Sermon For Sunday March 27, 2010

THY WORD IS TRUTH

John 17:17

 

“Hosanna In The Highest!”

        Today is Palm Sunday and although it is still the season of Lent it is the beginning of Holy Week and the passion and death on the cross of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

        And I am struck every Holy Week at the abrupt contrast between the celebration of Palm Sunday and the abrupt turning of the crowds for the same people that threw their coats and palm branches in the path of Christ and the shouted "blessed his he who comes in the name of the Lord" and "blessed his he who is the son of David" and then just two to three days later turn to shouts turn to “crucify him”. 

And many of the same people must have witnessed both events and we are sure that the disciples were there at the Palm Sunday parade through the streets of Jerusalem and they must have watched in horror and terror at his presentation by Pilot to the crowds and have some of the same people demand his death.
        But lets examine what they crowds were shout that day as Jesus of Nazareth came to them riding on a foal of a donkey. 

Not on a great white horse that many had perhaps envisioned.

Not in power or might of the warrior king like David was and this was the Messiah that they expected. 

Why would they expect a warrior or conquer to come into Jerusalem that day?

         Nnow it is Palm Sunday, we celebrate the triumphant entry into Jerusalem 2000 years ago as the king of the Jews, the one who comes in the name of the Lord and the descendant of King David who was to ride into Jerusalem riding on a donkey.

What may you ask? 

You mean that the Messiah’s ride into Jerusalem riding on a donkey was foretold in the Old Testament?

Yes it was!

In fact it was prophesied twice by two different prophets.

         It was recorded in Isaiah in the Old Testament with these words chapter 62 verse 11, “Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up a highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations. The LORD has made a proclamation to the ends of the earth: ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, See your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord” 

These words of Isaiah about how the Messiah the Savior would come into Jerusalem was spoke by the mouth of the prophet Isaiah 700 years before Jesus of Nazareth came riding into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday morning.

        But then 200 years after Isaiah is dead, in 500 AD the prophet Zachariah give this vivid description of Jesus coming into Jerusalem from chapter 9 verse 9,”Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem Behold you king is coming to you.

 He is just and endowed with salvation, humble and riding on a donkey, even a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zachariah’s description is so vivid that it is almost as if Zachariah was standing there at the gates of Jerusalem (as an eye witness) watching Jesus come in through the gates of the city riding on that small donkey, a baby donkey.

But Zachariah died  489 years before Jesus was born in the stable in Bethlehem.

        And what did we hear in the New Testament today about the description of the fulfillment of Zachariah fore telling of this event. In Matthew 21 verse 2 Jesus told his disciples, “Go into the city and get a donkey and if anyone asks about what you are doing tell them the Lord has need of it".

And the disciples did as Jesus asked them to do and they laid their cloaks on the foal of a donkey and Jesus sat on it.  And a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road and cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds went ahead of him and shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest.

You see the crowds did not just shout Hosanna but Hosanna in the highest. 

What did they mean by “the highest”?

         But then others asked “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

        Well lets pause right here a think about what the words that were being shouted by the crowd meant.

Because of the passage of time the words have a different meaning now what was the intended meaning of these shouts on that first Palm Sunday morning. 

If you asked most church goers today what the word Hosanna means, they would probably answer, “Praise You or Praise the Lord”.

 And that is a good answer to the question because the word “Hosanna” has over the last 2000 years has come to mean praise or blessing.” 

But that is not what was intended at that time. 

For the crowd was also shouting something else and what was that? 

Blessed is the He who come in the name of the Lord, Best is the son of David. 

So what was the crowd expecting that day? 

        Well two things.  They expected that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Son of David the person that was promised in the Davidic covenant. 

Remember King David was a prophet and while he was alive he spoke of what God has told him directly.  This is recorded in the book of 2 Samuel  chapter 7 so the is was spoken by God through the prophet Samuel who anointed David King of Israel but the King David speaks about the Messiah in a Psalm written by David after he became king of Israel. 

And that Psalm is 89.

Listen to the words of Psalm 89 as King David also speaks his descendant that God told him about.

Here are the words of God to King David in Psalm 89. “I have made a covenant with My Chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish you seed forever, and build up you throne to all generations.

