Good Grapes, Sour Grapes”

Read Psalm 80,  Isaiah 5:1-7, Mark 12:1-12, and John 15:1-8*

“Good Grapes, Sour Grapes”

      Let’s look at these remarkable parables from the old and new testaments about vines and vineyards.  But before we do, I want to read this quote from Raymond Brown in his book “The Gospel According to John”

    “It is helpful to remember that in Israel, branches that do not bear fruit are cut off in February/March. “Sometimes the vines are so completely cut back that one sees in the vineyard only the stalks bereft of branches. Later (August) when the vine has put forth leaves, comes the second stage of pruning, as the vinedresser pinches off the little shoots so that the main fruit-bearing branches get all the nourishment.”

  We are going to start at the ending.  For though we are speaking of the True Vine and false vines or Good Grapes of Sour Grapes.  What we are really talking about is what “fruit” is good and what is unacceptable to God.  So let us look at what Jesus says in Matthew 12:33-37  “Make a tree good, and then its fruit will be good. Or make a tree rotten, and then its fruit will be rotten. A person can recognize a tree by its fruit.  You poisonous snakes! How can you evil people say anything good? Your mouth says what comes from inside you.  Good people do the good things that are in them. But evil people do the evil things that are in them.

“I can guarantee that on judgment day people will have to give an account of every careless word they say.  By your words you will be declared innocent, or by your words you will be declared guilty.”

Clearly Jesus was saying that we can tell the difference between good people and bad people by their actions and their words.  This good fruit is proof of the basic goodness or godliness of their true selves.

In our reading from Isaiah we found that God, ”Hoped for justice but saw only slaughter, for righteousness but heard only cries of distress.” Clearly the good fruit desired was Justice and righteousness which are once again seen as proof that the branches have remained attached to the True vine.

Jesus said, “I am the true vine.”

I don’t know many times have I read this section or heard sermons on this section and yet, there is a word that I’ve seen for the first time: “TRUE”.  Jesus didn’t just say that he was the Vine.  He is the True Vine.  That indicates to me that there are at least two vines … maybe more … the other(s) are False Vine(s}.

Psalm 80 gives us a hint.

“You brought a vine from Egypt.  You forced out the nations and planted it.:  You cleared the ground for it so that it took root and filled the land.  Its shade covered the mountains. Its branches covered the mighty cedars. It reached out with its branches to the Mediterranean Sea. Its shoots reached the Euphrates River.

It is clear from this passage that the vine brought out of Egypt was the Jewish people themselves.  God brought them out of slavery to the land promised to Abraham.  A land that God had prepared for them.  A land that already had cities, towns, farms, pastures, and vineyards. 

What was the promise that God made to Abraham?  We read in Genesis 12:1-3, “The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your land, your relatives, and your father’s home.  Go to the land that I will show you.  I will make you a great nation, I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse.  Through you every family on earth will be blessed.”

At first reading it sounds like the promise is all about making Abraham great in the eyes of the world.  It is that but there is a purpose at the end of the promise, you will be a blessing. through you every family on earth will be blessed.  He and his descendants were to be a blessing to everyone on earth.  They were to become this blessing by following God and bringing others into communion with God

In our reading from Isaiah he used this illustration,

“Let me sing a lovesong to my beloved about his vineyard:

My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. He dug it up, removed its stones, planted it with the choicest vines, built a watchtower in it, and made a winepress in it.  Then he waited for it to produce good grapes, but it produced only sour, wild grapes.”

What happened to that vine brought out of Egypt and planted in the promised land?  Although God had done all of the work to prepare a place for His special people, they failed to produce good grapes and only produced sour wild grapes.

In Isaiah God, through His prophet, asked,

What more could have been done for my vineyard than what I have already done for it? 

The answer, of course, is nothing.  God had done all that could be done to make His people produce good fruit.  It was the people who had rebelled against His teaching, training and leading.

In the beginning of the nation, it was a nation ruled by God, who chose Judges and Prophets to guide the people, and it grew strong and healthy.  However, the people of Israel forgot their God and started to want to be like other nations.  Other nations were ruled, not by God, but by kings. 

Samuel was one of those chosen by God to be a judge among the people.  We read in 1 Samuel Chapter 9 1-18,

“When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.  The name of his firstborn son was Joel; the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. The sons didn’t follow their father’s example but turned to dishonest ways of making money. They took bribes and denied people justice.

Then all the leaders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.  They told him, “You’re old, and your sons aren’t following your example. Now appoint a king to judge us so that we will be like all the other nations.”

But Samuel considered it wrong for them to request a king to judge them. So Samuel prayed to the Lord.  The Lord told Samuel, “Listen to everything the people are saying to you. They haven’t rejected you; they’ve rejected me.  They’re doing just what they’ve done since I took them out of Egypt—leaving me and serving other gods. 

Once they detached them from the vine which is God, they became wild and produced sour grapes.

Jesus said, “my Father takes care of the vineyard.  He removes every one of my branches that doesn’t produce fruit.“

The vine brought out of Egypt and tenderly cared for had been corrupted by the world and was now fit for nothing but kindling.  Though His chosen people had abandoned Him, God never completely abandoned them.  He allowed them to be “trimmed” but he always saved a remnant that he could replant. 

However, over and over they turned from Him.  Jesus told the story of the owner of the vineyard who repeatedly sought only to gather the fruit that was his due.  In the same way God sent prophets to warn the people but as Jesus said,

“He had one more person to send. That person was his son, whom he loved. Finally, he sent his son to them. He thought, ‘They will respect my son.’

“But those workers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’  So they took him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.”

The nation of Israel was intended to bare fruit for God, but it failed.  Now Jesus, the true vine, has been planted and is bearing fruit for the Father.  He does not fail, and so he is the true vine. The nation of Israel did not bring forth the desire fruit, therefore we find Jesus saying, In Matthew 21:43 where Jesus dispensed with parables and told them directly, “That is why I can guarantee that God’s kingdom will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce what God wants.

I have know people, and perhaps you have too, who think that being a follower of Christ should protect them from all troubles and pain.  They become disillusioned when they run upon hard times.

There are many times that God does protect us from the evil forces at work in the world.  We never see them and so don’t recognize His divine hand at work.  At other times, He allows us to go through the storms of life because they make us stronger.  As Jesus said, “He (God) also prunes every branch that does produce fruit to make it produce more fruit.”

“This task, pruning, is a very critical one in a real vineyard and requires great skill born of experience.  That Jesus understood this shows that he was very familiar with grape culture, otherwise he could not have known that by pruning a fruit bearing branch one can cause it to bear more fruit.

By what means does the Father dress the vine, or prune it?  We find the answer in v. 3.  The pruning is also the "making clean" of the heart and soul of the individual, which he accomplishes by means of the Word.  We must always keep in mind that when Jesus speaks of the Word in such a way, he means the Word of God that issues from his lips.  His disciples were already clean because they had cast off all the impediments to receiving his Word and so, receiving the Word, they were cleansed by the Word.  The close relation between the pruning and the making clean is seen clearer in the Greek, where "pruning" and "cleaning" are both rendered from kathairo.  They are the same word.”(a)

Jesus said, “I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who live in me while I live in them will produce a lot of fruit. But you can’t produce anything without me.  Whoever doesn’t live in me is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Branches like this are gathered, thrown into a fire, and burned.” 

