Sermons From My Heart

Come and see.

Think for a moment about the effect those words might have on you if you were to hear them in an everyday context. Would they generate a sense of excitement about whatever it might be you were being invited to witness? Perhaps they might ignite your curiosity. Perhaps you might be thankful that someone thought to include you.

Come and see.

The words are both simple and warm, issuing an invitation not only to see something, but also to join a community. To come along and be part of something.

Come and see.

Have you ever used those words to invite friends to come to church with you? Have you ever talked to your friends about Jesus and what He has done in your life? If some laugh and say you’re foolish to believe as you do, don’t argue with them. Be friendly and accept them as Jesus does. After a while, your friends may be curious and willing to “come and see” what church is all about. Best of all, they may come to know Jesus.

We see a good example of this in the passage we heard from John’s Gospel. Philip invited Nathaniel to come and see the long-promised Messiah. The law and the prophets were the two most important parts of the Hebrew Scriptures. Philip told Nathaniel that he found the one that the Scriptures had been telling them to anticipate. The Messiah was now in their midst, but He went beyond the prophets of the Old Testament. He was the Word-the one who most perfectly revealed God and God’s will.

Nathaniel couldn’t believe that the Messiah came from Nazareth. Nathaniel was prejudiced. He came from Cana, which was another town in Galilee. Galileans were hated by the Judaeans, and Galileans hated people who came from Nazareth. The reason might be because Nazareth was an insignificant village that didn’t have prophetic importance. Today, many people allow their minds to be filled with prejudice against religion, and they pronounce their prejudice without examining the subject. The invitation to come and see is an invitation to join Jesus as He walks in the footsteps of the poor and stands in solidarity with those who suffer from systems of injustice and prejudice.

The darkness of the sin called prejudice allows us to sit and judge everyone and everything around us. It allows us to jump to conclusions about people without knowing their full story. It’s too bad for the people who don’t fit into our nice, neat categories. It doesn’t matter if it’s a nerdy kid at school who doesn’t dress like we do or that estranged family member, the strange neighbour or a congregation full of hypocrites. We even do the same with God. We judge His holiness and faithfulness by the circumstance of our lives. We don’t give God the right to be God.

The world is prejudiced against Christianity today. The world asks if any good can come from the One who calls us to stake our whole existence on Himself, and who calls us out of our individual worlds to follow Him to His cross. Our culture finds that offensive and labels it as a need to bring punishment on ourselves. The person of Jesus is the great cleaving sword of humanity. He divides those who come to faith in Him from those who reject Him. He separates the sheep from the goats as written in Matthew 25.

People do not need to be argued into the kingdom of God. Philip simply told Nathaniel, “Come and see.” The role of believers is to introduce people to Jesus, sharing His story and their stories of what He has done. Philip didn’t try to reason with Nathaniel. He asked Nathaniel to go and examine things for himself, to see Jesus, to hear Him speak, to lay aside his prejudices and to judge after he made a fair and candid personal inquiry.

Similarly, we should encourage people to lay aside their prejudices against religion and Christianity. If people want to know what God is like, they can look to Jesus. If they want to know what Jesus is like, they should be able to look at His followers. Can people see Christ in us? Seeing Jesus is the most compelling argument that exists for Christianity.

The heart of Christian evangelism is inviting people to come and see Jesus, God’s gracious Word and flesh for themselves. To come and see those who are inspired by Jesus enough to follow Him. To come and see how God continues to work in the world and in our lives. The invitation to “come and see” is the only appropriate response to having seen the grace and mercy of God taking shape among us.

Despite the setbacks of being from Nazareth, Jesus had insight and intuition that the best family, geography and education can’t give. He knew people, their nature, their motivation and their desires. That’s what drew him to Nathaniel as He saw him sitting under the fig tree.

Jesus sought out Philip and went after Him. Philip was an ordinary man, but Jesus invited Philip not just to stand out, but to keep on following Him. This encourages those of us who are shy and feel that we have so little to offer, just like the little boy in the Christmas Carol, “The Little Drummer Boy.” These are the type of people He looks for most eagerly. Similarly, Philip sought out Nathaniel and invited him to come and follow Jesus.

Jesus saw Nathaniel for who he really was. Nathaniel lived up to everything he saw and did. He was sincere and upright. Jesus knows who people really are. He sees their hearts. He sees their true motives. Jesus is divine, so He sees what we do when we think we’re doing it in secret. He sees us even when we don’t think He sees us. He sees us in our private devotions, hears our prayers and sees our meditations. He judges our character chiefly by our private devotions. If we have faith in Jesus, it will always be strengthened. If we believe His Word, we will see proof that it is true. Jesus was under God’s protection, and His friends will also be protected. God will defend us and save us if we put our trust in Him.

When he addressed Jesus as the Son of God, Nathaniel didn’t understand the full meaning of that title, but he knew that Jesus had an unusual relationship with God. Nathaniel called Jesus the King of Israel, but since Jesus referred to Nathaniel as an Israelite, Nathaniel surrendered to Jesus as his own king. This should encourage all of us to surrender to Jesus as our own king.

Nathaniel will be given far deeper grounds for belief than Jesus’ perception of who he is. As Jesus’ ministry unfolds, Nathaniel will see mighty works, great and wondrous surprises that will reveal God. We will see the same things when we surrender our lives to Jesus. It’s only as we get real and courageously honest with ourselves and God that He can help us become the people He wants us to be. If we live up to all we know, we will know more. If we are all we can be, we will become more.

Nathaniel went on to become a disciple and friend of Jesus. He traveled across India, Armenia, Ethiopia and Southern Arabia, sharing the gospel and drawing people to Jesus. When he encountered Jesus, he stood under a fig tree minding his own business. As he trusted that Jesus knew him inside and out, it changed the direction of his life.

What gifts are inside of you? They may seem ordinary to you, but not to Jesus, He sees our gifts of hospitality, deep compassion, music or writing. He is happy that you are good with kids or a good planner, or that you have a natural ability to lead others. Jesus sees those gifts because He gave them to us. Are we using them to their fullest potential? Are we using them to do God’s work in the world?

What does it take for us to believe? God doesn’t need to prove He is God as much as we need to prove we believe He is God. Despite how we feel, what we see or how we think, in the words of Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” Faith goes beyond the senses to a deep understanding and knowing that He is God in the midst of a hassled day and the hurts from life’s circumstances. Faith is believing without seeing, as Jesus told the apostle Thomas.

The essence of discipleship is to follow Jesus. It’s what most of us want for ourselves, our family members and our friends. Life is much better for people when they follow Christ. To be a Christian is to realize that we have been called by God. Called to grace, called to life, called to move. Our proper response is to follow Jesus-slowly, perhaps not perfectly, but to try and follow nonetheless.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, p. 1443)
2. “Come and See.” Retrieved from www.KeysforKIds.org
3. Barnes, Notes on the New Testament. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package
4. Fredrikson, R.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 27: John (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1985; pp. 56-60)
5. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
6. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010, pp. 1451-1453)
7. Suzie Eller, “He Sees the Gift in You.” Retrieved from devotions@proverbs31.org
8. Richard Innes, “Authenticity.” Retrieved from www.actsweb.org
9. Pastor Dick Woodward, “A Fig Tree Fellowship.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
10. “Just Believe.” Retrieved from www.dailydisciples.org
11. Rev. Wayne Palmer, “The Darkness of Rash Judgment.” Retrieved from lh_min@lhm.org
12. Matthew A. Maus, “John 1:43-51.” Retrieved from communic@luthersem.edu
13. Richard Niell Donovan, “Exegesis for John 1:43-51.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
14. David Lose, “Come and See.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org.
15. Pastor Edward Markquart, “Come and See Gospel Analysis.” Retrieved from www.sermonsfromseattle.com

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One day Susie’s mother sent her to the store to buy a loaf of bread. She gave Susie two dollars and told her she could keep the change. When Susie paid for the bread, the cashier accidentally gave her too much money back. Susie knew right away that it was too much money. What should she do? Should she tell the cashier that she had made a mistake, or should she just keep quiet? What would you do?

James was going through the cafeteria line at school and looked down to see a dollar bill on the floor. There was no way of knowing who had lost the money, and no one would ever know if he just picked it up and put it in his pocket. What should he do? What would you do?

Hector found a money bag containing $120 on top of a pop machine at his school. Wow! That is a lot of money. Just think of all of the things you could do with $120! What should Hector do? What would you do?

Every day we are faced with decisions which test our honesty. It may be a small amount of incorrect change, a dollar found on the floor, or a large amount of money such as Hector found at school. The amount of money is not important, it is a question of doing what is right.

In the passage we heard from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus told a parable about a rich man who accused his manager of wasting his money. He called the manager in and told to him give an account of the way he had been managing his money. Sure enough, the manager had been taking some of the money for himself and cheating his employer.

