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What Are You Doing Here? A sermon on 1 Kings 19:9b-21 from COncordia
God, who am I?
What Are You Doing Here?
1 Kings 19:9b-21
† In Jesus’ Name †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus help you know why you are where you are!
As the people of God, we’ve been given a huge task. It’s called the great commission – the responsibility to help people becoming those who follow, who walk with Jesus. Part of that Commission is that we get to teach people to treasure what God has commanded, how they are to live their lives with him!
In teaching them to treasure this life God has given us, there is an important distinction that is made… that has to be understood.
Do we place greater emphasis on doing what is right, or on why we do what we do?
I mean we’ve all done the right things for the wrong reasons, right?
And have we done the wrong things for the right reasons?
Which is better?
Which do you think you get more blame for, take more heat for?
But what if you do the right thing for the wrong reason, and everybody thinks what you did was wrong – that just by doing what you did, you sinned, without any consideration for why you did it.
You see, most people judge Elijah’s actions in the Old Testament reading as wrong…. and in doing so, we miss the work of God in Elijah’s life, a work that we desperately need in ours.
Was Elijah a Coward.
When I read this passage when I was younger, and when I heard pastors preach on it, the usual observation about Elijah was he was weak, that he should have stayed and battled Jezebel and her armies.
After all, he had, well God had through him, toasted up 450 priests of Ba’al and defeated! He was on a winning streak of winning streaks, able to mock his opponents without mercy. Hey – your idols not answering your prayers? Maybe your god Ba’al is sleeping, or maybe he’s on vacation, or maybe he’s in the restroom?
And after the victory, instead of having a parade, instead of celebrating freeing God people, he runs away and hides… in cave! And then he whines, oh does he whine, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
Remember a moment ago, when I talked about doing the right thing for the wrong reason?
I think Elijah did exactly what he needed to be doing. I think he needed to hide in that cave and rest.
But the way that He answered God’s question, shows where he sinned.
It wasn’t in the running and hiding and resting – we all need to do that.
But hear what God asked him….
“What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Not why are you here… not what caused you to be here. But what are you doing, here?
And this is where Elijah sin is revealed…
He didn’t know why he was there…..
You see, he couldn’t tie what he knew intellectually and instinctively, to the reality of his situation.
He ran to escape, not to find a refuge, not to find sanctuary, not to find a fortress where he couuld be safe, and heal.
“I’m here because they are evil, I am here because they didn’t listen when I told them “the Lord is with you!” in fact…
Wait Elijah, not what caused you to be here…. What are you doing here?
Through the windstorm, through earthquake, through the fire…and Elijah still didn’t know…
Right action – wrong reason – no reason, and that is where he sinned…
That is where we sin.
The sin isn’t that we shouldn’t run away… the sin is that we don’t know what we are to do when it is time to run. We run an hid and whine just like Elijah did, forgetting we dwell in the presence of an alimighty, all-powerful, all-wise, God who loves us. And had promised to make everything work together for our good.
What Was He Supposed to be doing there?
So what was Elijah supposed to being there?
We heard in in Luther’s most famous hymn, out of the 1000s he wrote, the one we all know – the one that starts,
A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing!
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing!
Elijah was provided for, all along the journey. Birds brought him food, he found places to rest. He didn’t realize it, but he was never alone on the journey, he ever was talking to God, when God told him to go outside, to find God.
Typical guy, oblivious to everything going on around him!
God never failed him, no matter how bad the flood, no matter how overwhelming the flood of what ails and torments us, we find our refuge in the love and care of God.
This is the nature of the cross, and the resurrection.
I saw that at the convention, when Jim couldn’t help himself—and spoke up “and therefore” when one of the speakers said “Alleluia! He is Risen!” I saw it again, as I told one of Elizabeth’s teachers about how we got to be part of Edith’s being claimed as one of Jesus’ family in baptism – and he brought it up in his presentation this day – an example of what it meant, not to be educated as a Lutheran, but to live and share your hope in Jesus.
What are you doing here?
Spending time with my heavenly Father, with Jesus Christ, my brother, being comforted and healed by the Holy Spirit.
The great thing—that even as Elijah forgot this, God was at work doing it!
We might forget—but He doesn’t.