 Later in the Psalm a verse 25 we have a description of the Messiah David’s promised descendant,

"He will cry to Me, Thou art my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation".

I also shall make him My first born, the highest kings of the earth. My loving kindness I will keep for him forever and My covenant shall be confirmed in him. So I will establish his descendants forever and his throne as the days of heaven.

        But as I have said many times before if God is going to tell us any thing important he is not going to tell us just once.

So to get the full flavor of what was foretold by God about his first born son riding into Jerusalem on palm Sunday morning we need to go to the Davidic covenant as recorded in 2 Samuel by the prophet that anointed the shepherd boy as King of Israel.

        So what does the prophet Samuel says about the coming Messiah. 

Here are his word from 2 Samuel starting at verse 12 of chapter 7 (God speaking to King David),

“When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you …and I will establish his kingdom.

He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.



        I will be a Father to him and he will be a Son to me

…and a few verse later God repeats the promise to David “And your house and your kingdom shall endure before me forever; your throne shall be established forever.

        So these two prophets David and Samuel prophesied of a permanent king and kingdom for Israel that would return to set up an “everlasting kingdom”.

The Davidic covenant is an “everlasting covenant” just like the Abrahamic covenant is an “everlasting covenant”.

        And so after learning that what so you suppose the expectations were when Jesus comes riding into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday morning!

They want him to overthrow the rule of the Roman Empire that was oppressing them and that is evident in their shouts.

What does Hosanna mean in Hebrew. 

It is not one word but two.

The first word is “yasha” (spelled Y A S H A) which means to deliver or avenge and the second word is na (spelled N A) which means “we pray” implying now if not demanding “right now!” 
“Now is the day of salvation” it says in God’s word later in the New Testament!

The key word is NOW. 

It was not a prayer but a demand or an exhortation. 

Deliver us or avenge from this Roman oppression.

This is what the shout of “Hosanna in the Highest” meant at Jesus time.

And it is with this understanding of the meaning of the shouts on Palm Sunday morning on Jesus triumphant ride on that baby donkey through the streets of Jerusalem and the following events of his crucifixion on Good Friday Holy Week make sense!

        For the crowds were not only praising the coming king but demanding action from him!

And when Jesus came into the city in weakness “riding on a baby donkey” instead of in the power of a king that would restore the throne of David they became disappointed and even resentful.

And when He gave himself up to be arrested they became resentful and angry. 

        And later that week, the crowds turned on Jesus and demanded his death for his time had finally come.

It was finally time for the sacrifice of the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.

 May I close in prayer:

Sermon For Sunday March 20, 2010

THY WORD IS TRUTH

John 17:17

"For What Would We Give A Years Wages?”

Today is the fifth Sunday in the season of Lent.

And lent is the season of reflection and repentance where we reflect on what Christ has done for us on the cross.

Last week’s sermon was on how the prophet Jonah was resentful for having to preach repentance to gentiles and how the older son also was resentful of the lost son’s repentance and the celebration that followed.

Today we will see some more resentment upon a celebration and the supposed extravagance of the celebration of the anointing of the Messiah by his own disciple.

The scene is at Bethany and the woman involved is Mary if Bethany and sister of Lazarus and Martha.

We hear this morning of how Mary took a pint of perfume and anointed Jesus feet with it and the smell of perfume filled the whole house with its sweet aroma.

And this happened after Jesus had raised Mary’s brother Lazarus from the dead.

And part of what Mary did for Jesus was motivated by the raising of her brother Lazarus after he had been dead for 4 days and both sisters were afraid that the horrible smell of decaying flesh would be experienced by all their friends as they visited her bother Lazarus at his tomb but Jesus called Lazarus out of that tomb and told them to take his grave clothes off.

And Mary in her joy and gratitude took to a pint of pure Nard that was worth a years wages and anointed Jesus feet and wiped the rest away with her hair.

And those present were shock that she would do such an extravagant thing for Jesus.

And there was a lot of attention cause by the raising of Lazarus for the Jews were plotting to kill Lazarus because many believed I Jesus because of his raising him from the dead.