Since the manager knew he was going to be fired, he came up with a plan that would make a lot of friends. He called the people who owed his boss money and asked them how much they owed. When they told him how much they owed, he told them they only had to pay a much smaller amount. As you can imagine, the people were very pleased to only have to pay a fraction of what they owed. The manager now had plenty of friends to help him when he no longer had a job.

The steward hurt his master by stealing from him, and his theft was discovered. The steward was willing to take revenge on his master and secure his future at the master’s expense. From this we can learn three things:

1. One sin leads to another, and that one act of dishonesty will be followed by many more if there is an opportunity.
2. Men who commit one sin can’t get along consistently without committing many more.
3. Sinners are selfish. They care more about themselves than they do either about God or truth. If they are looking for salvation, it is only for their own selfish ends, and because they want a comfortable home in the future world rather than because they have any regard for God or his cause.

Jesus told this story to show that “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” If we make sure that we are honest in the small things, then we can be sure that we will be honest in the big things. If people know that they can trust us in small things, they will know that they can trust us in the big things too.

Jesus also used this parable to teach the disciples about the danger of the love of money. He wanted to show them that the love of money would lead to guilt, how it would drive people to act dishonestly and the necessity of using money properly. He also taught them that if they wanted to serve God they had to give up attachment to money. He also emphasized they had to serve God and use the resources they had wisely.

This passage reinforces a few themes that run across the Gospels:

1. Wealth is both a blessing and a responsibility. We are blessed to be a blessing, and we are held accountable less for what resources we have accumulated than how we use them.
2. Wealth, status, power and privilege are fleeting. One day the steward was on top of the world; the next he was faced with disaster.
3. In times of crisis, God often appears where we least expect Him to be. He comes “from below” to give help.
4. We are placed on this earth to love and care for each other, not to separate ourselves from each other with wealth, status or privilege. God gave us people to love and things to use, but we often love things and use people.

All of the characters in this parable are corrupt. Most unbelievers are wiser in the ways of the world than some believers. The steward used his master’s money to buy friends on earth. By reducing their debts to his master, the debtors would be indebted to the steward. They would be obliged to take him into their homes when the steward was put out of his master’s home. A faithful steward does not allow pride, greed or the desire to be popular to influence his motives. He will not be lured or tempted into disobedience. Believers are to use God’s money to buy friends for eternity by investing in God’s kingdom to bring sinners to Christ.

So why is the dishonest manager shrewd? Even though he is looking out for his own interests, he models behaviour the disciples can emulate-behaviour that we can also emulate. He changed a bad situation into one that benefits him and others. By reducing other people’s debts, he created a new set of relationships based not on the relationship between lenders and debtors but on something more like the equal relationships between friends. Old hierarchies were overturned and new friendships were established. Outsiders and people lower down on hierarchies have become the very ones we depend upon to welcome us in their homes in this life and  in our eternal home. 

How people handle money is a good indicator of the condition of their hearts and in part determines what kind of assets and responsibilities the Lord entrusts to them, both in this age and the age to come. Individuals who use money primarily to enrich themselves prove untrustworthy of the true riches of God’s kingdom and will not receive them. On the other hand, the wise and generous use of money yields much greater things in the future.

Jesus understands the power of wealth and our susceptibility to become slaves to it. What happens when we shift from serving the One God, our Creator, and instead serve wealth? We have bought the message that wealth, belongings, prestige and beauty deserve our worship. We have bought the message that it is our wealth, power and rhetoric that make our community strong. Instead of putting our faith in a God of promise and covenant, we put our faith in wealth. The more we buy into that message, the more God’s wisdom is foolish to us.

We can put economic security ahead of our relationship with God, the well-being of our neighbours, and the survival of the planet. Money can’t be the centre of our lives. It can’t get in the way of our obligation to God, our care for ourselves and our friends and family and our care for the earth. The use of our wealth must be subservient to our commitment to God.

We have seen that shrewd actions are commended and ultimately rewarded. Jesus is nudging us toward the wisdom of living in this world, even though it is evil and corrupt. Being shrewd is how we survive in this world. We are only here for a short period of time, and God has given us gifts to use and opportunities to take advantage of. Will we use these gifts and opportunities wisely and shrewdly? Being shrewd in this life is not the point but being shrewd means that we will be able to work toward the higher goal of eternal life in heaven.

People serve money when their sole aim is to live as comfortably as possible, with little concern for the poor or disadvantaged. The world operates this way, and if God’s people choose to operate in the same way, they cannot serve Him. The two ways of living are diametrically opposed to one another.

Money can’t buy security. Its value fluctuates. For example, in Germany after World War I people traded wheelbarrows full of money for a loaf of bread. Money is meant to be a source of blessing. It’s to be used to bless our neighbours and the world. The question is this: Do we own our money or does our money own us?

If we want to be used by God, we have to be willing to do the little things first. We can never be too small for God to use, but we can be too big for God to use, especially if we think that doing small things is beneath us. If we are faithful in the small things, God will give us greater opportunities to serve in greater, more influential ways. If we are faithful where God puts us, He will do great things in and through us. In other words, we are to “bloom where we are planted.” The seed will not grow overnight, but it will grow in time.

Everything we have belongs to God. We are only keepers and custodians of what He has so generously given us. When we give, share and give back, God will bless our lives with more. We don’t have the same talents, spiritual gifts or financial means, but we do have the same number of hours in a day. How will we invest the most precious resources God has given us? Will we spend our lives on things that matter both for this world and the next, or will we waste them on things that have little or no real value or meaning? Desiring “stuff”, wealth and the admiration that comes from being seen to have lots of really nice stuff can make people do crazy things. It makes them cheat and lie. The choice we make will affect our eternal destiny. One day God will judge everything that we have done to see what value it holds and if we have used the resources God has given us to do His work in the world.

Whether we have a lot or a little, we have to be aware of what tempts us to be selfish, have more stuff or limit our vision to just our own blood and friends. The best use of our resources is to use them to benefit us and others. We are placed on this earth to love and care for each other, not to separate ourselves from each other with wealth, status or privilege.

The church will also be called someday to give an account of how it has used its resources. Have we understood that we are blessed to be a blessing? As we pour money into buildings for our own comfort, do we ask ourselves what we should be doing for churches in undeveloped countries? Have we asked ourselves what we should be doing for the less fortunate in our communities?

Here are five principles in which God will test us and then bless us:

1. God gives to generous people.
2. Obeying God’s vision will bring God’s provision. If we do what God tells us to do, God will give us the resources we need at the right time.
3. When we do all that God tells us to do, He does what we can’t do. He often asks us to do the impossible to stretch our faith. When we give what little we have, God multiplies it and makes up for it.
4. When we have a need, we should sow a seed of faith.
5. There’s always a delay between sowing and reaping.

Life on earth is preparation for eternity. We won’t take our careers with us to heaven, but we are going to take our character. While we are here on earth God is developing our characters and testing our faithfulness. Will we be faithful to do the right thing, even when we don’t feel like doing the right thing? God is watching us so that He can determine what kinds of jobs He is going to give us in eternity.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p.1418)
2. “The Dishonest Manager.” Retrieved from www.Sermons4Kids.com
3. Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. Part of Wordsearch 12 Bible software package.
4. Larson, B. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983; pp. 239-242)
5. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
6. Kim Potter, “Morning and evening, God is Faithful.” Retrieved from kim@anewthingministries.com
7. Dr. Paul Chappell, “Proper Priorities.” Retrieved from daily@dailyintheword.org
8. Pastor Rick Warren, “God Uses Your Work to Develop Your Character.” Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
9. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “A Faithful Steward.” Retrieved from mydevotional@leadingtheway.org
10. Bayless Conley, “Faithful to Another.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
11. Bobby Schuller, “Give, Share and Give Back…” Retrieved from hourofpower@hourofpower.org
12. Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 25^th Sunday, -C-.” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
13. Arthur Schoonveld, “When Time Runs Out.” Retrieved from today@thisistoday.net
14. Pastor Greg Laurie, “Faithful in Small Things.” Retrieved from www.harvest.org
15. Berni Dymet, “Made to Win.” Retrieved from bdymet@christianityworks.com
16. Pastor Rick Warren, “Faithful People are Generous.” Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
17. The Rev. Bruce Epperly, “The Adventurous Lectionary-the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost-September 22, 2019.” Retrieved from www.patheos.com/blogs/livingaholyadventure/2019/09/the-adventurous-lectionary.com
18. David Lose, “Pentecost 18C: Wealth and Relationships.” Retrieved from www.davidlose.net/2016/09/pentecost-18-c-wealth-and-relationships/
19. Lois Malcolm, “Commentary on Luke 16:1-13.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacehr.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1783
20. The Rev. Dr. Christopher Girata, “Shrewd Faith.” Retrieved from www.day1.org/8425-christopher_girata_Shrewd_faith.print

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The Old Testament reading we heard from Jeremiah talks about the destruction of Judah and the pain and suffering felt by its people. The destruction was caused by the sins of the people. Jeremiah identified with the people and their pain and suffering. We as Christians must also identify with people and their struggles and pain, especially when they sin. That doesn’t mean that we join them if they sin. We have to open our hearts to the people we serve. When we do, we show God’s love.