When it’s time, when Elijah remembers who he is—the one God loves—it is time to get back to the mission – to train up another generation of believers, of leaders, of those who worship and are thankful to God—willing to sacrifice their lives, as we have been, when we don’t need to run away and let God be God…
And then it is time to get back to work, sharing the love of God with people who are so broken, they don’t even realize how broken they are. Who have been turned inside out and ravaged by sin. Not only do we bring them news of God’s love, but we prepare the next generation to do so…
For we know why we are here, we know why we run to the Father…and fall on His grace… AMEN!
Astonished Reverence–it cannot be manufactured, therefore stop trying to force it on others
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to His Cross”
“Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.” (John 1:14, NET)
“that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ.” (Colossians 1:26–28, NET)
Luther’s understanding of Christ makes the Lord’s Supper a miracle. For it is an unspeakable miracle that the inseparable union of the two natures causes the body of Christ, which is in heaven, to be present on the altar
Ratzinger’s theology of revelation emphasizes Christ, the revelation of the Father. By encountering Christ in the Scriptures, in the sacraments, and in worship, one comes to knowledge of God.
The fear of God is that “astonished reverence” of which the saintly Faber wrote. I would say that it may grade anywhere from its basic element—the terror of the guilty soul before a holy God—to the fascinated rapture of the worshiping saint.
There are few unqualified things in our lives but I believe that the reverential fear of God, mixed with love and fascination and astonishment and adoration, is the most enjoyable state and the most purifying emotion the human soul can know. A true fear of God is a beautiful thing, for it is worship, it is love, it is veneration. It is a high moral happiness because God is.
I have had the distinct displease of seeing pietism raise its ugly head in a number of places. In choice of Bible translations, in choices of worship styles, in places where people define reverence as something people bring to church. As they get dressed with physical clothes, the are supposed to come into church or a Bible study reverently. And reverence or piety is defined and demanded by observers. And if the observers demanded form of pietism isn’t achieved or met, the efficacy of God’s mercy might be or actually is questioned.
It goes across the spectrum of Christianity, and it usually spans both edges of any discussion spectrum. Some say you can’t worship with guitars, others say you don’t worship with organs. Some say you can’t dress down, others say if you don’t “come as you are, you are playing games. In my 60 years, I have seen these spectrums divide the church, and those caught in the middle are often… the greatest victims.
Reverence is not man-made. It doesn’t depend on clothing choices, or the language that you use (especially if you don’t understand it!) Tozer’s modifier, astonished, is awesome in clarifying what true reverence is. It occurs when the sinner or saint sees the Triune God revealed in their presence, something that happens because Christ is made incarnate among us. Pope Benedict XVI nails this in discussing the encounter with Christ in word and Sacrament, and Luther sees this as what makes the Lord’s Supper, each and every time celebrated–truly a miracle–for it is Christ coming into our lives, as revealed in Scripture.
Such miracles leave us astonished, a state in which revering and adoring (and being in fear of ) God is natural. For the believer, the astonishment is because this is exactly where God wants us, in His presence, sharing in the very glory of God which the apostles saw revealed in Jesus, which they came to know and reveal to people as well.
This is why reverence can’t be manufactured on order, or demanded by others. It only finds its origin in the presence of God. I
I’ve seen this in the eyes of 3 year olds, as the run to get our altar rail before their parents. Can they comprehend the gift their parents are receiving? Probably not… DO they understand the blessing I say over them, perhaps not.. they just realize they are near Jesus, and the love that impacts their parents or grandparents is significant – and it is theirs as well, and so they rejoice!
This is reverence, when the sinner doesn’t want to leave, but soak in their being cleansed. This is the presence of God, which leaves us in awe, because only because of His love can we stand before Him, and only because of that love do we have hope. Hope because of the presence of God – which is revealed every week, though He never leaves us….
We still need to hear of the love, we still need to experience it and therefore know it.
And we do….
The Hard Choice, when you know illogical peace.. you know
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to the Cross
“After we located the disciples, we stayed there seven days. They repeatedly told Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.” …
“While we remained there for a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it, and said, “The Holy Spirit says this: ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ” When we heard this, both we and the local people begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Because he could not be persuaded, we said no more except, “The Lord’s will be done.”” (Acts 21:4, 10–14, NET)
58 “You are all so cheerful, and one doesn’t expect that,” I heard someone say.
Paul was in an interesting position.
All his advisors took the same position, for they had all indeed heard the same message from God. If Paul goes to Jerusalem, there will be nothing there for him but pain, and even death. They warned him not to go because of this message, and they were led by the Spirit to warn him of his fate.
Yet he went anyway, with eyes wide open, led by the same Spirit that warned him through those he loved, through those he sacrificed much of his life to bring the gospel.