And Judas was resentful and pointed out just how extravagant and foolish Mary was for in his words about this pint of perfume and it could have been sold and the money given to the poor.

But Judas had a private motive didn’t he.

What Judas wanted was the cash so he could get his cut of the cash for he was the keeper of the money bag for the band of disciples. Judas was a thief.

Jesus was not a perfect evangelist for Judas would betray him again for a price, thirty pieces of silver.

And the point of the story is what price are we put on our salvation?

Would we sell something as valuable as a year’s wages to give to someone who has brought back one of our loved ones from the grave as Mary did?

How valuable is our salvation and the certain hope our resurrection from the dead?

As Jesus says, “Do not bother her for she is preparing my body for my burial.” “You will always have the poor with you but you will not always have me with you.”

Mary had a very loving and personal relationship with Jesus.

When her sister Martha was so busy taking care of the house, Mary sat adoringly at Jesus feet and here she was again at Jesus feet again.

Mary knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the anointed one and she pointed this out to all in attendance in her house by her actions of anointing Jesus feet.

She was telling everyone that Jesus was the long awaited anointed one.

She knew that He was the long awaited Messiah promised to Moses and the eternal king promised to David.

And the object lesson for us all is “what is it in our own lives that is most important?”

Are we so busy with our daily needs and wants or our material gain that we miss the most important thing in life?

Do the cares of this world choke out the best thing that life can bring us?

Is this not an appropriate thought in the season of lent?

       For God made this world for a purpose did he not.

And did we not hear of his purpose in the Old Testament reading today for the prophet Isaiah.

Did you notice what God said through the mouth of this prophet Isaiah in the last line of this mornings reading.

Gods said, “I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.”

And this is what God tells us over and over in Isaiah that, "I formed my people from the womb to be my people".

But that is what Mary is doing in that house in that she is honoring Jesus as the anointed one and she is willing to sacrifice something of extreme value for Him.

 Yet to many this is foolishness to many present in that room!

What is important?

Remember Jesus rebuke about the prophet Jonah last week!

That one greater than the prophet Jonah was there meaning himself.

And what value do we place on the one who was greater than all the prophets.

Does Jesus have first place in our hearts and minds?

Do we love the Lord our God with all our heats and minds and strength as Jesus commands or are we on our own agenda rather than his. Is something else more important to us?

Is he first in our hearts?

And does not Christ in his whole ministry tell us repeatedly that he is the way, the truth and the life.

That he is to be the focus of our life and not material things.

We are store up our treasures in heaven rather than on earth where rust and moth can destroy but not in heaven where there is no such destruction but where there are true and lasting riches.

But Judas’s focus was on earthly wealth and how he could get his.

And the result for him was destruction and for his greed he got his reward, the blood money.

The wages of sin is death!

And when he finally realized what he tossed away his thirty pieces of silver as if they were worthless into a potters field and then he hung himself.

Jesus taught parables repeatedly time after time to his disciples on just this same theme.

What is important to you in this life?

And what is really important in life?

What were Jesus words about our treasures?

For where your treasure is there you heart will be also.

Is our heart on earthly thing or heavenly things?

How often did Christ teach on this theme?

The answer is many times.

There is a whole list of parables in which Jesus of Nazareth talked about treasure.

He taught his disciples the parable that the kingdom of heaven is like a field that contained and treasure.

And when a man found the treasure in a field he sold everything he had to buy the field and get the treasure.

And Jesus followed that parable with the parable of the rich young fool who was told to sell everything he had and give it to the poor and follow Jesus but the man walked away for he was very rich and could not do what Christ asked him.

There is a monetary system in Christ’s kingdom and it is based upon capitalism and wise investment.

You see investment and profit are dirty words in a socialist system.

But Christ taught that both were good.

Many here may recall the Jesus parable of the talents found both in the gospel of Matthew chapter 25 and the gospel of Luke chapter 19.

A talent was worth about 2 to 3 years of a laborers wages.

 In this parable a man gave his servants different amounts of money to take care of while he went on a long journey and then asked each of them how they took care of his money when he returned.

He gave one of them five talents and another just two talent and another only one talents.