All of us need comfort at some point in our lives. There’s no such thing as a pain-free life. God allows pain and suffering because they draw us closer to him. Our pain creates a need for God. God is the “balm in Gilead” that Jeremiah refers to.

One of the ways we can show God’s love for people and therefore identify with them in their suffering is to pray for them. For example, we can pray for the victims of all conditions of mankind-war, sickness, poverty, death and so on. Praying in faith gives us power. How does this happen? It happens because we tap into the greatest power known to mankind-God’s power to change things.

God wants us to be a prayerful people, but he also wants us to pray for people. When we pray for others, we are following the instructions Paul gave to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:1-7. All blessings from God are conveyed through mediation from various agents, including the prayers offered by his children. The chief blessing of our salvation comes from the intercession and mediation of Jesus when we believe in him in faith. If we pray for everyone, we believe that God loves everyone and that Jesus died for everyone. In order to pray for everyone, we must enter into active relationships with them. It doesn’t matter if they are friends, enemies or total strangers. God wants everyone to be saved, and Christ gave himself as a ransom for everyone.

Jesus is the only mediator between us and God. This fulfills Old Testament prophecies. Jesus fulfilled God’s desire for all people to be saved and to know the truth of God’s love. We fulfill these same desires when we share the Gospel. Part of that process includes continually learning Biblical truths and growing closer to God. For example, every time I prepare a homily, my research helps me discover more truths about what is written in the Bible.

It was God’s grace and desire to save lost humanity which saw Jesus born in a stable in Bethlehem. It was God’s wish to bring all mankind to the knowledge of the truth which motivated Jesus during his earthly ministry. It was God’s goal to save everyone from an eternity in hell that motivated Jesus to remain silent during his trials, suffer without complaint when he was tortured, and offer words of forgiveness to those who nailed him to the cross. Jesus’ rescue mission shows how God was committed to saving us, and it is a rescue mission that we have been asked to share with a lost and dying world.

One group of people that Paul tells us to pray for is our leaders. God is responsible for the appointing of people to positions of authority. We must seek his counsel as revealed in Scripture. We must talk to God about men before we talk to men about God. We do this through prayer. We pray for our leaders so we may live in peace, quietness, godliness and dignity. This is often hard to do because of the situation our world is in today. There are wars and rumours of wars all around us. Look at the current situation in Syria for example.

When we are in fellowship with God, his love enters us and remains in us. When we show kindness to others, his love is revealed through us. Love in this sense benefits both the giver and the receiver. It allows us to become happy people. We show this love when we pray for others.  Our prayers are for our own benefit as well. Prayers from other Christians encourage us. Prayer is our expression of faith and dependence on God. When we pray, we serve Christ instead of ourselves. This goes against our carnal, selfish nature with its emphasis on self instead of on Christ. When we pray, we discern God’s will for our lives.

Whether he knew it or not, the shrewd money manager Jesus talks about in Luke 16:1-13 was faithful because he was generous to his master’s debtors. This might not make sense at first glance because the manager was being dismissed for being dishonest but by reducing the amount each debtor owed, the manager was being generous. Faithful people are generous when they don’t have anything to give.

The manager was a good example of Paul’s statement that the love of money is the root of all evil. The manager loved money so much that he charged interest on the money his boss loaned to people. Jewish law prohibited the charging of interest, but the manager was able to get around that law by increasing the amount of the debt owed. For example, if a debtor owed 50 chickens, the manager increased that amount to 100 chickens and pocketed the difference. When the manager reduced the debts, he looked good in the eyes of both the debtors and his boss.

There are five principles in which God will test us and bless us, just like he tested and blessed the manager.

1. God gives to generous people. When we are generous, we are like God. When the manager was generous by forgiving part of the debtors’ loans, he was being generous. He was following the part of the Lord’s Prayer where we ask God to “forgive our debts like we forgive our debtors”.

•  Obeying God’s vision brings God’s provision. When the manager reduced the amounts of the debtors’ loans, he gained their friendship, and that friendship would be needed after the manager was dismissed. In other words, God provided for the manager’s future when the manager obeyed God’s will by reducing the debts.

• When we do all that God tells us to do, he does what we can’t do. When the manager obeyed God’s will by reducing the debts, the manager’s boss was pleased. God changed the heart of the manager’s boss.

• When we have a need in our lives, we are to sow that need as a seed, and it will come back to us. The manager needed the help of the debtors, and he planted that seed of need by reducing their debts.

• There is always a delay between sowing and reaping. In the case of the manager, we do not know when the people whose debts he reduced helped him, but we do know that he received praise from his boss as soon as the boss found out what happened. The delay between sowing and reaping was a test of faith, and the delay when we sow a seed of need and the time when we can reap the harvest is also a test of our faith.

We can’t put our security in money because money is not as safe and secure as we think it is. Look at the current worldwide economic situation for example. People are losing their jobs. The prices of oil and gas are going through the roof. The world’s future is uncertain, but we can have the certainty of a sure future because we have a sure faith in God.

If we are faithful in the small things God gives us, he will trust us with bigger and better things. If we are faithful where God plants us, he will work through us. We need to be wise as we do God’s work in our world. By doing so we will be the masters of our money, time, and talents instead of letting them master us. If we use our wealth and resources to serve God, we will be welcomed into God’s kingdom.

We are never too important to help with menial tasks. In fact, God will never let us avoid menial tasks. Doing small tasks shows that we have a big heart. Big things often disguise themselves in small tasks. Integrity shows up in the stuff no one sees or the events that happen behind the scenes.

Like the shrewd manager, we have to make decisions about our future, especially our eternal future. We are called upon daily to account for how we have used what we have been given, especially how what we have been given has been used for God’s service. The people of Judah were called upon to account for how they used the relationship God had with them, and they were punished by the destruction of Judah. Paul instructed Timothy on how to use his faith to relate to the people he dealt with on a daily basis, and the result was that Timothy became one of Paul’s most trusted and faithful followers. Jesus calls on us to use our God-given gifts, including prayer, to further our faith and God’s work in this world. If we are successful, we will receive the help we need to cope with life’s challenges. What is more important though is that we will receive the greatest reward God can possibly give us-eternal life with him in heaven.

Bibliography

1. Demarest, G.W. , & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 32: 1,2 Thessalonians/1,2 Timothy/ Titus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.: 1984)
2. Dr. Charles Stanley, “Investing in Eternity”. Retrieved from www.intouch.org
3. Dr. Charles Stanley, “Prayer Makes a Difference”. Retrieved from www.intouch.org
4. Charles R. Swindoll, “A Matter of Obedience”. Retrieved from www.insight.org
5. Bayless Conley, “The Prerequisite of Prayer”. Retrieved from www.answersrbc.org
6. Dr. Tony Evans, “What are Carnal Christians?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
7. Rick Warren, “Jesus Paid the Price You Couldn’t Pay”. Retrieved from www.purposedriven.com
8. Pastor Ken Klaus, “Heartbroken”. Retrieved from www.lhm.org.
9. Sergei Sosedkin, “One God, One Mediator”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net.
10. Mark D. Roberts, “The Prophet’s Pain”. Retrieved from www.TheHighCalling.org
11. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishing; 2009)
12. Rebecca Barlow Jordan, “Balm in Gilead”. Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
13. Larson, B., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983)
14. Mark D. Roberts, “Money Isn’t the Main Thing”. Retrieved from www.TheHighCalling.org
15. Doug Fields, “Take Off the Disguise”. Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
16. Dean Deppe, “Give and You Shall Receive”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net
17. Rick Warren, “Servants are Faithful in the Small Things”. Retrieved from www.purposedriven.com
18. Rick Warren, “Faithful People are Generous”. Retrieved from www.purposedriven.com
19. Jude Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, 23^rd Sunday, Year C”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

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I first delivered this message on the Canadian Thanksgiving Sunday in October of 2015. Thanksgiving is a time when we pause to celebrate and give thanks to God for everything he has given us, and the best way to give thanks to God is to pray. Giving thanks is one of three types of prayer, the other two being supplication and intercessions (which means speaking to God on behalf of someone else). Regardless of the type of prayer we use, we must remember that prayer is not just for our sakes or needs.

Supplications are petitions for certain definite needs. They are humble requests made because of certain situations which God alone can help. When our supplications are granted, we need to give thanks. When we take our concerns to God, God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.

In the reading we heard from 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Paul tells us to pray for those in authority. Here in Canada this is appropriate right now because we are in the middle of a federal election campaign. Complaining about people in authority is easy, but God also tells us to pray for them. These prayers should include requests for the peaceable and wise rule and prayers for their salvation. Such prayers acknowledge that all authority is ultimately God’s authority and that God is the ultimate King.