In those cases where heavy decisions are to be made, how do you go against the counsel of so many people you admire, How do you decide who is right between Paul and the church?
I think the key has to be found in Paul’s attitude in this situation. He was completely at peace with the situation, He was ready, he couldn’t be persuaded, and so, content and at peace , he embraced what was to come. It was, to use Josemarie’s word, unexpected. It doesn’t make sense to embrace suffering, it is illogical, some might even say stupid and a waste of assets and gifts from God.
It is the peace that makes the difference, the presence of Christ that assured Paul and us that “all things work for good for those who love Jesus.” If someone is that content with the sacrifice they are called to make, then what a blessing it is, we should encourage them, and praise God for what will happen, for it is His will.
And that is how we endure – looking to Jesus the one who completes us.
Escrivá, Josemaría. Furrow (p. 23). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Dealing with Traditionalism in the Church. Its easier than you think!
Thoughts which draw me to Jesus, and to the Cross
“The first time you did not carry it; that is why the LORD God attacked us, because we did not ask him about the proper way to carry it.”The priests and Levites consecrated themselves so they could bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel. The descendants of Levi carried the ark of God on their shoulders with poles, just as Moses had ordered according to the divine command. David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint some of their relatives as musicians; they were to play various instruments, including stringed instruments and cymbals, and to sing loudly and joyfully.” (1 Chronicles 15:13–16, NET)
“Tell the nations about his splendor, tell all the nations about his miraculous deeds! For the LORD is great and certainly worthy of praise, he is more awesome than all gods.” (1 Chronicles 16:24–25, NET)
Ratzinger observes that in the reception of revelation, the reality of the Christ-event becomes our own through faith. If we accept him, we accept his revelation. As the faithful are parts of the Mystical Body of Christ, Christ lives among them, continuously revealing God the Father through the continuous guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Many, many have failed to note Peter’s Pentecostal emphasis: the important thing in God’s plan was the fact that Jesus had been exalted in heaven
Everyone and every church has traditions that are not to be treaded upon, things that have been elevated to being “divine” or nearly so.
The obvious ones are those attached to a liturgy done in Latin (or German) or in a specific hymnal. Very similarly are those who elevate one Bible translation above all others, such as those who say everything but the King James is demonic in origin. But traditions don’t have to be centuries old, or even decades old. Churches and their people can be just as deadlocked in modern traditions, stating with “certainty” that their practices are the reason for their success and all other ideas are inferior. You have to use this program or that, you have to use music from these sources not those, if you only follow our ways, you will grow and be holier and…. make no mistake – that is traditionalism.
So my reaction to traditionalism may surprise you….
I don’t care about what you traditions are, except for two things, on lesser than the other. I urge you, in fact, to bury yourself deep in them , to understand them, to get the most of them in regards to the greater thing
So the lesser thing is simple – don’t force your traditions on others, either directly or with nuanced reasoning that if only they follow your traditions, they will be holier, they will grow, and they will be better people. Your traditionalism isn’t really right, and if you are blesing it on its success over centuries, or the last decade, I can always show you an older tradition.
And example is David’s orders for a rock band to accompany worship. No organ mentioned, no master 4 part choir. Way before the Latin Liturgy some are in love with, the first liturgy was in Aramaic. Before the KJV, there was the Bishop’s Bible, the Geneva Bible, the Douay Rheims. (and there have been Bibles after the NIV/ESV). Before there was Rooted, the was Alpha, before that, PDL, before that LSS. Before Mirco-Churches, there were K Groups, Small Groups, Cell Churches.
All of these things have been used to “tell the nations about His splendor!” All of these have the ability to explain “the LORD is great and certainly worthy of praise! He is more awesome than all Gods!” ( I really dislike my translation above not using exclamation points, or not capitalizing pronouns referring to God.)
That’s the most important thing – does your tradition, your practice point you to Jesus, to His work in your life, to His presence, love, mercy. If you tradition/practice reveals Christ in you, the hope of glory, keep it! But also realize that the only reason you do is to point you to Christ Jesus. Apart from that your tradition has no value, and can easily become an idol, as you tie your hope to it, rather than the Lord is it supposed to reveal. This is Pope Benedict’s point, for when Jesus is revealed, His death and resurrection become ours, we are raised with Him, and are part of His family. It is what Tozer points to about Pentecost–and what saves 3000 men and their families that day. It is about Jesus, not the speaking in tongues, not the massive crowds, or the 12 apostles speaking like trained professionals. Its about the fact they killed Jesus (as did we) and that Ha risen, and we, having risen with are His.