And each of these servants reported to the man after he returned home how they had invested the money.

And the one who had been given 5 talents double the money returning to the man 10 talents and the servant who was given 2 talents also double the money returning to the man 4 talents and they received this praise from his master. “Well done good and faithful servant your have been faithful with little things but I will put you in charge with many things come and share your master’s happiness.

But the man who was given one talent buried it and returns nothing in gain for the money he was entrusted with.

And what was his master’s reply to his report. “You wicked and lazy servant”, you should have put my money on deposit with the banks so that when I returned I could have received it back with interest!

By this parable Christ is a capitalist.

Did he not expect and fair return on his money with interest by his teaching in the parable of the talents?

Clearly Jesus did!

But this is the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth who had a human mind with all it limitations and Jesus had to go a pray in the desert to get the will of His father for his life and his teachings to his disciples.

We must remember that when Jesus walked the earth and taught his disciples the church was not in existence yet.

But when the Holy Spirit was given to the church on the day of Pentecost they were guided by that Holy Spirit.

And that Spirit was by the Spirit of Jesus as it so clearly is stated in the book of Acts Chapter 16 verse 7.

"The spirit of Jesus prevented the Apostles from going into the region of Mysia in Asia Minor".

So what does the Apostle Paul say about what is valuable in this world compared to what is valuable in heaven as he was guided by the Holy Spirit?

Remember Paul confesses that he and the apostles that went with him planting churches all over the Roman Empire on those three missionary journeys that they had the mind of Christ.

The Apostle Paul says in 1st Corinthians 2:16, “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? "But we have the mind of Christ!

Who is included in the “we” that Paul is talking about?

Paul is talking about himself and the other Apostle who plants all those churches with him.

So what does Paul say about what is valuable on this earth and what it can do for us and what is given to us that is valuable in heaven?

And this was the other NT reading in the lectionary for this Sunday and it was taken from Philippians chapter 3 starting at verse 4 and here is what Paul says about the things of this world and its value to him and a very revealing confession about Paul’s life.

Paul says, “ But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Was Paul after worldly riches? I think not! I know not by these words.

Let me close in prayer:

Eternal God we are into the fifth week of this season of lent. Helps us to examine our lives to see what needs to be let go of for it distracts us from what is important in life, those things that take of time and our energies from your purpose for our lives. Help us to stay on the way of Christ and his kingdom and to store up treasure that will last for eternity. Give the leaders of the United State the wisdom to preserver the wealth of this country for this is the reward that your have given this great land for the faith of our founding fathers. We pray that your will continue to provide us with prosperity if we will be good stewards of your provision.

Amen.

Sermon For Sunday March 14, 2010

THY WORD IS TRUTH

John 17:17

“Are We Like Jonah Or The Older Son?”

Today is the fourth Sunday in the season of Lent.

And lent is the season of reflection and repentance where we reflect on what Christ has done for us on the cross.

Last week’s sermon was on how belief in Jesus Christ not only saves us but can save even the unbelievers in our household.

So if we are part of the flock of Jesus Christ what is our responsibility in regards to those who are not saved.

And I should add what is our responsibility to those who are not yet part of the body of Christ?

And that is a question that should make Christian and every Pastor uncomfortable.

And why should I even suggest that let alone ask the question?

For how can we claim to be children of God and continue to ignore what God has commanded and go on as if nothing was wrong or out of order?

How can we ignore the direct command of Christ and claim to be one of His?

What does it actually mean to be "in Christ" and to be a leader in the church and do not pray for the repentance of those whom we love and that they come to know and obey Christ and even be baptized as Christ commands.

And by the title of the sermon today we have two examples of people who were called by God or who were in the family so to speak in regard to never leaving the family like the older son in today's Old Testament reading of the parable of the prodical son.

But what was their attitude in regards to those who left the fold or were never in it?

Did they enthusiastically and with joy respond to Gods command to go to the lost and preach the gospel of repentance or did they rejoice when the lost returned to the fold and repented?

Repentence is a requirement of entering the sheep fold of Jesus Christ. 

The first words of Jesus in his ministry on earth were "Repent for the Kingdom of God is near."