The good news is, if we stay true to the teachings of the Lord, we will produce fruit pleasing to God.

The bad news is, if we fail to bear good fruit, we are of no use to God and will be cast away.

But look, Jesus follows this with a promise.  “If you live in me and what I say lives in you, then ask for anything you want, and it will be yours.” 

This is much the same promise He made in Mark 11:22-25 Jesus declares, “Have faith in God!  I can guarantee this truth: This is what will be done for someone who doesn’t doubt but believes what he says will happen: He can say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will be done for him.  That’s why I tell you to have faith that you have already received whatever you pray for, and it will be yours.  Whenever you pray, forgive anything you have against anyone. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your failures.”

The reason for that reward is because, “You give glory to my Father when you produce a lot of fruit and therefore show that you are my disciples.”

If we are to produce good fruit we must remain true to the purpose that God has intended for us.  What is our purpose?  Hear this answer from Micah 6:8.  “You mortals, the Lord has told you what is good.  This is what the Lord requires from you:  to do what is right, to love mercy, and to live humbly with your God.”

Christ, who has nourished us as the living True Vine, make us, Your branches, one in praise and love, and raise us up at the last day to our true reward.

Amen

Bible quotes are from the God’s Word Translation

Quotes from a sermon by Edgar Jones

*Psalm 80    Open your ears, O Shepherd of Israel, the one who leads the descendants of Joseph like sheep, the one who is enthroned over the angels. Appear in front of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Wake up your power, and come to save us. O God, restore us and smile on us so that we may be saved. O Lord God, commander of armies, how long will you smolder in anger against the prayer of your people? You made them eat tears as food. You often made them drink their own tears. You made us a source of conflict to our neighbors, and our enemies made fun of us. O God, commander of armies, restore us and smile on us so that we may be saved. You brought a vine from Egypt.  You forced out the nations and planted it.: You cleared the ground for it so that it took root and filled the land. Its shade covered the mountains. Its branches covered the mighty cedars. It reached out with its branches to the Mediterranean Sea. Its shoots reached the Euphrates River. Why did you break down the stone fences around this vine?  All who pass by are picking its fruit. Wild boars from the forest graze on it. Wild animals devour it. O God, commander of armies, come back!  Look from heaven and see!  Come to help this vine. Take care of what your right hand planted, the son you strengthened for yourself.  The vine has been cut down and burned.  Let them be destroyed by the threatening look on your face. Let your power rest on the man you have chosen, the son of man you strengthened for yourself. Then we will never turn away from you.  Give us life again, and we will call on you.  O Lord God, commander of armies, restore us, and smile on us so that we may be saved.

Isaiah 5:1-7

Let me sing a lovesong to my beloved about his vineyard:

My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. He dug it up, removed its stones, planted it with the choicest vines, built a watchtower in it, and made a winepress in it.  Then he waited for it to produce good grapes, but it produced only sour, wild grapes.

Now then, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah, judge between me and my vineyard!  What more could have been done for my vineyard than what I have already done for it?  When I waited for it to produce good grapes, why did it produce only sour, wild grapes?

Now then, let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will tear away its hedge so that it can be devoured and tear down its wall so that it can be trampled. I will make it a wasteland. It will never be pruned or hoed. Thorns and weeds will grow in it,  and I will command the clouds not to rain on it.

The vineyard of the Lord of Armies is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the garden of his delight. He hoped for justice but saw only slaughter, for righteousness but heard only cries of distress.

 

Mark 12:1-12

Then, using this illustration, Jesus spoke to them. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a vat for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip.  

“At the right time he sent a servant to the workers to collect from them a share of the grapes from the vineyard.  The workers took the servant, beat him, and sent him back with nothing.  So the man sent another servant to them. They hit the servant on the head and treated him shamefully.  The man sent another, and they killed that servant. Then he sent many other servants. Some of these they beat, and others they killed.

“He had one more person to send. That person was his son, whom he loved. Finally, he sent his son to them. He thought, ‘They will respect my son.’

“But those workers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’  So they took him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

“What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the workers and give the vineyard to others.  Have you never read the Scripture passage:

‘The stone that the builders rejected

   has become the cornerstone.

The Lord has done this,

   and it is amazing for us to see’?”

They wanted to arrest him but were afraid of the crowd. They knew that he had directed this illustration at them. So they left him alone and went away.

 

John 15:1-8

Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father takes care of the vineyard.  He removes every one of my branches that doesn’t produce fruit. He also prunes every branch that does produce fruit to make it produce more fruit.

“You are already clean because of what I have told you.  Live in me, and I will live in you. A branch cannot produce any fruit by itself. It has to stay attached to the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit unless you live in me.

“I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who live in me while I live in them will produce a lot of fruit. But you can’t produce anything without me.  Whoever doesn’t live in me is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Branches like this are gathered, thrown into a fire, and burned.  If you live in me and what I say lives in you, then ask for anything you want, and it will be yours.  You give glory to my Father when you produce a lot of fruit and therefore show that you are my disciples.

Peace Be Still

Read Psalm 4 and Luke 10:38-42*

Sermon:   “Peace, Be Still”

As they were traveling along, Jesus went into a village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.  I can almost hear you say “What a minute, Tom, we know this story.  Marth too busy and Mary got the good stuff.” 

Yes, on the surface, that is as good of a summery as any.  But is that all there is to this story?  Can we not learn anything more?

I have heard plenty of sermons asking me to decide if I am a Martha, a person too busy with the cares of the world; or a Mary, the quiet, contemplative, lover of Jesus.  Well, my answer has always been, “Yes”.

Yes, I am each of those things at different times.

However, when I read this passage now, I understand more about what is happening here.  That is one of the marvels of scripture reading, the more you read, them more you see.  Like a flower opening its petals, it slowly opens to your heart and mind.

It all started when Jesus came to Bethany, to visit the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.  They had become cherished personal friends of Jesus during His earthly ministry.  He had a profound love for their family, and it’s clear from Luke’s account that Jesus made Himself at home in their house.

Certainly hospitality was a special hallmark of this family.  Martha in particular is portrayed everywhere as a meticulous hostess.  The fact that her name was usually listed first whenever she’s named with her siblings implies strongly that she was the elder sister of Mary and Lazarus.  She as the eldest would have taken on the role of caretaker for her sister and brother.

First of all it appears that it is Martha’s home.  Nowhere in the story does it say that Mary lived there with Martha.  It would have been a common thing for unmarried sisters to live together.  However it would have been equally common that they have separate homes.  I have also heard sermons that say this is their brother Lazareth’s home.  However, when I read John 11:1 we find, “Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived, was sick.” To me, that just says that the sisters and their brother lived in the same town.  So, if indeed this was Martha’s home, it changes the dynamics of the story slightly.

However, whether she owned the home or was just the one who managed the home, it was Martha who invited Jesus into her home.  This was her service to him.  By inviting the Master into her home she had accepted the hosting responsibilities implied in the invitation.

Jesus had come at Martha’s invitation.  She was the one who welcomed Him in, signifying that she was the actual master of ceremonies in this house.  On this occasion, at least, she wasn’t merely filling in as a surrogate hostess for a friend; she was plainly the one in charge of the household.  She fussed over her hostess duties.  She wanted everything to be just right.  She was a conscientious and considerate hostess, and these were admirable traits.  Much in her behavior was commendable.