If your tradition/practice does that – don’t praise it, praise God…
De Gaál, E. (2018). O Lord, I Seek Your Countenance: Explorations and Discoveries in Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology (M. Levering, Ed.; p. 177). Emmaus Academic.
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2008). Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. Moody Publishers.
Time to Stop Objecting To the Harvest: An Eastertide Sermon from Concordia on Acts 11:1-18
Time to Stop Objecting
To the Harvest
Acts 11:1-18
† I.H.S. †
May the grace and mercy of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ inspire your work in the Harvest of all souls, as you rejoice in your own salvation!
God is moving… are we?
I have to make a good confession. Over the last week I have had a number of things that I just wanted to do. Nope, no way. I had some great excuses lined up, but to be honest, I just didn’t want to make the drives, I didn’t want to sit in the seats and attend those meetings, I didn’t want to lay on that gurney, or drink that horrid stuff with nasty effects, and I didn’t know if I had anything left to minister to people I had never met before.
I was a bit of a grump…
And in each of the 7 places God was sending me to. I would see Him at work… even to the point of crying with a peaceful joy.
The reason I bring this up, is that I understand Peter, and the story he recounts to the believers in Jerusalem, who are little tired, a little paranoid of causing more trouble with their Jewish relatives, and to be honest, they didn’t think they had the will or desire to do what God was calling them to…the places He would send them anyway, just as Peter was sent to Cornelius and his family and friends.
But after the fact, the trips, both Peter’s and mine, even the colonoscopy, were incredible blessings. Because of the impact those moments had.
Even if we objected to the harvest, and tried to find excuses, and didn’t want to go…..
For as the title says, it’s time to stop objecting to the harvest!
- Dangerous words!
In this passage, we see Peter making two blunders far worse than the two classic blunders of “’getting involved in a land war in Asia,’ and ‘going in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.’”
Far greater.
The first we see in verse 8. Peter said to the Holy Spirit, “No”
Don’t ever do that. Nope, never ever said to the Lord, No.
You end up saying yes, but if you are unlucky you smell like you’ve been living in a giant fish for three days, or walking around the Sinai Peninsula, or maybe even, like Peter, have to eat some bacon wrapped lobster….
Wait… that’s what he said no to??
Yes… to prepare Peter to do something even more challenging, which for many silly reasons, objected to…
The other massive bunder… God responded to this way, Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.’
Peter learned the hard way, that God was in control, that He determined if something was clean or not, whether there was hope or not, and that God chose to whom He would offer salvation.
We don’t get to decide if people of this economic class, denomination, political affiliation or race, culture or ethnicity are saved or not… we get to rejoice in their salvation.
I want to repeat that, We don’t get to decide if people of this economic class, denomination, political affiliation or race, culture or ethnicity are saved or not… we get to rejoice in their salvation.
- The gift is for you and you and you..
And that is where God sends us, whether long term believers who are struggling and don’t quite “get” God…. Like Cornelius, who wanted to honor God, but because he didn’t know Jesus.
And we stop saying, “No, Lord.” Or “you can’t Lord – its against the rules…” and we see God at work. It’s amazing.
I didn’t know I would get three opportunities to encourage three women – my before, during and after nurses on Friday. All were related to pastors, a daughter, a wife and a sister. But all three needed encouragement from the bizarre pastor who they had to care for.
The same thing with the two funerals, both very different, both needed to hear God’s grace- one who had no idea of the peace of Christ, and one, they just needed to hear it again. Like the hymn, “I love to tell the story,” sometimes the ones longing to hear it are the ones who know it best.
You see we get to tell people the gift of God’s love is for them too! We will realize that just like Peter was called into Cornelius’ life to tell them “how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’”
That’s our job whether they are young or old, no matter rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, no matter the race, the ethnicity, the original nationality, or what language they speak.
And then, as we see God working in their lives, our own faith in God is strengthened as we realize those we might have thought beyond salvation have the Holy Spirit convicting them, and given them the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.
And as we see the harvest begin, we will rejoice with angels and archangels and all the host of heaven in the harvest. Amen!
The Plan Previously Hidden: A Good Friday Sermon on Isaiah 52:13:15, 1 Corinthians 2:7-8
The Plan Previously Hidden
Isaiah 52:13:15, 1 Corinthians 2:7-8
† I.H.S. †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ sustain you in those times, where like between the cross and resurrection, you aren’t sure of where you stand…or if you do!