We are also to pray for salvation for lost souls. This puts us at odds with Paul. He argues that although God wants everyone to be saved, that does not mean that God will save everyone. People must either accept the Gospel or reject it. Believers should still pray for everyone, even those who seen unreachable. If we think that some people do not deserve the gift of salvation, then we are not as all-loving as God is. Scripture clearly states that God wants everyone to be saved and know the truth of salvation. There are no exceptions. No one is beyond God’s saving love.

Salvation is available because of the one person who was both man and God and who could represent humanity and reconcile humanity to God. That person is Jesus. Jesus served as a mediator between these two otherwise irreconcilable parties. Jesus is the only way to God.

The cross is the site of the most important transaction in history. Jesus served as a ransom to redeem humanity from slavery. The image is that of a slave market, with human beings as the slaves of sin. The price paid to free them was Jesus’ own death. Jesus substituted his own innocent life for our lives as slaves to sin and dying the death we all deserve and sparing us from the judgment we deserve.

False teachers were probably saying that salvation was restricted to the Jews, prompting Paul to write that Jesus gave himself for the sake of everyone and that God appointed him to teach the Gentiles.  Paul’s calling has authority because God gave it to him and because he was faithful to it. Godly obedience makes a Christian’s testimony believable so that unbelievers may hear it and receive it.

We have many gifts from God to be thankful for. These gifts range from the universal offer of the Gospel and salvation to everyone to God’s love for everyone to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for everyone to a church that is for everyone. The last one is hard to believe when you consider that some churches have allowed the world to control their agendas.

The passage from 1 Timothy links God’s grace with our concern for the church’s conduct in a world that lives by non-Christian customs. Churches that appeal to their own kind are the churches that most often grow in numbers. A church that reflects a culture of affluence and success is more likely to be successful. While God can and does bless people with success, we must remember to give thanks to God for that success. We must use that success to show God’s love to the world. One way we can do this is to pray.

Paul’s desire is for us to have compassion for the lost, to understand the depths of their pain and misery, and to come ultimately to God pleading for their salvation. Paul wants us to come to God on behalf of people who have no standing with him. We are to intercede for the lost.

We must not be “carnal Christians.” We must not live to please and serve ourselves instead of pleasing and serving Christ. It’s so easy for us to get caught up in asking God to provide us with what we need or want that we forget to pray for others. We need to ask God to help us be sensitive to the needs of others, just like many people in this area are being sensitive to the needs of Syrian refugees by coming together to arrange to bring some of them to this area. We must take advantage of every opportunity to approach God and lay our concerns at his feet.

Things do not happen in this world because we pray. They happen when we pray. We are changed as we discover that the deepest desires of our hearts and the world are changed in some way because of God, the source of light and life, the ground of our being and the lover of our souls. God is the source of all things. If there is matter, God created it. If there is meaning and purpose to life, God determines it. If there is power, God wields it. These are great gifts from God for us, and we need to keep our sights on God’s kingdom and not on the politics of the day.

Because of the gift of Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension, we have the power to choose what is right. Our love for Jesus motivates us to live for Jesus, and if we live for Jesus, we are to share our faith by praying for people. God loves doing miracles in the lives of people, especially people who are not believers.

The act of praying can involve lifting hands to heaven. This act is a picture of coming before God with clean hands and a pure heart. How can we lift our hands to God if we are not seeking to relate to everyone we meet-people God loves without distinction? We can’t lift our hands to God if we don’t speak and work for the elimination of things that would destroy us. We must raise our hands without anger or doubt.

At God’s Table, which is one of the greatest gifts God can give us, we learn that we need to show an attitude of gratitude. We don’t need to wait until Thanksgiving to give thanks. We need that deep spirit of influence. It keeps us from having an attitude of selfishness. We need to give thanks for all things because there is always something to be thankful for. We can give thanks to God today and every day, and we can be thankful for the one who loved us so much that he paid the ultimate price for our sins-Jesus.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worth Publishing; 2013)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Demarest, G.W. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 32: 1,2 Thessalonians/1,2 Timothy/Titus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Bayless Conley, “The Prayer of Intercession.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
6. Dr. Tony Evans, “What are Carnal Christians?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
7. Pastor Ken Klaus, “Everybody.” Retrieved from lh_min@lhm.org
8. Pastor Bobby Schuller, “Pray for People.” Retrieved from hourofpower@hourofpower.org
9. Allan Smith, “Praying for Others.” Retrieved from thought-for-the-day@hub.xc.org
10. Rebecca Barlow Jordan, “Mediator.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
11. A.K.M. Adam, “Commentary on 1 Timothy 2:1-7.” Retrieved from http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=717
12. The Rev. Geoffrey Hoare, “Intercession.” Retrieved from www.day1.org
13. Exegesis for 1 Timothy 2:1-7. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
14. Dr. Philip W. McLarty, “Honour the Emperor.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
15. Dr. Philip W. McLarty, “Praying for Others.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
16. Billy D. Strayhorn, “Sitting at the Big People Table.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

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Evan stretched his neck and peered around the people in front of him. A teenager named Brad was on the platform. He had just spoken, confessing that he had strayed from the Lord but had now come back. He said God had forgiven him, and he asked the congregation to forgive him too.

“Praise the Lord!” said Pastor Kerns, putting an arm around Brad’s shoulders. “Brad attended our church as a boy, and it was here that he accepted Jesus as his Saviour. Let’s celebrate his homecoming!” When people stood and began clapping, Evan wrinkled his nose and slid down in the pew. Why all this fuss for Brad? he wondered. I heard he joined a gang. He looked over and saw Mom glaring at him, so he quickly stood up.

That afternoon Mom brought it up during lunch. “You liked Brad a lot when you were younger,” she said. “I thought you’d be glad to see him back at church, but I noticed you didn’t want to stand up this morning and celebrate his return to the Lord. Why was that?”

“He joined a gang, didn’t he?” asked Evan. “Isn’t that bad?” He shrugged. “I know Brad says he’s sorry, but…I don’t know. I just don’t get why everyone’s making such a big deal over it.”

“Well, let me try to help you understand,” said Mom. “Let’s see. Remember that puppy that appeared at our door not too long ago?”

Evan smiled. “Sure. He was wearing a tag, so you called his owners. But I wish we could have kept him-he was so cute!”

“When his owners came for him, how did they treat him?” asked Mom. “Were they angry? Did they scold him or punish him?”

“No,” said Evan. “They hugged him and played with him. They were so glad he was found.”

“Brad is something like that puppy,” said Mom. “In a way, he was lost. He was a Christian but wasn’t living for the Lord. But God loves Brad far more than that puppy’s owners love their dog. God is happy that Brad has confessed and turned away from his sin. Like Pastor Kearns said, he’s come home, and we should celebrate that.”

Evan smiles. “Okay,” he said, “Let’s celebrate!”

What does it mean to be lost? It can mean having no personal relationship with God. It can also mean the lost desire for guidance from God because of our “I’ll-do-it-my-way” attitude. It can be the lost sense of no longer feeling special to the important people in our lives.

In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells three parables that make a single point: God loves the lost. The lost sheep, a lost silver coin and finally, a lost son comprise a trilogy of increasing value. The passage we heard from Luke’s Gospel talks about the first two parables. The lost sheep is one of one hundred and the lost coin is one of ten. In the first story, Jesus is the good shepherd; in the second, He is the good woman.

The story of the lost sheep could be called,” The Story of Four Verbs”-lose, seek, find, rejoice. The word “lost” is the best word to describe a person’s condition without God. Lost things cannot serve their purpose, and they lack the ability to return to where they belong-they must be found. In Christianity. God searches for people, as opposed to other religions where people attempt to find God. The coming of God in Christ is the God of heaven, seeking the lost.

There are two kinds of lostness. We can be lost like the sheep in the first parable. Sheep move from one green tuft to the next. They keep moving from tuft to tuft-sometimes right through a hole in a fence. When they’re done nibbling they can’t find the hole and they’re lost. Some of us nibble ourselves bit by bit into the far country. Bit by bit we gradually move further and further from God.

The coin the woman lost was part of her headdress, which was like her wedding ring. In those days, women didn’t wear rings as they do today. Instead, they wore elaborate headpieces that were adorned with ten coins to signify the Ten Commandments. It could be that the woman was recently married and she wore her “ring” all the time. She wore it when she went shopping and whenever she went out in public. Imagine how she felt when someone told her, “Do you know that one of your coins is missing?” She was probably scared and began looking for it everywhere. Finally, under the last piece of furniture, she found it! When she did, she told all of her friends. They rejoiced with her that her most valuable possession was complete again.

The coin was lost through carelessness. Similarly, we are careless. We choose the wrong friends, hang out in the wrong places, or make the wrong choices. Somehow we get lost through indifference or negligence.

Like that beautiful headdress, the Kingdom of God is incomplete without every lost person-including us. The God who created the universe scours the earth to save precious souls who haven’t been found, because He loves them.