When I read this passage, I am often reminded of my first mother in law.  She was a loving, giving, Christian woman who had a real gift for giving of herself, her time and everything she owned.  When describing her, I usually say, “She was the type of woman where, if you knocked on her door to sell magazines, she would invite you in.  And the following scene would unfold:  “Here sit down, you look hot and tired.  Would you like some water?  Or I have some pop.  Or I could make coffee.  Would you like a sandwich, I have leftover ham.”

She sounds like a delight doesn’t she?  Amen?  She was.  However, it could be slightly frustrating when you came to visit her.  She was so busy being the hostess, that you couldn’t get her to sit still and talk with you.  I think of Martha in that way.

Martha wasn’t the only that scriptures say gave invited Jesus into their homes.  So perhaps we should take at those times and compare and contrast the other invitations with Martha’s.   In Luke 14:7-11 Jesus attends a banquet in the home of a prominent Pharisee and teaches a lesson about proper guest etiquette.

“Then Jesus noticed how the guests always chose the places of honor. So he used this illustration when he spoke to them:  “When someone invites you to a wedding, don’t take the place of honor. Maybe someone more important than you was invited.  Then your host would say to you, ‘Give this person your place.’ Embarrassed, you would have to take the place of least honor.  So when you’re invited, take the place of least honor. Then, when your host comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move to a more honorable place.’ Then all the other guests will see how you are honored.  Those who honor themselves will be humbled, but people who humble themselves will be honored.”

Having now schooled the guests on proper behavior, he does the same for the Pharisee in verses 12-14

“Then he told the man who had invited him, “When you invite people for lunch or dinner, don’t invite only your friends, family, other relatives, or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they will return the favor.  Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the handicapped, the lame, and the blind.  Then you will be blessed because they don’t have any way to pay you back. You will be paid back when those who have God’s approval come back to life.”

Now that we have heard Jesus’ teaching, let’s look at what was going on in Martha’s home.  Has she invited those who can return the favor?

No.  She has invited Jesus.  By extension, we can assume that his disciples were also present.  Remember the scriptures says, “As they were traveling along”. Jesus was an itinerant preacher with no permanent home. Luke 9:58 and Matthew 8:20 say, “Jesus told him, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to sleep.”  While it is possible that some of the disciples had homes in the area, we must remember that when Jesus called them, they dropped what they were doing and followed.  Even if the disciples weren’t actually homeless, they were without income.  They were living on the charity of others.  So Jesus and his followers were not in a position to repay Martha by inviting her to dine with them. 

Jesus, as the guest was seated in the honored place.  Not because he chose it but because it was offered.

I find it enlightening that the customs of the time held that women’s legal rights were categorized along with Gentiles, minors, deaf-mutes and "undesirables" such as gamblers, the insane, usurers, and pigeon-racers.”  One of these days I want to know more about those sinful pigeon-racers.  But that is a study for another time.

The point is, for Jesus to accept her offer, meant that he was once again breaking the traditions and teachings of the religious leaders of the day.  Just as He did when in Mark 2:14-16  we read, “When Jesus was leaving, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting in a tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” So Levi got up and followed him.  Later Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners who were followers of Jesus were eating with him and his disciples. When the experts in Moses’ Teachings who were Pharisees saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

This, most likely, was Martha’s life.  Everything revolved around caring for the home.  It was both her treasure and her prison because “In those times, respectable women were expected to stay within the confines of the home.  “The woman of the first century did not even do her own shopping, except possibly to go out, accompanied by a slave, to buy material which she would use to construct her own clothing at home! Customarily, even a woman of stature could not engage in commerce and would rarely be seen outside her home. Only a woman in dire economic straits, who was forced to become the family breadwinner, could engage in her own small trade. If a woman was ever in the streets, she was to be heavily veiled and was prohibited from conversing with men. "It is the way of a woman to stay at home and it is the way of a man to go out into the marketplace" (J)

Now we know that Martha had a sister named Mary.  and we know that Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to him talk.  It is believed that this is the same event that is described in John 12:1-8.

Six days before Passover, Jesus arrived in Bethany. Lazarus, whom Jesus had brought back to life, lived there.  Dinner was prepared for Jesus in Bethany. Martha served the dinner, and Lazarus was one of the people eating with Jesus.

Mary took a bottle of very expensive perfume made from pure nard and poured it on Jesus’ feet. Then she dried his feet with her hair. The fragrance of the perfume filled the house.

One of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray him, asked,  “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for a high price and the money given to the poor?” (Judas didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the moneybag and carried the contributions.)  Jesus said to Judas, “Leave her alone! She has done this to prepare me for the day I will be placed in a tomb. You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me with you.”

Some scholars believe that Mary was also the woman at the Pharisee’s house in Luke 7:36-50

One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him. Jesus went to the Pharisee’s house and was eating at the table.

A woman who lived a sinful life in that city found out that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she took a bottle of perfume and knelt at his feet. She was crying and washed his feet with her tears. Then she dried his feet with her hair, kissed them over and over again, and poured the perfume on them.

The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and thought, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know what sort of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner.”

Jesus spoke up, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

Simon replied, “Teacher, you’re free to speak.”

So Jesus said, “Two men owed a moneylender some money. One owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. When they couldn’t pay it back, he was kind enough to cancel their debts. Now, who do you think will love him the most?”

Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the largest debt canceled.”

Jesus said to him, “You’re right!”  Then, turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “You see this woman, don’t you? I came into your house. You didn’t wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.  You didn’t give me a kiss. But ever since I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet.  You didn’t put any olive oil on my head. But she has poured perfume on my feet.  That’s why I’m telling you that her many sins have been forgiven. Her great love proves that. But whoever receives little forgiveness loves very little.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”  The other guests thought, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”

Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace!”

If this indeed the same woman, why was she said to be “A woman who lived a sinful life”?  Remember that I said earlier that a woman’s place was in the house … literally.  Respectable women did not leave the house.  Yet Mary is known to have left the house.  The terminology used in that day for a prostitute was “one who goes abroad”.

After their brother, Lazareth had died, Martha went to Jesus to tell him not to bother because it was too late.  Jesus has this to say in John 11:25-40 Jesus said to (Martha), “I am the one who brings people back to life, and I am life itself. Those who believe in me will live even if they die.26 Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe that?”

27 Martha said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who was expected to come into the world.”

28 After Martha had said this, she went back home and whispered to her sister Mary, “The teacher is here, and he is calling for you.”

Several things catch my attention here that shed more light on the differences and similarities with the sisters.  Martha is the one who goes to Jesus and tells him that Lazareth is already dead.   It was her responsibility as the head of the house.  After all, she was the one who had sent the message asking Jesus to come and heal her brother.  As the eldest, she could have told Mary to go and give the bad news that Lazareth had died.   Instead she made the journey herself.   Then after Jesus hears her confession that she believes He is the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who was expected to come into the world, she goes home and tells Mary to go.

29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Jesus. 30 (Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still where Martha had met him.) 31 The Jews who were comforting Mary in the house saw her get up quickly and leave. So they followed her. They thought that she was going to the tomb to cry.