The Darkness
In the other gospels, as Jesus is on the cross dying, it is said that darkness falls across the land. Luke mentions the sun fails to light the sky…the word will eventually become what we call an eclipse. For three hours, Jerusalem in hidden in shadows…
It was if everything good was heading out of town, as Jesus blood soaked the ground. I imagine the apostles and disciples’ lives were pretty much drained of life as well, as they finally realized Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said he would be killed, when he would give up his life.
But even as they hadn’t heard that, they didn’t hear the rest of the story. Neither did the Pharisees and Priests, or Herod, Pilate and the Roman guard.
This event, planned from before the creation of the world, the Apostle Paul described this way, “No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.”
The darkness had to come, the despair—a realization of what was lost because of the sin of the world. The hope, shrouded for 3 days with the Lord of Love, of Hope, of Life.
While we don’t pay the cost of our sin, we need to take that cost seriously. We need to see in the cross, not just the promise of life and freedom, but the price paid there in the death of Christ.
What the rulers missed
SO what was hidden from these leaders, Roman and Jewish, these wise, powerful and in some cases, holy men—what did they miss?
Well – it wasn’t hidden well – as we see in the prophecy from Isaiah that we started with this evening. One that talks of when everyone will know, at the Day of Judgment..
“See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about.”…
They didn’t see the cross as a tool used to pry us away from sin, to shatter its grip on us.
That in the next chapter of Isaiah we will hear,
10 But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. Isaiah 53:10-11 (NLT2)
Jesus was… satisfied…
That is amazing… what He accomplished through His suffering and death on the cross… he was content with the process because of the result.
Our freedom, our life, for while we talk about the Lord is with you… that means the inverse is now true as well
You are with the Lord…
Therefore, we shall share in His glory a
And that is what was hidden, the mystery of Jesus, that the leaders made happen, as they sentenced him to die… for us.
Amen!
The Journey Home is Never Enough to Satisfy…
Thoughts which drive me to the Cross, and to Jesus
“Indeed, you are my shelter, a strong tower that protects me from the enemy. I will be a permanent guest in your home; I will find shelter in the protection of your wings. (Selah)” (Psalm 61:3–4, NET)
“Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father. John testified about him and shouted out, “This one was the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than I am, because he existed before me.’ ”” (John 1:14–15, NET)
There is no sin in being on the pathway; the spiritualists are wrong. But there is a sin in loving our road instead of our home;
“[T]he ‘original’ sin is not primarily that man has ‘disobeyed’ God; the sin is that he ceased to be hungry for God and God alone.… The only real fall of man is his noneucharistic life in a noneucharistic world.”
This liturgical mysticism does something to the sacraments, too. If you taste and see, you will see that you have not tasted enough yet. The sacraments are not designed to fulfill our appetites, they are designed to increase those appetites.
First, a confession, I have become to lax in my spiritual diet! What was one day away because of distractions quickly became three, and then I find myself 15 days behind in my readings. God used it I think, because of out of a time to “catch up” I saw somethings in larger segments, and was blown away by reading more than a paged here and a page there.
In the last few years, I have lost a number of my early mentors. as they have died. The last time I saw one of them in person, he asked me and another pastor type how much we talked about heaven. As he aged, he became more and more aware of tendencies in the church to be focused on this life, and give no attention to eternity.
While we talk some about how to “get” to heaven, the work of Christ redeeming us, uniting us with iIs death and resurrection – we often don’t talk about why getting there is a good thing!
We have, to used the words of the quote in blue – fallen in love with the road home, and forgotten about the goal of the road is home. We’ve talked about overcoming the power of sin, and being forgiven, but forgotten the reason that is important – that it removes from us the barrier to getting home– from being in that refuge, that shelter of the Lord’s presence.
For in heaven we will dwell in the presence of God, we will exist in His glorious love which unites and will have healed every bit of us that was broken, We will know a peace that is not just an absence of conflict, but pure serenity….of knowing the greatest comfort, of being welcome, of being home.
That is the eucharistic world, the world of thanksgiving that comes from God re-uniting us to Himself through Christ. It is what the sacrament hint at, give a momentary experience or taste of, causing us to want more, not because of the physical act, but because of what is experienced in that moment of communion between God and His people.
I want more of that… I know WE need more of that…To help us endure the road, and keep focused on the destination. To live lives that are based on on hope–not that the road will be easy or smooth- but that the destination is Home.