So what about Jonah? What is the book of Jonah all about.

And sometimes it is difficult to be in a bible study with unbelievers for they will mock the bible as if no one in their right mind would believe such a thing.

And many years ago in CA, I was in a bible study and when the pastor asked what the story of Jonah was all about, a devoted naturalist piped up “that is where a man is swallowed by a whale.”

And the man followed that statement up with "that is why the Jonah story is hardest of all the bible stories to swallow".

 He got a laugh for his remark as I recall.

And I forgot just how the pastor handled the remark but did you notice that the man used the word “whale”?

Did you hear the word whale in the OT reading today?

Where is the word “whale” in the passage?

Did the translators of the NIV leave it out!

How does the modern mind work?

The scientific secular mind presupposes that there are no supernatural events possible in nature.

The natural laws cannot be broken!

So to make the Jonah story (there’s that unbelieving word story again) and it is a tell that there is unbelief working.

"A tell " is a gambling term where you reactions tell you opponent the value of your cards!

All the Old Testament miracles are just children’s stories and do not relate to the real world where God does not operate at all.  This is the thought process of the modern secular mindset!

This is the bias of the unbelieving mind.

Only a whale could swallow a man and have that man in the whales throat where the air hole is both the whale and the man could breathe.

But what does the scripture say?

Does the scripture say whale or does the scripture say throat.

The answer is NO on both counts.

The scriptures reads Jonah 1 verse 17, “But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Impossible for the modern mind to get their arms around intellectually so it must be a children’s story which can’t be taken seriously by a grown adult!

Right or wrong?

Do we agree with this man in the bible study?

Many like this man are in the pulpit preaching today and they are unbelivers. 

IS BELIEF REQUIRED FOR SALVATION OR NOT!

But what does Christ say about this story?

We do teach children that Jonah was swallowed by a whale in Sunday schools just to help God out and make the story more plausible?

But what does Christ say about this passage of scripture?

And this is crucial to our belief or it should be!

How does Christ interpret this scripture and can we as Christians especially those who are charged with the responsibility to proclaim God’s word have any option to interpret scripture in any other way than what Christ says it means.

How can anyone claim to be of Christ and interpret scipture contrary to Jesus Christ's interpetation of Scripture.

We can't.

Christ uses the story of Jonah to rebuke unbelievers of his time.

Let go the Matthew to find out what Jesus of Nazareth says a bout Jonah.

Matthew 12:38 reads, “Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you."

39 He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.

What a rebuke. Jesus called them, “A wicked and adulterous generation”.

Jesus of Nazareth understood the account of Jonah the prophet and He knows that the point of the "so called story" is not about the fish at all but it is about the power of God over nature and the coming miracle of His resurrection.

Clearly, Jesus Christ speaks of Jonah was a real person in the history of the nation of Isreal!


The three days in the belly of the great fish was like the three days and three nights in the belly of the earth and those who can’t believe in the Jonah story will not be given the signs and wonders of the resurrection  (just like the Parasees) to new life for they do not believe and they will not repent and believe.

The whole point of Jonah account is repentance for that was Jonahs mission.

John was a real man in history. A real prophet of God.

To regard the Jonah as a ficticious character it to be a unbeliever!

That was the opening line of the OT passage today what was God the Fathers charge or orders to Jonah the prophet. “Go preach Jonah!

The Exact words were “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because it wickedness has come before me.

And what was Jonahs reaction to his call?

Jonah ran away in the opposite direction!

Where was Jonah when he got the call?

What city was Jonah in?

The city was named Joppa?

Where is Joppa?

 It is in Palestine!  What is the modern name of the city in the modern nation of Israel? 

The modern name is JOPPA! 

Was this Jonah story fiction?  Only to the idolatrous modern mind!

Where is Nineveh?

It is where Abraham was called in Iraq more than 1000 miles to the east and where did Jonah go.

He jumped on a ship to where, Tarshish!

Where is Tarshish?

Tarshish is in Spain about 2000 mile to the west in the opposite direction?

Did Jonah a believer and do exactly as God commanded him. NO HE DID NOT!

So if someone calls you a Jonah it is not a complement!