Mary had stayed behind at the house with the mourners and then went running out.  It is helpful to understand the traditional rituals and observances at the time of a Jewish death. 

“Traditionally, a person is buried the same day as his or her death, followed by seven days of mourning. A special meal of condolence is provided after the burial. Mourners remain in the house of mourning with friends and family throughout the week. Prayers are offered, and readings from the Torah are shared. Memorial candles are often lit. Traditional grooming stops, as do marital relations, entertainment, and regular study. In some cases, mourners wait 30 days before cutting their hair.

The New Testament speaks of mourners’ loud wailing. For example, when Jesus came to the home of the synagogue ruler whose daughter had died, He “saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly” (Mark 5:38). This took place on the same day as the girl’s death, as her body was still inside the home.

Mourning sometimes included shaving one’s head or putting ashes or dust on the head, in addition to rending garments. These actions communicated to everyone that the person was in mourning. Jeremiah 25:34 mentions the actions of a mourner in a judgment on evil rulers: “Weep and wail, you shepherds; roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. For your time to be slaughtered has come.”(g)

So Mary has run from the house of mourning and gone to Jesus.

32 When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Notice how strongly she believes in Jesus power.

33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who were crying with her, he was deeply moved and troubled.

34 So Jesus asked, “Where did you put Lazarus?”

They answered him, “Lord, come and see.”

35 Jesus cried. 36 The Jews said, “See how much Jesus loved him.” 37 But some of the Jews asked, “Couldn’t this man who gave a blind man sight keep Lazarus from dying?”

38 Deeply moved again, Jesus went to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone covering the entrance. 39 Jesus said, “Take the stone away.”

Martha, the dead man’s sister, told Jesus, “Lord, there must already be a stench. He’s been dead for four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you would see God’s glory?”

From these glimpses into the lives of these two women it is easy to see that they both loved the Lord.  Each in their own way honored him.  It is also easy to see the differences.  Martha was a thinker and a doer.  Mary was ruled more by her heart and more emotional.

It was these differences that are in play here when we read, “But Martha was upset about all the work she had to do. So she asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work all by myself? Tell her to help me.”

Notice in the next verse how gently Jesus answers Martha.  It is not a condemnation for her service to him.  It is a reminder that time with Him is more important than all the busy work.  Listen, “The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha! You worry and fuss about a lot of things.  “But of the few things worth worrying about, there is only one thing you need.”  Mary has made the right choice, and that one thing will not be taken away from her.”

I have to admit that sometimes the “busy work” of preparing sermons, picking the worship music, and typing the bulletins; keeps me from actually spending time in communion with my Lord.

If you, like me, let the day to day things of life, even those things that are in service to the Lord, keep you from the peaceful refreshment of time spent at the feet of Jesus, listen to his quiet voice.  He will answer when you call upon Him.  He can free you of your troubles for he has pity on you.

Then along with the psalmist I say, “Think about this on your bed and remain quiet.  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness by trusting the Lord.  Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?” Let the light of your presence shine on us, O Lord.  You put more joy in my heart than when their grain and new wine increase.  I fall asleep in peace the moment I lie down because you alone, O Lord, enable me to live securely.”  Amen.

All scripture quotes are from GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

( a) “Jesus and the Role of Women” by Zhava Glaser

(J) Found on the “Jews for Jesus” webpage.

(g) found on “GotQuestions.org”

*Psalm 4 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness.  You have freed me from my troubles. Have pity on me, and  hear my prayer!  You important people, how long are you going to insult my honor?  How long are you going to love what is empty and seek what is a lie?

Know that the Lord singles out godly people for himself.  The Lord hears me when I call to him.  Tremble and do not sin.  Think about this on your bed and remain quiet.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness by trusting the Lord.  Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?” Let the light of your presence shine on us, O Lord.

You put more joy in my heart than when their grain and new wine increase.

I fall asleep in peace the moment I lie down because you alone, O Lord, enable me to live securely.

 

Luke 10:38-42  As they were traveling along, Jesus went into a village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.  She had a sister named Mary. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to him talk.

But Martha was upset about all the work she had to do. So she asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work all by myself? Tell her to help me.”

The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha! You worry and fuss about a lot of things.  “But of the few things worth worrying about, there is only one thing you need.”  Mary has made the right choice, and that one thing will not be taken away from her.”

“The Lord is My Inheritance”

Read:  Psalm 16, Colossians 1:13-23, and John 14:1-11

Sermon: “The Lord is My Inheritance”

God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom, where the morning is bright and the Lamb is the light, and the night is as bright as the day.  Praise be to God that we have nothing to fear from the outer darkness (see Matt. 22:13) which is separation from God.

Hear this from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8 “Be Ready for the Day of the Lord.  Brothers and sisters, you don’t need anyone to write to you about times and dates. (Matthew 24:36 “No one knows when that day or hour will come. Even the angels in heaven and the Son don’t know. Only the Father knows.)

You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  When people say, “Everything is safe and sound!” destruction will suddenly strike them.  It will be as sudden as labor pains come to a pregnant woman. They won’t be able to escape.  But, brothers and sisters, you don’t live in the dark.  That day won’t take you by surprise as a thief would.  You belong to the day and the light not to the night and the dark.”

The day of the Lord will come suddenly when least expected.  So we must be ready at all times.  In Matthew 25:1-8 Jesus tell a story about Ten Bridesmaids, some are ready for the darkness and some are not.
“When the end comes, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids. They took their oil lamps and went to meet the groom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  The foolish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they didn’t take any extra oil. The wise bridesmaids, however, took along extra oil for their lamps.  Since the groom was late, all the bridesmaids became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight someone shouted, ‘The groom is here! Come to meet him!’ Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready.
“The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.’
“But the wise bridesmaids replied, ‘We can’t do that. There won’t be enough for both of us. Go! Find someone to sell you some oil.’
“While they were buying oil, the groom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went with him into the wedding hall, and the door was shut.
“Later the other bridesmaids arrived and said, ‘Sir, sir, open the door for us!’
“But he answered them, ‘I don’t even know who you are!’
“So stay awake, because you don’t know the day or the hour.”

What can we expect when the Lord comes?  What will He look like? 

God can’t be seen directly.  We can see his creation and his works everywhere.  Romans 1:19-20 “What can be known about God is clear to them because he has made it clear to them. From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse.”

God is visible in his creation.  However, He does not want to be worshiped “through” that which He has created. The third of the Ten Commandments is, “Never have any other god.  Never make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water.  Never worship them or serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a God who does not tolerate rivals.”

In Deuteronomy 4:15-18 it says this about God, “You didn’t see the Lord the day he spoke to you from the fire at Mount Horeb. So be very careful that you don’t become corrupt and make your own carved idols. Don’t make statues that represent men or women, any animal on earth, any creature with wings that flies, any creature that crawls on the ground, or any fish in the water.  Don’t let yourselves be tempted to worship and serve what you see in the sky—the sun, the moon, the stars, or anything else.”

Jesus, in John 4:23-26 declares, “Indeed, the time is coming, and it is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. The Father is looking for people like that to worship him.  God is a spirit. Those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will tell us everything.” (Messiah is the one called Christ.)