In the passage we heard from Luke’s Gospel, the emphasis is on the seeker (God) and the result (joy). The shepherd went after the lost sheep, and the woman searched for the lost coin. In both cases what is lost represents just one sinner who repents. That is how valuable each person is to God.

Jesus’ parables about a lost sheep and a lost coin were not aimed at comforting sinners in calling them to God, but were directed toward those who had complained about Jesus welcoming and eating with sinners. To those who would keep others with unclean reputations at arms’ length and who could easily live their entire lives overlooking sinners, Jesus revealed the heart of God. His goal was to refashion hearts to reflect God’s love.

Those who complained about Jesus welcoming sinners trusted in their ability to measure how well people met God’s standards of behaviour. Scrutinizing people who don’t measure up makes one feel that they deserve God’s approval more than others do. In reality, they exchange God’s measuring stick for a different measuring stick-their own. If one did not switch measuring sticks and trusted one’s performance at measuring up to God’s standards, one might look righteous on the outside, but the heart would still be trusting in one’s own performance rather than God.

These parables show God taking the initiative in seeking sinners, just like a shepherd takes the initiative to find a lost sheep. Shepherds were responsible for every sheep. They had to see that none was lost, killed or injured. God does not want to see anyone lost and going to hell. That’s why the angels and God rejoice when a lost sinner repents and turns to God. In fact, Jesus told the Pharisees that one sinful man or woman who repents was cause for celebration far greater than for the 99 who see no need to humble their hearts. Love (aka God) never stops looking for us. He recklessly beckons His wandering children. He cares about each and every lost sheep. He affirms that every person is a priceless, beloved child of God.

Jesus was full of hope, truth and love. He said that there is more to life than what the world offers. Jesus’ words had a ring of reality about them. He was honest, candid and open. Jesus showed a supernatural love that was pure, sacrificial and revolutionary.

All of us need God’s deliverance. Each one of us is the lost sheep or the lost coin. Those of us who have heard God’s Word are not exempt from the capacity to do evil. In fact, we are even more in need of deliverance.

We as Christians can get lost. We can get lost very close to home-within the walls of the church. We get lost when prayer turns to dust in our mouths. We get lost when the Scriptures we once loved lie dead on the page. We get lost when sitting in a pew on Sunday morning makes our skin crawl. We get lost when even the most well-intentioned sermon sucks the oxygen out of our lungs. We get lost when the table of bread and wine that once nourished us now leaves us hungry, cranky, bewildered or bored. We get so miserably lost that God our Shepherd has to wander through our spiritual wilderness to find us.

No one is beyond hope or help-not even the outcasts and sinners with whom Jesus associated. God has a soft spot in His heart for them. The sinful people Jesus hung out with wanted to hear what He had to say. They knew that He spoke the truth and that some of it would be uncomfortable, but they also knew that they didn’t go away from their time with Him feeling like dirt. They found loving truth, warmth and hospitality-not condemnation and rejection.

God cares about all lost things. He rejoices in the discovery and redemption of lost people. There are consequences to our turning away from God, but He can change any situation. He wants justice, hospitality and healing, and we can be God’s partners in this process of healing the world.

God wants us to join Him as He reaches into the lives of people we know and introduces Himself to them through us. If we join Him, we will experience the joy of heaven here on earth as we see people meet God. We will never have God’s heart for lost people if we don’t feel a personal responsibility for them. Are we moved with compassion toward the lost people in our lives? How much do we care about the people at work who don’t know Christ? If they were to die today they would go straight to hell. Do we see those people as a nuisance, or do we see them as lost people that we can help? Jesus set a good example for us. We have to love lost people, because Jesus loved us when we were lost. He made this befriending love possible by coming down from heaven for us. living our life, dying our death and giving us His love and life-one that we can share!

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p.1416)
2. Larson, B. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983; pp. 234-235)
3. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
4. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
5. Rose R. Zediker, “Time to Celebrate.” Retrieved from www.keys4kids.com
6. Xochitl Dixon, “Love Won’t Stop.” Retrieved from donotreply@email.rbc.org
7. Bobby Schuller, “One Lost Lamb.” Retrieved from hourofpower@hourofpower.org
8. Bobby Schuller, “The Coin that Completes the Crown.” Retrieved from hourofpower@hourofpower.org
9. Dr. Ed Young, “The Amazing Appeal of Jesus Christ.” Retrieved from ministry@winningwalk.org
10. David Reay, “Once Was Lost.” Retrieved from mail@hope1032.com.au
11. Vikki Burke, “Beyond Mistakes and Weakness.” Retrieved from dbm@dennisburkeministries.org
12. John North, “Luke 15:1-2.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
13. Barry Newton, “A Heart Like God’s.” Retrieved from http://forthright.net
14. James MacDonald, “Loving Lost People.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
15. The Rev. Gregory Seltz, “There’s No Other Friend Like Jesus.” Retrieved from www.lhm.org
16. Bruce Epperly, “The Adventurous Lectionary-the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost-September 15, 2019.” Retrieved from www.patheos.com/blogs/livingaholyadventure/2019/09/the-adventurous-lectionary-the-fourteenth-Sunday-after-pentecost.html
17. Timothy Hoyer, “Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Gospel Year C.” Retrieved from https://crossings.org/text-study/14th-sunday-after-pentecost-c/?print=print
18. Debi Thomas, “On Lostness.” Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus.net

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On the museum wall of the concentration camp at Dachau is a large and moving photograph of a mother and her little girl standing in line for the gas chamber. The child, who is walking in front of her mother, does not know where she’s going. The mother, following behind, looks knowingly but is helpless to stop the tragedy.

In her helplessness, she performs the only act of love left to her. She places her hands over the child’s eyes so she will at least not see the horror to come. When people come to the museum, most don’t whisk by this photo hurriedly. Instead, they pause and almost feel the pain. Deep inside, they say to themselves, “O God, don’t let that be all there is.”

Hopelessness and helplessness are all that remain in the world today. I’m delivering this message to you on Sept. 10, 2019. It’s fitting that we remember this today, because 18 years ago tomorrow the world realized if only for a short time that it is full of hopelessness and helplessness. Eighteen years ago tomorrow the world witnessed the most horrible terrorist attacks in history. Tomorrow is the 18^th anniversary of 9/11. If there was ever an example of the hopelessness and helplessness that exists in the world today, it is the events that happened on September 11^th, 2001.

God provided a way out by sending His Son to earth as a child so that He could one day save the sins of mankind through Christ’s shed blood on the cross. The apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” This statement is something all of us hear regularly. It is part of the comfortable words that we hear in the Holy Eucharist liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer.

Paul relates his past to highlight God’s mercy and forgiveness. No sin lies beyond the scope of God’s forgiveness. God forgave a persecutor like Paul and enabled him for ministry. This should give everyone hope. God’s forgiveness also provides the basis for people to forgive themselves. This does not mean that God will redeem everyone from the consequences of every evil — but it does imply that none of us is in a position to make flat claims about whom God will or will not forgive.

Paul’s previous persecution of Christians made him the foremost sinner because he hindered others from coming to faith. At the same time, it allowed God to save Paul as an example of grace. If God could save Paul, he can save and change anyone and everyone.

No one expected that Saul of Tarsus-the earliest, greatest enemy of 1^st century Christianity- would turn to Christ and become Christianity’s greatest missionary. Paul even referred to himself as the chief of sinners, but his salvation demonstrates three things:

1. God is merciful and long-suffering.
2. His grace can reach even his worst enemies.
3. The Good News of Christ has the power to change lives and hearts.

False teaching tells us none of these things. Paul’s conversion is an example of God’s saving grace, which is in contrast to the uselessness of false teachings. When Paul opposed Christ, he did not have faith. False teachers profess to follow Christ, but they still live sin-filled lives. Some may say that TV evangelists such as Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker were false teachers, and some may say that modern TV evangelists such as Benny Hinn are also false teachers. Only God knows for certain.

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he was being honest. He knew who he was. He did not need to be perfect. He admitted that like many biblical characters he had many problems. Moses killed a man, Jonah ran away from God, and Paul persecuted Christians. Because of their encounters with God, they were changed. When we encounter God, we are pushed to change as well.

Paul mentions his past, but he does not dwell on it. There is a difference between testifying to God’s power to change a person’s life and glorifying sin. Paul was more interested in talking about the grace and salvation of Christ. Christianity is Jesus himself. Any reference to Christianity that is not tied to Jesus is not Christian. The gospel is grounded in the mystery of Emmanuel-God with us, among us, for us and in us. God’s purpose for us comes through personal faith.

God’s purpose is for us to spread the Good News. God can use us regardless of our past. IF he can use an evil persecutor like Paul, he can definitely use us. He can use us wherever we are. It doesn’t matter if we are a doctor, accountant, lawyer or labourer. The needs of people are everywhere.