Home with our Father… and the Son, and all of the Family of God.
May our appetites and desires grow for that moment… and may our time contemplating the gospel and receiving the sacraments cause that desire to be unquenchable…
Fagerberg, D. W. (2019). Liturgical Mysticism (p. 107). Emmaus Academic.
Fagerberg, D. W. (2019). Liturgical Mysticism (p. 110). Emmaus Academic.
Fagerberg, D. W. (2019). Liturgical Mysticism (p. 115). Emmaus Academic.
For the Joy Set Before Us… Restoration/Revival Is Set Before Us Psalm 85
Concordia Lutheran Church
March 23, 2025
For the Joy Set Before Us…
Restoration/Revival Is Set Before Us
Psalm 85
† In Jesus Name †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ revive and renew you–as promised!
- You did it once, could you please…
A long time ago, an apprentice asked his mentor about how to deal with repetitive betrayals. How to deal with being made fun of and being backstabbed, not to mention all the gossip being spread about him by this horrible wretch…who was as close as a brother.
The apprentice was tired of it all and wanted to know if there was a point that would be crossed when mercy was no longer beneficial, were it needed to stop, because the continual sacrifice was being taken advantage of, and the pain was unbearable.
After a moment’s thought, the apprentice was given an answer he didn’t like, as the limit of mercy seemed, well beyond anything humanly possible, never mind acceptable.
I mean, it wasn’t like his brother Andrew was a complete stranger. He also was an apprentice… of Jesus…
Seven times Seventy? Really?
I can imagine, Jesus smiling with a great deal of… amazement… knowing how many times he forgave both of them, and the cost he would pay, so that the Father would see them as forgiven. 7×70 and Peter, you are getting close to 70×70,000! I I can almost picture Jesus saying to himself, “Simon Peter, if you only knew the truth…but you will!
Which is what our Psalm 85 discusses this morning.
God’s incredible mercy… His incredible, patient, long-suffering mercy.
That restores and revives us, as we learn to look forward to eternity with great joy!
- The track record qualifies
The Psalmist starts by noting that incredible mercy! Here it is again,
“LORD, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel. 2 You forgave the guilt of your people— yes, you covered all their sins. Interlude 3 You held back your fury. You kept back your blazing anger.
This is an amazing level of grace that the psalmist recounts, a track record of God’s love for His people, What a description of the love of God—a love that covered every sin, every one of them, from the Abraham lying to Kings about Sarah being his sister, to all the sins during the Exodus, during the times of the Judges and the time of King Sault into David’s reign as King
And boy, could those people sin!
Yet He restored and revived them!
They were experts in idolatry, and in using God’s name in vain, they were known for dishonoring parents, and for their hatred, mocking and murder of others, they were held up as examples of sexual immorality, having gone farther than their heathen neighbors, and they gossiped and schemed to get what they want that others had…
And God forgave, restored and revived them!
Which leads the psalmist to humbly beg, “
Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more. 5 Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations? 6 Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? 7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation!
For some reason, these people whose ancestors and even they had known such forgiveness, fell back into sin. The temptations were too hard, they ended up getting distracted from spending time with God, both individually and as a people, and they didn’t have the strength to be holy on their own…
And they started to be oppressed by sin again.
Sound familiar?
It should, it happens to all of us.
It might even be where we are this morning, as you sit there, wondering how to deal with whatever temptations you face.
And perhaps feeling guilty or ashamed at how you fell back under the spell of that sin.
- Ther Nature of holiness
While this should not be an excuse, I do believe that a portion of the problem is that we define holiness as a measurement based on behavior and not relationship.
We even talk about it that way, when we think of Spiritual disciplines or the spiritual exercises – as if they make us stronger, rather than building the relationship—building our trust and dependence on the Spirit’s guidance, and on the grace revealed in Christ.
That is what the Psalmist is asking God to restore and revive- not just the adherence to a set of rules, but a deep strong relationship and communication that has as a benefit the change of our behaviors.
Hear again Him speak of it, 8 I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways. 9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory.
That is holiness, that moment when you know God’s unfailing love and truth have declared you as cleansed, and His. That moment when we realize He is lifting the burden of every sin we have ever committed.
He speaks peace to His people…
His salvation is near…
- Go and Sin no more!
One last thing to deal with in this passage In the middle of that news of the gospel, there is a phrase, “let them not return to their foolish ways.” It brings to mind the words of Jesus to the lady caught in adultery who heard, “Your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more.”