Jesus told her, “I am he, and I am speaking to you now.”

So, God the Father is a Spirit.  And how do we go about “seeing” God?  Our scripture says, Colossians 1:15 “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God.” and Colossians 1:19 “God was pleased to have all of himself live in Christ.”  When Philip asked to see the Father, Jesus said to him in John 14:9, “The person who has seen me has seen the Father.”

Jesus is the visible portion of the triune God.  God in three persons and yet one God.  I have given this illustration of my understanding of how God can be One and Three at the same time. 

I picture God the Father as liquid water, every living thing on Earth contains water and without water there is no life.

Jesus, I equate to ice.  He is the visible, tangible portion of the Godhead.

The Holy Spirit is steam, that invisible and yet powerful force.

Just as water, ice, and steam are identical … that is H2O … two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom …, so God is God, without changing His nature, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

John 1:1-4 “In the beginning the Word (that is Jesus) already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was already with God in the beginning. Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him. He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.”

Colossians 1:17 “Jesus existed before everything and holds everything together.  He created all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.  Whether they are kings or lords, rulers or powers—everything has been created through him and for him.”

Colossians 1:19 “God was also pleased to bring everything on earth and in heaven back to himself through Christ. He did this by making peace through Christ’s blood sacrificed on the cross.”

Colossians 1:21 “Once you were separated from God. The evil things you did showed your hostile attitude. But now Christ has brought you back to God by dying in his physical body. He did this so that you could come into God’s presence without sin, fault, or blame.” 

John 14:1-4 “Don’t be troubled. Believe in God, and believe in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms. If that were not true, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you?  If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again. Then I will bring you into my presence so that you will be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”

That is why I’ll Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, Sing His mercy and His grace; In the mansions bright and blessed He’ll prepare for us a place. And, Some glad morning when this life is over I’ll fly away! To a home on God’s celestial shore I’ll fly away!

That is why you and I can say with the Psalm 16:5-6, “The Lord is my inheritance and my cup.  You (God) are the one who determines my destiny.  Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me. Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful.”  There’ll be no sadness, no sorrow, no trouble I see. There will be peace in the valley for you and for me.

Paul reminds us in Colossians 11:23 “This is on the condition that you continue in faith without being moved from the solid foundation of the hope that the Good News contains.

Let us then be true and faithful, Trusting, serving every day; Just one glimpse of Him in glory Will the toils of life repay. .Onward to the prize before us!  Soon His beauty we’ll behold; Soon the pearly gates will open; We shall tread the streets of gold.

All scripture quotes are from GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

*Psalm 16
Protect me, O God, because I take refuge in you. I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord.  Without you, I have nothing good.”  Those who lead holy lives on earth are the noble ones who fill me with joy. Those who quickly chase after other gods multiply their sorrows.  I will not  pour out their sacrificial offerings of blood or use my lips to speak their names. The Lord is my inheritance and my cup. You are the one who determines my destiny. Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me.  Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful. I will praise the Lord, who advises me.  My conscience warns me at night. I always keep the Lord in front of me. When he is by my side, I cannot be moved. That is why my heart is glad and my soul rejoices.  My body rests securely  because you do not abandon my soul to the grave or allow your holy one to decay. You make the path of life known to me.  Complete joy is in your presence. Pleasures are by your side forever.

*Colossians 1:13-23

God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of his Son, whom he loves.  His Son paid the price to free us, which means that our sins are forgiven.  

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  He created all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.  Whether they are kings or lords, rulers or powers—everything has been created through him and for him.  He existed before everything and holds everything together.  He is also the head of the church,which is his body. He is the beginning, the first to come back to life so that
he would have first place in everything. God was pleased to have all of himself
live in Christ.  God was also pleased to bring everything on earth and in heaven back to himself through Christ. He did this by making peace through Christ’s blood sacrificed on the cross.

Once you were separated from God. The evil things you did showed your hostile attitude. But now Christ has brought you back to God by dying in his physical body. He did this so that you could come into God’s presence without sin, fault, or blame.  This is on the condition that you continue in faith without being moved from the solid foundation of the hope that the Good News contains. You’ve heard this Good News of which I, Paul, became a servant. It has been spread throughout all creation under heaven.

* John 14:1-11

“Don’t be troubled. Believe in God, and believe in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms. If that were not true, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you?  If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again. Then I will bring you into my presence so that you will be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going. So how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me.  If you have known me, you will also know my Father. From now on you know him through me and have seen him in me.”

Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will satisfy us.”

Jesus replied, “I have been with all of you for a long time. Don’t you know me yet, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? What I’m telling you doesn’t come from me. The Father, who lives in me, does what he wants.  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe me because of the things I do.

Sing a Song of Jesus

 

Read Psalm 2*

Sermon: “Sing a Song of Jesus”

As I read Psalm 2, I realized that is a ‘Song of Jesus’.  Let us examine it a verse at a time.

1 Why do the nations gather together?  My first thought of Nations coming together made me think of the United Nations.  Here is the opening wording of the UN Charter:

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

And then I thought of the European Union.  Here is the statement of purpose of that union:

The peoples of Europe, in creating an ever closer union among them, are resolved to share a peaceful future based on common values.

Conscious of its spiritual and moral heritage, the Union is founded on the indivisible, universal values of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity; it is based on the principles of democracy and the rule of law. It places the individual at the heart of its activities, by establishing the citizenship of the Union and by creating an area of freedom, security and justice.

The Union contributes to the preservation and to the development of these common values while respecting the diversity of the cultures and traditions of the peoples of Europe as well as the national identities of the Member States and the organization of their public authorities at national, regional and local levels; it seeks to promote balanced and sustainable development and ensures free movement of persons, services, goods and capital, and the freedom of establishment.

I didn’t hear anything that sounded even close to “Hear O Israel, our God is one God.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your.”  Did you?  Nothing where these gatherings of nations professed their allegiance to the Living God in the same way Israel did and still does.

Our American Declaration of Independence at least recognizes “the Creator” as it includes the line, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Our rights are not given by Man but by God.  They are unalienable which means that they cannot be taken away by Man.

Why do the nations come together?  The answer is, out of fear, because they don’t trust each other.  They want to establish some form of human protection for themselves. Because they fear a common enemy. They also want to set common goals.

The psalmist wants to know why the nations (that is all the earth) reject God?  Why do they make plans that differ from the plan of God? 

The answer is that any contract, covenant, or agreement that doesn’t take into consideration God’s plan, is a useless plan. God never breaks a covenant. History demonstrates that Man will eventually break every agreement.

Do you remember the story of the tower of Babel from Genesis 11:1-9?  Here the people of earth gathered together to build a tower capable of reaching Heaven. Up until this point in the Bible, the whole world had one language - one common speech for all people. The people of the earth became skilled in construction and decided to build a city with a tower that would reach to heaven. By building the tower they wanted to make a name for themselves and also prevent their city from being scattered.

The story is about Mankind pitting its will against the will of God. And it didn’t turn out well for mankind.  Imagine that!

In the New Testament book of Acts (4:25-28) Luke quotes from this psalm

You said through the Holy Spirit, who spoke through your servant David (our ancestor), ‘Why do the nations act arrogantly? Why do their people devise useless plots?  Kings take their stand.  Rulers make plans together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’

Luke then goes on to point out how the prophecy in this psalm points to Jesus as the Messiah.