Sometimes we feel that we are not equipped for the task. God does not call the equipped. He equips the called. He will give us the wisdom, strength and ability to do what he has called us to do. We need God’s strength to do his work. We are weak, human vessels. We might stumble at times, but we have God’s strength and power. God enables us, but he is also watching us, and he expects us to be faithful. He opens doors for us when we are faithful, and no man can shut these doors. Paul was not ashamed of Christ, and we must not be ashamed of Christ either. Paul urges both Timothy and us to be bold. We need that boldness if we are to spread the Good News.

God did come to earth to teach and to set the highest moral example as to how we should live our lives, but first and foremost His number one reason for becoming human was to save sinners! Until we trust Jesus for our salvation, we can’t even begin to follow in His footsteps. If Jesus had only come to show us how to live, we would have been frustrated and doomed, wallowing in our own constant failure! God loves us and welcomes us with open arms when we ask for forgiveness and surrender our lives to Him. He knew our greatest need is for forgiveness, so he sent us a Saviour.

There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. The only thing we have to do is accept that we are accepted. God welcomes us just as we are and right where we are, as it says in the hymn, “Just as I Am:”

Just as I am, without one plea,

but that thy blood was shed for me,

and that thou bidst me come to thee,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Paul was so overwhelmed by God’s grace that he broke into a doxology, or a short expression or outburst of praise and worship to God based on who He is and what He has done for his people. Paul gives God all honour and glory. No one deserves or earns salvation. It is all about God and His grace. Jesus did everything right so we could be made right. In spite of our sins, he continues to reach out to us. He continually promises to heal and help those who come to him.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1704)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Rev. David Mainse, “Chief Sinner.” Retrieved from www.100words.ca
4. A.K.M. Adam, “Commentary on 1 Timothy 1:12-17.” Retrieved from http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=687
5. Demarest, G.W. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 32: 1,2 Thessalonians/ 1,2 Timothy/Titus (Nashville, TN; Thomas Nelson Inc., 1984)
6. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Version (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
7. Pastor David McGee, “Equipping the Called.” Retrieved from www.crossthebridge.com
8. Pastor David McGee, “True Power.” Retrieved from www.crossthebridge.com
9. Bayless Conley, “Fruitfulness and Open Doors.” Retrieved from www.answersrbc.org.
10. Dr. David Jeremiah, “The king Eternal.” Retrieved from www.davidjeremiah.org
11. Doug Fields, “Moving Past Your Past.” Retrieved from www.homeword.com
12. Neil Anderson, “Showing Yourself Faithful.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
13. Randy Kilgore, “The Day My Dad Met Jesus.” Retrieved from www.rbc.org
14. Pastor Ken Klaus, “Jesus Came for Me.” Retrieved from www.lhm.org
15. Pastor Ken Klaus, “Saving Sinners.” Retrieved from www.lhm.org
16. Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2016, Year C. (Toronto, ON: The United Church of Canada, p. 8)
17. “Just as I Am, Without One Plea.” Retrieved from http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh357.sht
18. Dan Clendenin, Ph.D., “A Trustworthy Saying.” Retrieved from http://www.journeywithjesus.net/lectionary-essays/current-essay?id=1051

The Book of Jeremiah is a book full of dark prophecies of doom and gloom. Jeremiah is a heartbroken prophet with a heartbreaking message. The people of Israel had forgotten God and refused to listen for his voice. They were locked into their old way of doing things.

We are the same. Sometimes when we get stuck in our old habits, sins and wicked ways, God has to shake things up. Spiritual stupidity happens when we do not stop to think about the results of our actions, or when we refuse to listen to warnings of others when they speak the truth. We might want to change, but sometimes we might not be willing to be changed. The church is the same. It has become apathetic and complacent. It has a “business as usual” attitude. If we and the church refuse to shake ourselves up, and we refuse to wake the world up, God will have to step in and shake us up.

Jeremiah faithfully declared that obeying God is the only way to escape judgment and receive his blessings. Jeremiah foretold the destruction in Judah that would be caused by the invasion of the Babylonians. False prophets in Judah told the people that everything would be okay when in reality God was about to unleash his wrath. God allowed these false prophets to speak because they fulfilled his purpose of judgment. Jeremiah was so upset that he started to show physical symptoms.

Jeremiah wondered how long he had to be the bearer of bad news. God’s reply was that Jeremiah was to keep preaching doom and gloom until the people gained knowledge and understanding of God’s ways and Word. The people were described in harsh terms that were designed to shock the people into true repentance. The upcoming judgment was portrayed as a reversal of the creation process, but not everything would be destroyed. God would not change his mind about the upcoming judgment.

There is an old saying: “You reap what you sow.” In other words, we have to accept the consequences of our actions. For example, if we overeat, smoke or drink to excess, we risk having health problems. If we neglect God, we will be punished. We will suffer a fate similar to that of the people of Judah. The people of Judah sowed the seeds of disobedience, and the consequence was the invasion of Judah by the Babylonians. The people of Judah were stupid, but God did not give up on them. Similarly, we are often spiritually stupid, but God doesn’t give up on us. He constantly reaches out to us through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

God is known to us, not by His power, might and strength, but by His scars. His scarred hands will take our shaking hands. When He says that Je will come looking for us, we can count on it. He will stand up for us, and He will not give up on us. Are we convinced? Are we willing to trust Him? Are our values aligned with his? Now that we have been made right with God through the cross, will we confess our selfishness and offer to others the love and mercy God has shown to us?

Our job as Christians is to tell people about God and to try to lead them to Christ. Sometimes it means steering them to redemption. Do we actually reach out to them with this in mind? Do we seek a radical change in their hearts? Do we warn people about the dangers in our culture? Do we talk about our doubts with God? Do we have a passion for our faith? We are called to care for other Christians so much that we feel it in the depths of our souls, and we are to show that caring attitude with our whole hearts.

Bibliography

1. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2009)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.
3. Guest, J. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series; Vol. 19: Jeremiah, Lamentations (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1988)
4. Chrysanne Timm, “From Death to life to…” Retrieved from www.esermons.com
5. Lee Ann Dunlap, “Tales of the Spiritually Stupid.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com
6. James McLemore, “Lord, Send the Wind.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com
7. Richard L. Sheffield, “Don’t Be Stupid.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com
8. John W. Wurster, “…Yet.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com
9. Dr. Randy L. Hyde, “Jeremiah: The Judgment.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

Many people think that being a Christian is simply a matter of getting saved or being baptized, but Jesus said in Luke 14:27 that it involves so much more. He said, “And whoever does not pick up his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Jesus taught that we exist to deny ourselves and follow Him.

For Luke, what does it mean to carry your cross? It could mean carrying the burdens of those from whom Jesus releases burdens. It could mean carrying the ministry of Jesus forward by seeing those whom the world overlooks. It could mean favouring and regarding the marginalized, even when that action might lead to our own oppression.

The cross is not just a metaphor for burdens or troubles. It is a Roman instrument of death. Jesus doesn’t just call us to leave our old lives behind; he calls us to leave life behind. This is shocking, but if we stop to think about it, we all leave life behind eventually. Do we leave it behind by following Jesus?

God has called us to follow Jesus, be His witnesses, grow in grace, make disciples, work at building His church, seek His kingdom, pursue holiness in the fear of God, and seek His glory in everything we do. Others might try to discourage us or advise us not to be so fanatical about our faith or insist that we not devote so much time to religion. They will say that we can be Christians without having to be so serious about it. We won’t truly love the people in our lives until we love God first at all times. Then we can love others as an expression of God’s calling.

The ancient Near East concept of hate did not involve intense feelings of loathing or revulsion, as the modern Western concept does. To hate something meant to place it in a lower position than something else. Jesus was not telling His followers to hate their families but rather to ensure that God reigns supreme in their lives.

Family took precedence over everything else in the ancient Near East, so the idea that God should be the centre of one’s life held radical implications and required a serious counting of the cost upfront. Hating our parents would be contrary to the fifth commandment, but Jesus tells us that we are to love them less than we love Christ. We are to obey Christ rather than them. We have to forsake them if He calls us to go and preach the Gospel. We are to submit to Him when He takes them away from us. 

The word “forsake” means “to give up or renounce, to abandon one’s right or ownership.” It does not imply selling all of one’s possessions or giving everything away but becoming a steward who uses those resources in the service of the Master.  When our love is selfish, controlling or rooted in our own need, it is not love at all. When our love is rooted in the sacrificial, other-centered values of God’s Reign, then we learn to love as Jesus did-truly and wholeheartedly.

Jesus calls for an exclusive commitment to Him. Everything else is secondary in nature. Only people who carefully assess the cost and invest everything they have in His kingdom are worthy to enter it. This means more than merely abandoning our possessions. It means absolute and unconditional surrender. Jesus doesn’t want to fight us, and we don’t want to fight Him because He will win every time. We should seek peace with Jesus and do whatever we can to be on His side.

We can’t be half-hearted in our love for Jesus and expect to fully experience His joy and peace in our hearts. In fact, there will be disturbing factors in our lives until we make a full, uncompromising commitment to Him. When we dedicate ourselves fully to Him, we will see His plan for our lives unfold.