What about the other example of belief and obedience the older son in the parable of the prodigal son. in the New Testment reading today.

What does the word "prodigal" mean?

Prodigal means lost! The parable of the prodical son is the parable of the lost son!

And we should know this because the parable of the prodigal son is the 3rd of a series of parables that Jesus of Nazareth teaches to his disciples in the book of Luke and others present.

The first two are the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin and then the parable of the lost son.

And we heard of the lost son this morning in the NT reading of how he asked for his inheritance and left the family and then squandered his wealth on wild living and extravagance and after he has spent everything there was a severe famine in the whole country and he began to be in need.

And what did the lost son do?

We went to live with the pigs and eat the pods that they were eating.

 But then he came to his senses and he says, “I am starving to death!”

And so he returns to the family.

And in his speech were the words of repentance.

 “Father I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired men".

 But what was his father’s reaction to the Prodigal son?

The Father rejoices and runs to his son and kisses him. Lets have a celebration and he put a robe around him and ring on his finger and they brought the fatted calve kill it and have a feast.

And what were the words of the Prodigal’s father. “For this son of mine was dead but is alive again; he was lost but now is found.

Sounds like the words of the hymn "amazing grace". I was lost but now I am found.

But what was the reaction of the older son?

Did he rush out to receive this lost younger brother.

Not exactly!

When he was told your brother has come home and your father has killed the fatted calve because he has him back safe and sound the older brother became angry and what did he tell his father? “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a goat so I could celebrate with MY friends. But when this son who squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fatted calve for him!

And what was his father’s reply, “My son, you are always with me, and everything is yours".

Are we like this older son?

Do we act out in resentment when at those who are bought into the kingdom in the eleventh hour who have never worked for the kingdom at all yet are let into the kingdom of Christ by a death bed confession?

Do we say that is not fair or do we think it?

What does Christ teach in this regard?

Whom is Christ concerned about?

Whom did he come to save for the lost or the righteous?

What did Christ say that He came to earth for?

Christ had opened with the parable of the lost sheep at the beginning of Luke 15.

The shepherd has return with the lost sheep carrying it across his shoulders saying; I have found my lost sheep.

And then Christ says, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents and over the ninety nine who do not need to repent.

What about the calling of the Jonah and the older son when it comes to repentance?

Are we like them?

Do we run out and share our faith in Christ and his atonement and lead our lost bothers and sister or sons and daughter to repent.

Or do we repent ourselves for not doing so?

Let me close in prayer:

Eternal God in this season of lent let us examine our selves and repent of those things we would like to change in our lives. The thing that we should have done in you service but we were to busy or to distracted to do. Help us to share our faith with those loved one who are in the world and have never come to Christ or to join a church. He us to obey you command to go to all nations and make disciples and we pray that we would be better disciples of Christ and that we would be grateful for his atonement on the cross and that we are now part of the family of God.

Help us to be not only hears but does or his word.

Amen.

Sermon For Sunday March 07, 2010

THY WORD IS TRUTH

John 17:17

“You and Your Household Will Be Saved.”

        Today is the third Sunday in the season of Lent.

And lent is the season of reflection and repentance where we reflect on what Christ has done for us on the cross.

Last week’s sermon was on self denial for if we focus on ourselves we devalue the atonement. 

If we can do something here on earth that affects our eternal destiny then we are in control and not God. 

If we can by works or by any thing that we do or stop doing can affect where we go after our death then we do not need Christ at all.

And many of us including myself have lived our lives like that without anyself denial at all.

Christ’s command "to deny ourselves" is ignored as if He never said it.

Many have lived uncontrolled life style not only in regard to our eating and drinking habits but also with our spending habits as well. 

We spend money that we do not have and we expect to be given more or to get more and have someone else pay for it. 

We desperately need a change in this country or our children will inherit the wind and be at the mercy of our enemies. 

And some may say in response to what I have said. It won’t happen to me, “I am a child of God”.

And we are children of God are BUT what happened to God’s disobedient children in the Old Testament for their continued disobedience for going their own way.

God put them in slavery in Egypt for 400 years and 1000 years later God put them into captivity again in Babylon and again for the same reason, disobedience.  In both cases God delivered only a remnant and restored  them.