“In this city Herod and Pontius Pilate made plans together with non-Jewish people and the people of Israel. They made their plans against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 

Jewish and non-jewish people banding together to try and combat God’s will.  Trying to make plans against “Jesus, whom you anointed.”   Remember that line about Jesus being anointed by God, we’ll get back to it.

The psalmist continues: Kings take their stands.  Rulers make plans together against the Lord and against his Messiah by saying,  “Let’s break apart their chains and shake off their ropes.”

I find it frightening that our own nation is headed toward or is already at that point where we say, “Let’s break apart their (that is God the Father and His Messiah, Jesus) chains and shake off their ropes.”

This is contrary to the teachings of Jesus who said, “Take My yoke upon you.”  The meaning here is to shake off our old yoke of sin and disobedience and be bound together with God because, he said, “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  Make no mistake, there is work to be done.  We can continue in our own way and our own will, just as the Kings and Rulers of the psalm did.  Or we can be bound together with God and let him do the “heavy lifting.” 

We are to be bound together in Christian love also.  We are commanded, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus didn’t just stop at saying, “Love one another.”  He added this condition, “As I have loved you.”  That is an all encompassing love.  A love that is given freely with no reservations, no conditions, and no strings attached.  We are to love those who love us and those who hate us.  We are commanded to love those like us and those different from us.  I figured out a rule of thumb here: If God created them, we are to love them.  So the only people outside the group I am to love would be … … … 

Being bound together reminds me of the hymn, “Bind us together, Lord.” Bind us together, Lord.  Bind us together with cords that cannot be broken. Bind us together in Love. There is only one God, There is only one King, There is only one Body.

Next the psalm writer gives God’s reaction to Man’s plans.

4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs.  The Lord makes fun of them.

I have to say that this verse took me aback a bit.  Even though I know it is a psalm, a song, a poem and some poetic license is allowed, the idea of God laughing at Man’s vain attempts to go our own way was disturbing to me.  Then I also read Psalm 37:12-13 which says, “The wicked person plots against a righteous one and grits his teeth at him. The Lord laughs at him because he has seen that his time is coming.”  Okay, I guess, if I try to see it through the eyes of God,  I can see the comedic action here.  Do you remember the old silent films with the Keystone Cops?   They were a bunch of misfit cops who ran around getting in each other’s way and creating chaos instead of apprehending the “bad guys”.  Whatever they tried never seemed to work out well for them.  I imagine from God’s point of view, we must seem like that a great deal of the time.

5 Then he speaks to them in his anger.  In his burning anger he terrifies them.

There are plenty of scriptures (mostly Old Testament) that speak about God’s anger toward individuals and nations.  I have a little trouble reconciling what I know of God’s love and God’s mercy with God’s “burning anger.”  Then I found the following posted on the web by an unnamed author.  I found it helpful.  I hope you do also.

“If the Lord is always merciful to everyone, then He can never be angry and vengeful. In God Himself there is "no variation nor shadow of turning." (James 1:17) Yet He appears in a variety of ways according to the spiritual state of the individual. "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; with the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd." (2 Samuel 22:20; Psalm 18:25)

It almost seems as if God's actions towards each of us depend on our actions toward God and others. If you forgive others, He will forgive you; if you do not forgive others, He will not forgive you. (Matthew 6:15; 18:35) If you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. (James 4:8) If you forget Him, He will forget you. (Hosea 4:6) If you forsake Him, He will forsake you. (2 Chronicles 15:2) And apparently, when people act with vengeance, they can expect vengeance from God. (Ezekiel 25:15,16)

It is as if each kind of person looks at God through differently tinted glasses. A person wearing blue glasses will see everything blue. "To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled." (Titus 1:15) A person who is himself vicious and vengeful will tend to see others, including God, as vicious and vengeful. "The children of your people say, `The way of the Lord is not fair.' But it is their way that is not fair!" (Ezekiel 33:17; 18:25)”

In 2 Peter 3:9 it is summed up this way, “The Lord isn’t slow to do what he promised, as some people think. Rather, he is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they think and act.”

Verse 6 of our psalm reads “I have installed my own king on Zion, my holy mountain.”  Clearly, the psalmist is declaring that God himself will place a king over Israel.  The prophet Samuel, at God’s command, anointed the first two human kings of Israel.  I said human kings because, remember that until that time, Israel was a theocracy.  It was different from all other earthly nations in that it was ruled by God alone.  The “business” of the nation was overseen by judges chosen by God.  The people begged to become like other nations and have a king.  Here is the story from first Samuel chapter eight.

“Samuel considered it wrong for them to request a king to judge them. So Samuel prayed to the Lord.  The Lord told Samuel, “Listen to everything the people are saying to you. They haven’t rejected you; they’ve rejected me. They’re doing just what they’ve done since I took them out of Egypt—leaving me and serving other gods.  Listen to them now, but be sure to warn them and tell them about the rights of a king.”

Then Samuel told the people who had asked him for a king everything the Lord had said.  Samuel said, “These are the rights of a king:  He will draft your sons, make them serve on his chariots and horses, and make them run ahead of his chariots.  He will appoint them to be his officers over 1,000 or over 50 soldiers, to plow his ground and harvest his crops, and to make weapons and equipment for his chariots.  He will take your daughters and have them make perfumes, cook, and bake.  He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his officials.  He will take a tenth of your grain and wine and give it to his aids and officials.  He will take your male and female slaves, your best cattle, and your donkeys for his own use.  He will take a tenth of your flocks.  In addition, you will be his servants.”

That sounds like a pretty fair description of an earthly ruler to me.  However the really important part of this passage is when God tells Samuel, “They haven’t rejected you; they’ve rejected me.”

Now, in verse seven we learn who God will appoint as the new king

I will announce the Lord’s decree.  He said to me: “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.

Here are some important verses about Christ the King.

Hebrews 1:5-6  “God never said to any of his angels, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”  And God never said to any of his angels, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.”  When God was about to send his firstborn Son into the world, he said, “All of God’s angels must worship him.”

Luke 1:31-33  God, speaking through his angel, said to Mary, “You will become pregnant, give birth to a son, and name him Jesus. He will be a great man and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.  Your son will be king of Jacob’s people forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

Matthew 3:16-17  “After Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up from the water. Suddenly, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down as a dove to him. Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love—my Son with whom I am pleased.”

Jesus had this to say about himself in John 9:35-37, “Jesus heard that the Jews had thrown the man out of the synagogue. So when Jesus found the man, he asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  The man replied, “Sir, tell me who he is so that I can believe in him.”  Jesus told him, “You’ve seen him. He is the person who is now talking with you.”

Jesus was recognized as the new king when he rode into Jerusalem.  John 12:12-13 records it this way, “On the next day the large crowd that had come to the Passover festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.  So they took palm branches and went to meet him. They were shouting, “Hosanna!  Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel!”

In verse eight of the psalm God makes this promise to His King, “Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your own possession.”

Now hear Jesus’ response in John 17:4-24 “On earth I have given you glory by finishing the work you gave me to do.  Now, Father, give me glory in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world existed.