That sounds like more law –- a command not to break and more of God’s commands, with the underlying threat of hell. If it is law, then we are going to have a problem, because we all struggle with sin, and we all struggle with falling back into old sinful thoughts and sinful habits.
But this is a statement of freedom—to help us realize the power of sin is shattered, that we are free to not sin—that we are free to live life – a holy life, separated to God. This is an encouragement to rejoice in this revival and renewal of our lives, and to live in the truth of the gospel.
My friends, the power of sin had over you is broken, you have been restored, and revived from the death it causes, so stay away from it! Live in these blessings, live in this peace. AMEN!
From Glorious Light (Epiphany) to Glorious Light (Transfiguration): More Glorious – A sermon on Hebrews 3:1-6
From Glorious Light to Glorious Light
More Glorious!
Hebrews 3:1-6
† In Jesus’ Name †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, convince you that you are home, with them!
- Who gets the glory, the attention?
We started this sermon series on Epiphany, the day we celebrate that into Jesus presence the wise men from the East came giving Him presents, acknowledging Him as King.
We complete the series today, with the account of the Transfigurations—where into the presence of the glorified Jesus come Moses and Elijah—again with the responsibility of identifying Jesus as the chosen Messiah, preparing him for the journey to the cross, the grave.
In both of these historical accounts, we see the glory of Christ, in the manger where the shepherds were in awe, or as Peter, James and John stand on the mountainside,
I have found that there is something else these two events have in common. People are as interested, if not more, in those that come into the presence of God in Jesus, than they are in Jesus.
How many wise men? What kind of Gold did they bring and how much, what is the symbolism of that, and the myrrh, and frankincense. All these questions while over in the corner lay the baby who would die to save the world! How did Peter know they were Moses and Elijah? I mean Peter didn’t offer to set up a tent for Jesus every night—but he had to offer it for the two Old Testament heroes.
And the voice of the father – interrupting their disappointment at the disappearance of the two prophets – telling them…”listen to my Son!” Or as our reading from Hebrews phrases it, “1Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession…”
Consider Jesus – or as it will say in chapter 12, look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
- Our tendency to false idols
Looking to Jesus first, or to use a reformation idea that is is “Christ alone” from which comes a justice that doesn’t condemn us for our sin. But that was hard for the Jews, who despite heroes like David and Daniel, prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah and priests like Samuel still considered Moses as the ultimate servant of God.
And the Book of Hebrews applauds him for that – honoring that he was faithful in his work as a leader of the people of God.
But he was still just a servant.
Yet he was the ultimate hero – and people idolized him.
There was none greater – it is in him they found hope, and they glorified the days of his being in charge, ignoring the scripture which showed he was a sinner just like us. So adamant were they about Moses, and to a lesser extent Abraham, that the writer of Hebrews has to make it clear – as God did – that Jesus deserves more glory.
We do the same thing today—whether it is entertainment figures- actors and musicians, sports figures, political figures, how many of them do we allow to become idols, agreeing with everything they sing or say or do—even if we know its immoral and unjust. We will justify their evil actions, dismissing them “because they aren’t as bad as…
And somehow, as we are glorifying our heroes, we miss the glory of God in Christ Jesus.
And if we miss that – we neglect this great salvation He offers!
- Christs faithfulness building the house
But while we make heroes out of house servants, the book of Hebrews tells us to look to Jesus, who is worthy of more glory! He is the one transfigured, He is the one whom the voice from heaven identifies as His Son, the one through whom he will save the world.
Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus isn’t just a servant in the House of God, but the one through who builds and maintains the house of God.
In doing acknowledging that Jesus is the builder, we see why Jesus is more glorious than Moses was, Here is what was said, “3For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.
Occasionally, I encounter people who claim the Bible does not teach that Jesus is God… this passage is one of the 40 or so I can use to counter their position. But this is why we look to Him.
He can do something to help us, for He is making us a part of the house, the home of God. And He does that faithfully making us part of His home – starting with rescuing us from the brokenness of sin. But salvation is only the beginning of the relationship, only the beginning of the home…. And that is important to realize.
That we are part of the Father’s house, His home is incredible, it is at the core of Christianity, hear the last verse again,
“And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.”
What confidence do we hold fast to? That Jesus leaves the mountain, heads to Jerusalem to die, to be buried, to rise again, that we are made part of the family, the house of God.
For He came and laid in the cradle, causing John to write:
14 So the Word became flesh and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:14 (NLT2)
In order that He could cause us to be born again, and made our home in His presence.
