I surprise myself sometimes!” Or maybe a person comments on the nice life that you’ve made for yourself in your retirement; and it’s so tempting to think: “Well, I did put in a lot of grueling hours for quite a few years. I worked hard. I was smart with my money. I paid my dues. I suppose I have earned a little time to relax and enjoy the things I’ve been able to acquire for myself throughout life.” And sometimes it’s something as simple as looking back at the day gone by and reviewing all of the things that you’ve seemed to accomplished all on your own: “Let’s see: I got up early, did the laundry, made breakfast, exercised, fixed the faucet, wrote three letters, balanced the checkbook, called my neighbor, bought some groceries, cleaned the mess up in the garage, prepared supper, read my Bible… I got a lot of things done today! That’s not a bad day’s work!” And then we give ourselves that proverbial and well-deserved pat on the back before we lay our heads down on the pillow.
It’s not wrong to enjoy the blessings we receive, of course. In fact, we’re supposed to be happy about what we have and what gets done. But “Do not be deceived, my dear brothers,” the apostle James warns us. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” It’s OK to be glad about the blessings in this life; but it’s not OK to take any of the credit away from the one from whom these blessings come. We are inclined at times to put too much stock in our own abilities and our own hard work and our own determination and our own efforts instead of attributing every good thing to the Lord. How easily we forget that no matter how hard we work, no matter how much effort we put into something, no matter how many abilities we have, and no matter how determined we are to get it done, nothing good would ever happen if the Lord didn’t want it to. The only reason good things happen in our lives is because God gives his firstfruits to his firstfruits.
God gives the firstfruits of his blessings to the firstfruits of his creation - and that’s what we are. Again James reveals to us that, “He chose to give us birth through the Word of Truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” We are God’s firstfruits. We are the best of his creation. We are the most treasured and the most valuable of everything he has ever made because he has given us birth through the Word of Truth. He has made us believers through the gospel of Christ and his cross. He has made us a part of his family and has forgiven our sins through the water and Word of baptism. He has made us one with his own body and blood through the power of the Lord’s Supper. He has made us his own; and that means we are worth more to him than anything else in creation.
The most beautiful sunset known to man is no comparison to your beauty in the eyes of your God. The most magnificent mountain on this earth is a mere clod of dirt compared to the great heights to which the Lord has lifted you. The dark depths of the sea, the blinding brightness of the sun, the unreachable expanse of this boundless universe fades into the background compared to the glory and the splendor and the brilliance that the Lord has placed on you. There is nothing, nothing more precious to him than you are. You are his firstfruits. You are his greatest creation. He is proud to have made you. And he is even more thrilled to have saved you.
And so, of course, he gives the firstfruits of his creation the firstfruits of his blessings. He gives you nothing but the best. He gives you nothing other than what is for your good and for the good of those other believers around you. That doesn’t mean he gives you everything, of course! Good parents do not give their children everything they want even if money is of no issue. Good parents will give their children everything they need, everything they should have, and even many more things that will make their children happy. But sometimes that also means withholding various things from time to time. Good parents determine what is the best for those they love and they make their decisions accordingly.
Your God is the best parent of all. He is your heavenly “Father” for a reason. He gave you birth through the Word of Truth. He raised you up with the gospel in his own house. He supplies for your every need. You are very special to him. And so don’t be surprised when the blessings keep coming. He likes to make you happy! He likes to shower his children with gifts! But also don’t be depressed if the blessings seem to stop. Because first of all, the blessings never really stop; and second of all, whatever God your Father gives you is good enough. Really, whatever God your Father gives you is the best. It’s the firstfruits of his love. And if you always receive the firstfruits of God’s love, you can’t ever receive anything better. And the Lord isn’t going to give you anything less. We’ve seen that again in 2009. We’ll continue to see it in the years to come.
Amen.
“God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” - Philippians 4:19-20
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