“I made your name known to the people you gave me. They are from this world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me. They did what you told them. Now they know that everything you gave me comes from you, because I gave them the message that you gave me. They have accepted this message, and they know for sure that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me.

“I pray for them. I’m not praying for the world but for those you gave me, because they are yours.  Everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine. I have been given glory by the people you have given me.  I won’t be in the world much longer, but they are in the world, and I’m coming back to you. Holy Father, keep them safe by the power of your name, the name that you gave me, so that their unity may be like ours.  While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power of your name, the name that you gave me. I watched over them, and none of them, except one person, became lost. So Scripture came true.

“But now, Father, I’m coming back to you. I say these things while I’m still in the world so that they will have the same joy that I have.  I have given them your message. But the world has hated them because they don’t belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one.  They don’t belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.

“Use the truth to make them holy. Your words are truth.  I have sent them into the world the same way you sent me into the world. 1I’m dedicating myself to this holy work I’m doing for them so that they, too, will use the truth to be holy.

“I’m not praying only for them. I’m also praying for those who will believe in me through their message. I pray that all of these people continue to have unity in the way that you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they may be united with us so that the world will believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me. I did this so that they are united in the same way we are.  I am in them, and you are in me. So they are completely united. In this way the world knows that you have sent me and that you have loved them in the same way you have loved me.

“Father, I want those you have given to me to be with me, to be where I am. I want them to see my glory, which you gave me because you loved me before the world was made.

9 You will break them (the disobedient nations) with an iron scepter. You will smash them to pieces like pottery.” Our reading from Matthew’s gospel verses 41-43 gives us an insight into verse 9 of the psalm, “Then the king will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me! God has cursed you! Go into everlasting fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me into your homes. I needed clothes, and you didn’t give me anything to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t take care of me.’”

10 Now, you kings, act wisely.  Be warned, you rulers of the earth! For thousands of years before Christ’s earthly incarnation and for thousands of years since, you…we have been warned. We have repeatedly been told that a time will come when God will no longer strive with men. There will be a time of judgement. The book of 2^nd Peter eminds us, “God didn’t spare angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, where he has secured them with chains of darkness and is holding them for judgment. God didn’t spare the ancient world either. He brought the flood on the world of ungodly people, but he protected Noah and seven other people. Noah was his messenger who told people about the kind of life that has God’s approval.

Verse 11 tells us to, “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”

In 1 Corinthians 15: 22b-25 we learn the fate of those who belong to Christ as well as those that do not belong to him. “In Christ all will be made alive.  But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.  Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”

The last verse in this psalm reads, “Kiss the Son, or he will become angry and you will die on your way because his anger will burst into flames.  Blessed is everyone who takes refuge in him.”

John 3:36 echoes the last line of the psalm by saying, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, he will see God’s constant anger.”

The choice seems clear to me. I will echo what was said by Joshua in Joshua chapter 24, “Fear the Lord, and serve him with integrity and faithfulness. Get rid of the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord.  But if you don’t want to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Even if you choose the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live, my family and I will still serve the Lord.”

As for me and my family, we will server the Lord.

 

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations gather together?  Why do their people devise useless plots?

2  Kings take their stands.  Rulers make plans together against the Lord and against his Messiah by saying,

3  “Let’s break apart their chains and shake off their ropes.”

4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs.  The Lord makes fun of them.

5 Then he speaks to them in his anger.  In his burning anger he terrifies them by saying,

6 “I have installed my own king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7 I will announce the Lord’s decree.  He said to me: “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.

8 Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your own possession.

9 You will break them with an iron scepter. You will smash them to pieces like pottery.”

10 Now, you kings, act wisely.  Be warned, you rulers of the earth!

11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, or he will become angry and you will die on your way because his anger will burst into flames.  Blessed is everyone who takes refuge in him.

“Praise Ye The Lord”

Read Psalm 146*

 

Befor the sermon, I want to give you a little background about the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” because I believe that the truth in this hymn is also found in our Psalm 146 reading.

In 1871, Horatio Spafford, a prosperous lawyer and devout Presbyterian church elder and his wife, Anna, were living comfortably with their four young daughters in their home in a north side suburb of Chicago.

The Spaffords hosted and sometimes financially supported many guests. Horatio had been active in the abolitionist crusade and the cottage was a meeting place for activists in the reform movements of the time such as Frances E. Willard, president of the National Women's Christian Temperance Union, and evangelical leaders like Dwight Moody, who ignited a religious revival in America and Europe.

Spafford, a senior partner in a thriving law firm, invested in real estate north of an expanding Chicago in the spring of 1871. When the Great Fire of Chicago reduced the city to ashes in October of the same year, it also destroyed Spafford's sizable investment.

Two years later the family decided to vacation with friends in Europe. At the last moment Horatio was detained by business, and Anna and the girls went on ahead, sailing on the ocean liner S.S. Ville de Havre. On November 21, 1873, the liner was rammed amidship by a British vessel and sank within minutes.

The four children drown. However, Anna was picked up unconscious on a floating spar by the crew of the Lochearn, which itself was in danger of sinking. Fortunately, the Trimountain, a cargo sailing vessel arrived to save the survivors.

Nine days after the shipwreck Anna landed in Cardiff, Wales, and cabled Horatio, "Saved alone. What shall I do…"

After receiving Anna's telegram, Horatio immediately left Chicago to bring his wife home. On the Atlantic crossing, the captain of his ship called Horatio to his cabin to tell him that they were passing over the spot where his four daughters had perished. He wrote to Rachel, his wife's half-sister, "On Thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down, in mid-ocean, the waters three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs."

Horatio wrote this hymn, we’re singing today, as he passed over their watery grave.

Here was a man who had suffered losses, physical, financial, and emotional.  And yet his faith allowed him to write, “It Is Well With My Soul”.

Do an internet search if you’d like more information about this man.

Opening Hymn: ““It is Well With My Soul”

1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,                                                 When sorrows like sea billows roll.                                                             Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say                                                          It is well,  It is well, with my soul.

Refrain:                                                                                                                 It is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul)                                                   It is well, it is well, with my soul.                                           

2.  My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought:                                                                                                               My sin, not in part but the whole,                                                                          Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.                                                    Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain:

3.  Oh Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight                                       The clouds be rolled back as a scroll.                                                                 The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,                                              Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:

Sermon: “Praise Ye The Lord”

Psalm 146 is one of five Psalms called “Hallelujah Psalms.”  They all begin and end with the phrase “Praise ye the LORD!”  That phrase is the translation of the Hebrew word “Hallelujah!”

Israel had just recently returned from a terrible time of bondage in Babylon when this psalm was written.  They had returned to find their shining city on a hill, Jerusalem, was in ruins.  Their temple, the center of their spiritual life, was stripped of its ornaments and sacred items and was but a few walls and scattered stones.  Their joy of release of bondage and their homecoming was tempered with the knowledge of the labor that lay before them.

They gathered craftsmen and laborers and began the rebuilding.  Slowly the walls came together around their beautiful city.  The temple was reconstructed and redecorated.  The few sacred items that had survived were brought back and new ones created.  They could now begin to truly worship God as they and their ancestors had done before.

Israel’s neighbors had sought to destroy not only their nation but the people themselves.  Many had been killed or assimilated into the cultures of the surrounding nations.