Before we jump into anything head first (especially committing our lives to Christ), we need to stop, sit down and pray to God for His guidance. We should lay out our plans in detail from start to finish and find confirmation for these plans in God’s Word. If we seek His will and plans for us, He will show us what to do and how to do it.

The world weighs the odds and counts the costs before undertaking a venture. Disciples should do the same before committing to Jesus. The word “possessions” is used metaphorically to embrace all that we risk in following Jesus: family, wealth, worldly things, even life itself. Those who heard Jesus and wanted to be His disciple had to first consider the cost before they decided to follow Him. Pain and sacrifice are inevitable attached to committed discipleship. There is no such thing as casual Christianity. Are we willing to pay the costs?

In the moment of our decision, God expects us to be ready for doing justice in the midst of oppression, to be ready for peacemaking in the midst of dangerous conflict, to be ready for affirming life and resisting the culture of death. In those times there is no time for hesitation, no time for delay, no time for belated preparation to tidy up affairs back home. God expects wholehearted living in spite of its cost, because God also promises joy to those who follow Him. How many of us have missed the joy of wholehearted living because we have been too afraid of the cost?

When Luke wrote his Gospel, the church was living in hostile, pagan places where Christians faced persecution. He presented Jesus’ admonition to a suffering church. Today, most of us do not live in hostile environments, but what kind of response do we get when we as Christians speak against topics such as poverty, the Indian residential schools here in Canada, or the environment? People may not oppose us verbally, but even some of our closest friends may roll their eyes when we mention these or any other controversial topics.

The general scope of the parable may be expressed as follows:  

1st. Every man who becomes a follower of Jesus should calmly and deliberately look at all the consequences of such an act and be prepared to meet them.

2nd. Men in other things act with prudence and forethought. They do not begin to build without a reasonable prospect of being able to finish. They do not go to war when there is every prospect that they will be defeated.

3rd. Religion is a work of soberness, of thought, of calm and fixed purpose, and no man can properly enter it who does not resolve by the grace of God to fulfil all its requirements and make it the business of his life.

4th. We are to expect difficulties in religion. It will cost us the mortification of our sins, and a life of self-denial, and a conflict with our lusts, and the enmity and ridicule of the world. Perhaps it may cost us our reputation, or possibly our lives and liberties, and all that is dear to us; but we must cheerfully undertake all this and be prepared for it all.

5th. If we do not deliberately resolve to leave all things, to suffer all things that may be laid on us, and to persevere to the end of our days in the service of Christ, we cannot be his disciples. No man can be a Christian who, when he makes a profession, is resolved after a while to turn back to the world; nor can he be a true Christian if he expects that he will turn back. If he comes not with a full purpose always to be a Christian; if he means not to persevere, by the grace of God, through all hazards, and trials, and temptations; if he is not willing to bear his cross, and meet contempt, poverty, pain and death, without turning back, he cannot be a disciple of the Lord Jesus.

Jesus is inviting all of us to be His followers-from the most highly educated person to people with little or no education. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Ordinary people have done the most extraordinary things in service to humanity-things such as building hospitals, brokering peace, living among and helping the poor, confronting injustice and accepting martyrdom. They did all of these things in Jesus’ name.

Salvation is a great prize given by God’s grace. It can’t be earned, but it requires effort on the part of those who receive it. The cost to be paid will vary from person to person. Some will be persecuted. Some will leave homes and families to preach the Good News to other people. Some will give generously, even sacrificially, to do the work for which Christ built His church. Everyone must pay a price.

When we decide to follow Christ, we have to count the cost. Jesus counted the cost when He went to the cross for us. He gave His life so we can be forgiven of our sins, so we can know that we will go to heaven when we die. He counted the cost for us. Will we count the cost and follow Him?

The price will be heavy, and we might think that we don’t have the strength, but we do have Jesus. If he asks us to carry our own crosses, we can be sure that He will do the heavy lifting for us-because He has already carried our cross, with all of our sins, guilt and shame-all the way to Calvary.

Luke 14:25-33 makes it clear that to be a follower of Jesus is not for the faint of heart. Christianity is not a system of belief that will make an already pleasant life better. It is not an invitation to an easy and successful existence. It is an invitation to embrace the way of Jesus-an invitation to join Him in having a heart for this world, and reaching out to it, even when this comes at great cost. This will disrupt our lives, our societal systems and our relationships, but the Gospel challenges the supremacy of all these things-not to make our lives barren, but to open us to the joy of an abundant life in Christ.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p.1415-1416)
2. Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. Part of Wordsearch 12 Bible software package.
3. Larsen, B. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983; pp. 230-231
4. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
5. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
6. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010)
7. Dr. Tony Evans, “A Call of Devotion.” Retrieved from crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
8. “Count the Cost.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
9. Dr. David Jeremiah, “Willing to Live.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
10. James MacDonald, “Word #6-Commitment.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
11. T.M. Moore, “Whom Do We Love?” Retrieved from noreply@ailbe.org
12. Jude Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, 23^rd Sunday, -C-.” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
13. “Counting the Cost.” Retrieved from www.forthright.net
14. Jude Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, 23^rd Sunday -C-, September 8, 2019.” Retrieved from firstimpressions@lists.opsouth.org
15. Karoline Lewis, “Carrying the Cross.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=4706
16. The Rev. John Thomas, “No Joy for Those Unwilling to Accept the Cost.” Retrieved from www.day1.org/523-no_joy_for_those_unwilling_to_accept_the_cost.print
17. Dr. Kari Vo, “Counting the Cost.” Retrieved from www.lhm.org/dailydevotionsprt.aspx?date=20190905
18. Kristopher Coffman, “Luke 14:25-33.” Retrieved from communic@luthersem.edu

“Lose your kickball scrimmage?” Dad asked. Jason buckled his seatbelt.

“No. It’s Adrian again.”

“The boy who uses a wheelchair?” Dad grinned. “He’s funny.”

“Dad! Should you say that about someone who can’t walk?”

“Why not? He wears a T-shirt that says ‘A Wheelchair Is How I Roll.'” Dad put the car in reverse. “He must have a great sense of humor.”

“I don’t know why he wants to play with us anyway.” Jason shoved his dirty sneakers into his duffle bag. “Don’t they have Special Olympics for kids like him? He should just play with his own kind of kids.”

Dad put the car in gear. “Grab the Bible out of the glove compartment, Jason. I want to show you something.” Jason sighed. “You don’t have to read me a Bible verse about being nice, Dad. I didn’t do anything mean to Adrian.” “Just turn to 2 Samuel 9.” He waited for Jason to read the passage. “Well?”

“I get it,” Jason said. “King David asks if there’s anyone left in his friend Jonathan’s family and learns Jonathan has a son named Mephibosheth who’s lame. So David finds him and tells him, ‘Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness…and you shall eat bread at my table continually.'”

“King David didn’t ignore Mephibosheth or make him sit a separate table for people with disabilities,” Dad said. “David included him. That story is a picture of what Jesus does for us. He died so we could be included at His table, even though we’re sinners. And He wants us to include others.”

Jason twitched his eyebrows the way he always did when he was thinking. “But how can we include Adrian? You have to run in kickball. He can’t run.”

“That’s your puzzle to solve,” Dad said.

The next afternoon on the kickball diamond, Jason assigned positions to his team’s players.

“Who’s pitching?” someone asked.

Someone on the sideline caught Jason’s eye. Adrian.

“Wait.” Jason jogged over to where Adrian sat. “Can you pitch? You just have to roll the ball to the kicker.”

Adrian’s face lit up, and he patted his chair. “I’m an expert at rolling. I’d love to pitch!”

Do you include everyone you can in games and other activities, even if it takes some extra effort to include someone with a special need? We all have a need for Jesus. If He hadn’t died for us, we could never be included in His reward in heaven. How can you show others His kindness by including them?

Imagine this scene, if you will. A husband comes home from work on a Friday night. As he drives into the driveway, he sees that there is a rented tent in the backyard. Under the tent are tables and chairs for about forty people. A bandstand and dance floor are assembled in one corner of the tent. Paper lanterns are hanging all around. None of this was there when the husband left for work that morning. Seeing all these preparations and having them come as a surprise, what do you think the husband might think?

His first reaction might be one of panic: “Good Lord! It’s our anniversary and somehow I’ve forgotten! Judging by the preparations, it might must be a big one!” If he does some quick math and realizes that it isn’t their 20^th, 30^th or 40^th, he might continue thinking, “I guess all this must be for another party that I forgot about.”

Imagine he walks into the backyard and sees his wife furiously basting a dozen chickens and discovering a pile of choice steaks in a nearby cooler. What might he think then? Probably, “This one’s going to cost me a bundle!”