        So what about the claim that I am a child of God.

Is this claim truth or is it self delusion. 

How can we claim to be children of God and continue to live lives of excess or coveting, greed, pride and over indulgence?. 

How can we claim to be children of God when we continue to walk in disobedience? 

The claim is false yet some of the worst offenders remain in the church with unchanged live in defiance of Christ own words to a church leader of his time, Nicodemous, telling him he must be born again!

Nicodemous was part of the sanhedren, a group of self assured claiming to be Godly men, but they were lost for they refused to be changed and recognize Christ as who he was.

        But today we will look at what Christ has done for us and what the God of the Old Testament promised to those who were truly call to be his children and to those who bent the knee and walked with God. 

And who were they. 

The were the original Hebrews of the Old Testament, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

And I heard so often especially on TV evangelist that the Jacob was looked upon as a deceiver and not a Godly man. 

TV evangelist like Joel Ostean who can’t read more than one chapter of the bible at a time and relate chapters that are separated form each other but are on the same subject like the character of Jacob. 

There are many evangelists who look at the God of the Old Testament as if He were not part of the Trinity.

They speak of the Old Testament as if the God revealed there is not the Father of Jesus Christ. 

And Ostean and many others have preached that Jacob was a deceiver and stole Esau’s birthright and that was Esau’s claim but it was a false claim.

For two chapters earlier it was revealed that Esau sold his birthright of his own free will for an single mean of lentil soup.

Easu was not the victim of deceit but of his own self indulgent behavior which was such a slap in the face of God that God hated Esau for it. 

But God does not hate anyone, He is the God of love.  This is the ignorance of those who only read the New Testament who do not know the God of the whole bible.

The God of the Old Testament is a jealous God and with out Christ’s sacrifice and dying in our place, we will pay for our own sins and experience God’s wrath.

And it took the last prophet of God Malachi who lived 1000 years after both Esau and Jacob were in the grave to reveal what God thought about Jacob’s behavior versus Esau’s behavior. 

And what were God’s word through the prophet Malachi. Malachi chapter 1 verse 1, Jacob I loved but Esau, I hated and that quote is repeated verbatim by the Apostle Paul in Romans 9 verse 12. 

And many TV evangelists are so ignorant of the Old Testament that they miss this point completely. 

They can’t read and take all that the bible says about a subject and balances all the scripture verses out for if they could they would have remembered that is was Jacob’s mother Rebecca that dresses Jacob up like Esau to get the blessing from his father the nearly blind Isaac.

 It was Rebecca that dressed up Jacob to deceive Isaac and not Jacob’s choice to do so but the TV evangelist conclusion about Jacob’s character persists to this day.

The correct conclution of the Esau and Jacobs story is that Rebeccah is the deciever.

If Jacob was a deceiver, then how could God love him over Esau? 

Jacob was a man of faith.

        Today we are going to focus on the truth of this Scriptures when it comes to the subject of God’s promise of Salvation. 

And this touches on who is included when it comes to being save and who is not included. 

And this is the subject of election and who is the elect.

The three men of faith Abraham, Issac and Jocob and their whole household and even their servants were saved regardless of their character faults because God made a everlasting covenant with Araham that all the nations of the world would be blessed through the faith of Abraham.

So how shall we respond to the call of God to repent and be saved?  

 And the call of God is for every one but some respond to the call and some are too busy either to hear or if they do hear are to busy to respond and go their own way. 

And that brings us to the doctrine of redemption and I should add again as the bible says this very concisely in one sentence.

Christ taught this to is disciple in a parable in the gospel of Matthew chapter 22 verse 14 when Jesus says “Many are called few are chosen”. 

And if we are truly chosen then we must yield to Christ’s words and his teaching nor we a we to be just hears of His word and not doers of His word.

In other words, we claim to be saved but our actions and our lives tell otherwise for we are not changed at all.

We still sow to the flesh rather to the Spirit.

But let look at what God the Father says about who is chosen for salvation and then what Christ says to support that later in the New Testament.