There is nothing more glorious than this…to share in His glorious love…
And for that. He receives all glory, honor, and praise. AMEN!
From Glorious Light to Glorious Light: The Best is Now–The Glorious Light Revealed! John 2:1-11
From Glorious Light to Glorious Light
The Best is Now:
The Glorious Light Revealed!
John 2:1-11
† In Jesus’ Name †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ help you realize the great miracle that was revealed at Cana!
- What a party!
Growing up in an Italian/Irish family, you learn to appreciate a good wedding reception. And the one in the gospel must have been a massive one. How do I know>
Once they ran out of wine, towards the end of the celebration, they still needed 120-180 more gallons of wine. Now I don’t know about you – but that seems like a lot of wine?
If it doesn’t, come talk to me!
It also must have been pretty significant, as not only were Mary and Jesus invited, but so where Jesus’ disciples – which was at least 14 men, and 4-5 women that travelled in their company. Considering this is before the formal ministry of miracles and teaching began – they probably weren’t the VIP’s of the event…
What a party…
But the words that seem key, are those of the master of ceremonies, who didn’t realize how true they were…
“you have kept the best till now…”
But boy was the best going to be revealed that day- as the glory of God was first seen in Christ Jesus….
And it wasn’t just the wine….
- It’s not just about the wine!
Most people are a little shocked when they hear Jesus reaction to Mary when she asks him for help. “Not our problem!” is how our translation phrases it! The original language is a little more blunt than that – “It’s nothing to me!”
And if the refusal wasn’t understood – Jesus goes on to say, “My time has not yet come!”
After all, he’s just a guest, not even an honored guest.
It’s not his wine, it’s not His wedding, it’s not His responsibility, and it’s not time to have the great mysteries of our faith to be revealed.
Of course that’s how I would have said it, my attitude read into it, with a healthy sense of cynicism. We read it into Mary, who expects Jesus to just fix stuff, as if God is some kind of Genie in a Bottle, there to fix our problems, we want to read it into Jesus’ whose words seem disrespectful to His mom, whom even He is supposed to honor. We might even want to blame the master of ceremonies or the groom’s family, for not providing for the feast better.
Sometimes, our sin in thought, word and deed shatters the 8th commandment—as we don’t come up with the best explanation, but we base it on our own experience, and our own sin. So it seems impossible for there to be a reasonable explanation, and we bear false witness, we hold onto the falsehood.
And whether we tell others about it or not, the idea sticks with us.
And we miss what is better, as we whine…instead of tasting the better wine… we miss the best that is saved for last.
- Deeper-Better (Eucharist)
It seems appropriate that the first miracle of Jesus’ ministry, and the last both are at a party, and include the drinking of wine.
If the water turned to wine was considered the best, the wine that is the Blood of Christ, served at the last Supper and ever since, is even better. It is here, at the altar, as we receive the Body and the Blood that something better happens, we are invited to feast with God, as His invitation where He is the master of ceremonies and the feast…
The one miracle is a picture of the other, God providing the wine, the best wine, which erases our shortcomings, our sin.
- Deepest (best)
Even as the drink at the first feast pictures the second, so does this wedding pictures another.
The wedding pointed out in the first reading, in the incredible words of the prophet Isaiah:
The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory. And you will be given a new name by the LORD’s own mouth. 3 The LORD will hold you in his hand for all to see— a splendid crown in the hand of God. 4 Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City” or “The Desolate Land.” Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight” and “The Bride of God,” for the LORD delights in you and will claim you as his bride.
In yesterday’s devotion I used the grins of a couple guys on their wedding day to try and picture God. Partially because their wives were part of the study, but also when I’ve mentioned their wedding day before, the grin they had then, returns to their faces, and they can’t say a word, they just nod.
We need to realize that Jesus sees us, His church, that way!
He ensures we are at our best, our most perfect, that is what Isaiah says, and the Apostle Paul repeats it,
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. Ephesians 5:25-27 (NLT2)
It wasn’t Jesus time, it wasn’t the wine He came to provide, it wasn’t the wedding He came to be part of…
That wine would be shared at Last Supper, and on altars all around the world. That wedding is the one still to come, the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, The wedding that He would prepare us for, make us Holy, washing us, and cleansing us because His blood was spilt.
His time has come, the best wine is ready and our Lord is ours and we are His…and He delights in us.
As He ensures we will be ready, guarding our hearts and minds, even as we dwell in His perfect peace! AMEN!