Then suppose his wife looks up, smiles sweetly and asks, “Guess who’s coming to dinner?” Now his guess might be: “Relatives, longtime friends, neighbours and business associates.” but before he can answer, she continues” I’ve invited twenty homeless men from the local homeless shelter, a family of refugees and all the residents of a group home. Don’t worry, dear, you won’t know a soul. And best of all, not a single one is likely to ever pay us back!”

Given that situation, how do you think the husband might react? Don’t you think he might think his dear wife was behaving a bit oddly?

Yet, God bless her, she would be literally following the words of Jesus in the passage from Luke’s Gospel: “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

In the passage we heard from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus seems to be changing all the usual rules of behaviour. He is suggesting that the rule of life is “love, not law.” The Pharisees were more concerned with keeping the law and society’s customs.

As a church and as Christians, we want to be sure that we have not erected social barriers that keep some people from joining us at the Lord’s Table. People should feel comfortable around the Lord’s Table even if they don’t speak the majority’s language and are not native born; come from a different economic status; are divorced, gay or single parents; are not as well educated; aren’t descended from those who originally built the church; are unemployed, handicapped, etc. Jesus broke through the barriers society and religion have built.

All of us have certain religious rules that we live by. One of them might be that whenever possible we attend church on Sunday. It’s a good rule to keep, but there is a danger that in keeping that rule we might feel superior to other people who seldom (if ever) attend church. We are in trouble if we use the rules to justify ourselves and feel more righteous than others. In the Christian life, we need to love our neighbours and put their interests ahead of following rules.

Guests at ancient dining tables chose their places carefully. The most honoured guests (those highest on the social ladder) sat close to the host, while the less honoured sat farther away. Jesus gave this teaching not only to exhort humanity but to discourage social ladder-climbing. He says that being humble is more important that being esteemed.

Jesus reinforced the definition of unconditional love: giving to people who have absolutely no ability to pay back what is owed. How does our viewpoint change when we hang out with the outcast, the friendless and the downtrodden? It is here among the lowly that we embrace our own lowliness, explore our own disabilities and find a sense of humility. When we interact with marginalized people we can’t be the same.

Being at the back of the line brings with it an assumption that we will have to eat the crumbs and the leftovers after everyone else has eaten the good stuff. In God’s kingdom, there is no limit to the good stuff. The concept of limited resources doesn’t apply to God. He is boundless. No one can outgive God. Any kind deed or blessing that we bestow on someone else in Jesus’ name and for His sake will be repaid by God in abundance. God loves to reward His faithful people.

When Jesus calls us to act humbly, we can be sure that He wants our humility to be genuine. Genuine humility has its roots in the realization that we are sinners who need forgiveness. Genuine thankfulness has its roots in the realization that God has forgiven our sins.

Those neglected by our society not only need our material gifts, they also need the dignity that comes with being acknowledged; they need the gift of our friendship-and we need theirs as well. Together with them, we will experience the God Jesus has revealed to us, who loves us, not because we are distinguished or esteemed in our world, but because God has chosen to love us- rich and poor, haves and have-nots.

If we invite the less fortunate, we might enter into new relationships. Not only would the poor be cared for, but we would discover the Christ who identifies most clearly with them. In addition, we might serve Christ and not know it, because He might be disguised as a poor person.

Benevolence is serving someone who can’t serve us back. Because they can’t repay us. we will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. On that day, Jesus will reward us. It’s a win-win deal. While He is working through us here on earth, we will be blessed. When we see Jesus face to face, we will be blessed again for what we did.

Jesus said these radical words as He sat at a meal given by a Pharisee. Real love is radical. Love is giving to meet the needs of others without expecting anything in return. To put it another way, someone once said that true love means caring for someone else more than you care about yourself. That’s how much Jesus loved us. He loved us so much that He gave His life for us.

Jesus is not telling us to be lazy. He is telling us to use our talents as best we can. They are gifts from God. They will not only benefit us, but they can be used for the well-being of others. We have to consider our reasons for doing what we do. As Christians we try to share the gifts of life we have not to stand out, but so that others can stand up with us, enjoy life and celebrate the God who has blessed us.

When we live by God’s rules, we don’t help others to get something back. We help others to help them. We do something good because it’s good. We give others a blessing because Jesus taught us to do that. When we live by God’s rules, we start from a different place and end up in a different place. When we live by God’s rules, we don’t calculate what we can get, but what we can give.

God’s economy is contrary to the world’s economy. The world emphasizes getting ahead and becoming prominent. God tells us that if we want to be great, we have to be humble. If we want self-fulfillment, we should seek the fulfillment of others. We want to find happiness and joy in the right place or the right person. That person is God. As we come to know and walk with Him, we will find something that is better than happiness, and that something is joy. We will find joy in all our circumstances-both good and bad.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p.1415)
2. “Let’s Roll.” R etrieved from info@keysforkids.org
3. Larsen, B. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983; pp. 225-226)
4. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
5. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN” Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
6. Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 22^nd Sunday, -C-.” Retrieved form firstimpressions@lists.opsouth.org
7. Pete Briscoe, “Experiencing Life Today-May 19, 2015.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
8. Jennifer Benson Schuldt, “Radical Love.” Retrieved from donotreply@email.rbc.org
9. Pastor Greg Laurie, “The Divine Paradox.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
10. Alex Gondola, Jr.< “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” Retrieved form www.sermonsuite.com
11. Richard Niell Donovan, “Exegesis for Luke 14:1,7-14.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

How do you celebrate special occasions?

Some of us celebrate quietly by ourselves, while others celebrate with loud, wild parties. Sometimes these celebrations can get out of control, especially when the outside world tries to influence us.

We are not alone. The ancient people of God were exposed to other influences because of wars with other nations and through their times of defeat, exile and forced social integration. In spite of this, many people led ordinary lives of worship and praise. Special Psalms were created to be used in religious festivals. One of these is Psalm 81.

Psalm 81 challenges us to be faithful to God. It starts with the sad fact that sometimes we refuse to listen to God’s voice. This has led to sad consequences and irreversible life circumstances, even when we have been forgiven. If we refuse to listen to God, he will leave us to walk in our own counsel. We will have to accept the consequences of our decision. Our desires can’t be fulfilled by earthly means, and our plans won’t prosper in the long run. God will abandon us, but he will always leave the door open for us to return to him. If we return to him, he will reverse our fortunes.

The church is not immune from this problem either. Churches sometimes mourn the loss of spiritual fervour or “the old time religion” that was enjoyed years ago. Instead of being brought to repentance for sin and neglect, the excuse is made that we live in difficult times. There is often a lack of power in preaching. Sermons designed to make people feel good have become more important than sound biblical preaching and teaching.

God’s response of rescue, freedom and relieving the people’s burden, is complicated by the people’s continuing rebellion. God has fed them with the tears of his sorrow over their rebellion, but his desire is to feed them with the finest wheat and honey from the rock. Wheat and honey are symbols of enjoyment and prosperity. Honey from the rock could mean wild honey or, more probably, honey supplied miraculously, like the water from the rock in the desert as recorded in Exodus 17:6.God will bless us beyond our wildest dreams, but we have to willingly receive what he gives. The only way to do that is for us to obey God. He wants us to know that the good life comes to us only through him, and not by any other means.

The marvellous promise, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it” has sometimes been used to wrongly justify a lack of sermon preparation by some preachers. They believe that all they have to do is open their mouths and the Lord will give them a message. The true meaning is that if God’s people come to him with great petitions, he will grant them. God never gives up. He gives us opportunities to listen to him, embrace his laws and walk in his ways. When we take advantage of these opportunities, we will have victory over all of our enemies. We will also be fruitful for God. As we regularly come to the communion table, we remember God’s promise to feed us, what it cost God, the dire circumstances of the cross, and the ongoing call to repentance and discipleship.

If we turn to God and follow His ways, He will take care of our needs. We are not to try to meet our needs by going to the refrigerator and eating any food that might temporarily satisfy our needs. God wants us to go to him to meet what really is a spiritual need. When we declare who God is and what he has done, we will be open to hearing His voice and doing His will, because we know that God only wants the best for us.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 760-761)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Williams, D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vil. 14: Psalms 73-150 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1989, pp. 87-89)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
6. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010)
7. Ron Moore, “Stubborn Hearts.” Retrieved from www.ronmoore.org
8. Joan Stott, “A Personal Meditation: Pentecost 15C (Ordinary 22C or Proper 17C).” Retrieved from http://www.thetimelesspsalms.net
9. Howard Wallace, “Year C: Pentecost 14: Psalm 81:1-2,10-16.” Retrieved from http://hwallace.unitingchurch.org.au/WebOTcomments/OrdinaryC/Pent14Psalm81.html
10. Dale Fletcher, “Let God Satisfy Your Deep Hunger.” Retrieved from http://www.faithandhealthconnection.org/psalm-811016-deep-hunger-is-satisfied-by-god/
11. Bible Study, Prover 17 C-August 28, 2016. Retrieved from http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/stw/2016/08/01/bible-study-proper-17c-august-28-2016