 In the Old Testament reading today the translators of the NIV have the heading “Israel’s Only Savior”

And what were Jehovah’s words in that reading we heard today? “Fear not for I have redeemed you (The doctrine of redemption in the Old Testament).

When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep you away. 

The river Jordan’s water was piled up by God in a heap as the children of Israel walked through it on dry land when they went into the Promised Land.

“When you walked through the fire, you will not be burned.” 

When Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in the fiery furnace of Babylon they were not burned.

“For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

 And later on in the passage at verse 11 the God of the Old Testament says:

“I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is not other Savior.” 

So if there is another Savior that will come in the New Testament, by this verse that Savior must be God.

        And so when that Savior does come in the New Testament let us look to what He says in the New Testament reading for today.

The reading was from the book of Acts which is titled the acts of the Apostles but a more accurate title is and would be “The Acts of the Holy Spirit for it was the Holy Spirit that led all the apostle all over the Roman empire on three missionary journeys to plant and nurture the church of Jesus Christ. 

Paul and Silas are in prison. 

And here again God has allowed his chosen people to be put into captivity. 

And then what happens. Did they stay there?

NO!

Did they break out by their own strength?

NO!

They were miraculously release by an act of God.

And what was the act of God.  It was an earthquake.

The prison door suddenly burst open and everyone’s chains came loose.

And the jailer was about to kill himself because the prisoners had escaped. For it would be certain death for the jailer by his Roman superiors if for sleeping on his post the prisoners escaped. 

The apostle said to the jailor, “Do not harm yourself we are still here” And what was the amazing reply of the jailor, “Sirs, what must, I do to be saved!” 

What a question and we should remember it is not the first time this question came up.

For when Jesus of Nazareth was alive, he was asked the same question (What must I do to be saved?) by the rich young ruler who did not like Christ's answer for he would have had to given up his riches and to deny himself and follow Jesus which he was not able to do.

But let’s see what the Apostles tell the jailor!

They told him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved and then they add. You and all the others in your house!

What an amazing answer? 

What about all the unbelievers in the Jailors household who do not even know of the resurrected Christ or may not have know Jesus a Nazareth.

Was this a true statement by the Apostles or where they perhaps going overboard here. 

How do we find out?

Well have the apostles ever made this statement before?

Did they tell anyone else that believing in Christ saves their whole household.

Remember, I have told this congregation that if God tell is something important he will tells us more than once.

So if our whole theology is based upon one scripture and it is not support by other scripture you are focusing on something trivial.

We are majoring on the minors.

        So where do we go in the scriptures to find the same statement made to someone else by Paul and the apostles in the book of Acts so show that this is a major apostolic teaching from the Holy Spirit.

In chapter 11 of the book of Acts the Apostle Peter was sent to the house of a gentile named Cornelius to eat a meal with him and to eat food that was not Kosher and this was forbidden of him the dietary laws of the book of Leviticus.

And to make the long story short (or defer it to another sermon) this is what was told to Cornelius starting chapter11 verse 13, “Send to the city of Joppa for a man called Peter.

And he will bring a message through which "you and yours household will be saved.” 

 There it is again a promise that the faith of Cornelius and unclean gentile and his whole household will be save and who sent Cornelius this message?

Cornelius told the Apostles all 6 of them that appeared at Cornelius’ door that an angel had told him this message. 

The Apostle Luke who wrote the book of Acts records that Cornelius’s whole household would be saved by the message that Peter would bring him came from an angel of God and not any man.

And what should we take from this second appreance of this phrase in the scriptures?. 

Is it important that there be a strong spiritual leader in the family either female or male? 

For if there is the faith of the one will cover the unbelief of the other.

Is it important that we have at least one Godly parent or grandparent.

And what a blessing it is if we have both.

Let me close in prayer:

        Merciful God let us in this season of lent meditate upon the truth of your Word and the blessing of believing parents and grandparent.  Help us to be as good a witness to our children as our parent have been. Help us to follow Christ and deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow him evey day of our lives as Christ commands.  We for our leaders that they would govern with wisdom and restraint so that our children would inherit a country and a planet that in better condition that it was given to us.  For we are you people and we remember your promise that if we humble ourselves and repent and seek your face, You will heal our land.  Amen