As they slowly returned to their homeland, they also began to once again turn to the God of their ancestors.  They lamented what had been lost, which is natural.  However, they also began to praise God for what he had brought them through.  As their nation was rebuilt, so also was their identity as the Children of the one true God.  They remembered the Shema, “Hear, O Israel, your God is one God.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

It was then this this psalm was written.

Do you understand why I gave you the background story about the writing of “It Is Well With My Soul”?  What Israel had gone through as a nation, is like unto what all people everywhere and in every generation go through.  Suffering and loss is not what God intended for his people.  However, due to the willful disobedience of Adam and Eve, God’s perfect world was broken.  This is the world in which we now live.  If you believe that, say amen.

Let us look at Psalm 146 and see what we may learn about praising God in all times and situations, so that we may also have the deep down knowledge that “All is well with my soul”. 

Lesson One:  The people came to understand that, though prophets of God had warned them to turn from their disobedience and return to God, they had wandered from the true path that God laid out for them.  Centuries later, the apostle Paul said it quite simply, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  That realization as a nation and as individuals gave them the perspective to accept that it wasn’t so much a punishment from God, as the consequence of not staying true to God.  Only as we recognize our sin and admit to it, can we truly repent and ask for forgiveness.

Lesson Two:  God is worthy of our praise, of our hallelujah.

As the Israelites came to realize that it was only through God’s goodness and his Grace that they were returned to their land.  They sang praises to his name.  We too have been saved by grace, through faith -- and this in not from ourselves, it is the gift of God.  (paraphrased from Ephesians 2:8)  It is because of Christ’s sacrifice, we can sing “Amazing Grace”, “Rock of Ages”, “It is Well With My Soul”, and many others.

Lesson Three:  “I want to praise the Lord throughout my life.  I want to make music to praise my God as long as I live.”  Praising God in not conditional on our circumstances or our feelings.  Understand that though it is well with our soul, we are not exempt from the pain and suffering of this life.   Amen? However, as followers of God in Christ, we have been delivered from an eternity separated from the love of God, an eternity in Hell.  Praise God!

As the Jews rejoiced because they were freed from bondage, we too can rejoice as we are freed from our chains of sin.  Sometimes it is hard to remember that we are but visitors in this earthly life, that our true home is in heaven.  The span of our earthly life is less than a tick of the clock of eternity.  When we are standing in the magnificent presence of God, we will praise him throughout all eternity. 

I sometimes think of this life as “practice” or “rehearsal”.  We often think we are in the middle of “life” when in truth we are still in the locker room or the green room off stage. Our true life hasn’t even begun. This is our training ground … let us make the most of it.

Lesson Four: Be careful of where you place your trust: “Do not trust influential people, mortals who cannot help you.  When they breathe their last breath, they return to the ground.  On that day their plans come to an end.”

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”  We have all heard that before. Amen? And it usually precedes something going terrible wrong.

Over nearly 70 years, I have placed my trust in a lot of people, a lot of organizations, and a lot of great thinkers.  I have placed a lot of faith in myself as well.  One thing I’ve learned is, that at some point, all trust in earthly people, places, and things is misplaced because, as I’ve said, we live in a broken world. 

We may not be intentionally misled.  However, another thing I’ve learned is, a stupid idea said by a smart man, is still a stupid idea.  A wrong direction is still a wrong direction even if everyone agrees that it is the right way to go.  Personally, I will never intentionally mislead you.  However, despite my good intentions, I could still be wrong.  Don’t rely on me.  Rely on God.  

Most of us know the Old Testament story of Job.  I was amazed when I actually read it through.  What amazed me was the advice that his friends were giving him as he was going through his testing.  They were true friends and really wanted to help, to ease his suffering.  It says in chapter 2:11-13 “When Job’s three friends heard about all the terrible things that had happened to him, each of them came from his home—Eliphaz of Teman, Bildad of Shuah, Zophar of Naama. They had agreed they would go together to sympathize with Job and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they didn’t even recognize him. They cried out loud and wept, and each of them tore his own clothes in grief. They threw dust on their heads.  Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him because they saw that he was in such great pain.”

These sound like the kind of friends that you would want with you in times of trouble. Amen?

His friend, Eliphaz, said to him, “Now think about this: Which innocent person ever died an untimely death? Find me a decent person who has been destroyed.  Whenever I saw those who plowed wickedness and planted misery, they gathered its harvest. God destroys them with his breath and kills them with a blast of his anger.” The implication was that Job must have done something that displeased God and he should make it right before he was destroyed.

“Then Bildad replied to Job, … If you search for God and plead for mercy from the Almighty, if you are moral and ethical, then he will rise up on your behalf and prove your righteousness by rebuilding your home. Again it is implied that Job had done something to displease God.

“Then Zophar replied to Job,  “Shouldn’t someone answer this flood of words? Should a good public speaker be acquitted? Should your empty talk silence others so that you can make fun of us without any shame? You say, ‘My teaching is morally correct,’ and, ‘As you can see, I’m innocent.’  I only wish God would speak and open his mouth to talk to you. He would tell you the secrets of wisdom, because true wisdom is twice as great as your wisdom, and you would know that God forgets your sin.”

All of this was good solid advice based on everything that they knew.   In other circumstances, it would have been great advice.  However, it was completely wrong.  My point is, although people may be well meaning and even helpful at times, they don't know the path that God has chosen for us. 

Lesson five:  “Blessed are those who receive help from the God of Jacob. Their hope rests on the Lord their God, who made heaven, earth, the sea, and everything in them.”

Our true hope rests in the Lord alone.  As believers, this should be self evident.  Who would you rather trust, the man who seeks shelter from the storm or the one who commands the storm, “Peace, be still”? 

The God who created the vast universe and the smallest sub atomic particles loves and cares for me and for you.  He even knows the number of hairs on our heads.  I find that, in equal amounts, humbling and comforting.

Lesson six:  “The Lord remains faithful forever.”   I said earlier that at some point, all trust in earthly people, places, and things is misplaced.  However in psalm 103 it says, “From everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children.”

From everlasting to everlasting is the kind of faithfulness in which we can trust.  Right?

It isn't from “beginning to end”.  It starts before the begining and zooms right past the end.

Lesson seven:  The Lord cares.  The psalmist gives a list of ways that God provides for all people.

Justice for the oppressed. The history of the Jewish people is a history of oppression.  Over and over they were carried away to distant lands or their homeland was occupied by other nations.   Israel has seen oppression since the beginning of their nation.  From the time of the Philistines of the Old Testament to the Roman occupation during the time of Christ, the pattern continued.  In more recent history there has been the persecution and execution of European Jews during the holocaust.  The modern nation of Israel was established within my lifetime and continues to be fraught with conflict and war.

So too were the early Christians persecuted, enslaved, and executed.  Even today, when one third of the world’s population claim to be Christians, are we persecuted, sometimes covertly and sometimes openly.  It is not surprising since the Kingdom of God has always been at war with the rulers of this world.  God’s will verses Man’s will is the whole story of the Bible in a simple sentence.

Though conflict and oppression are a constant part of the life of the church, we are never abandoned.  We read this promise in Isaiah 30:18-19 “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he rises up to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for him!  People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.”

Again we see God’s justice at work in Psalm 34:17-18 “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

God provides food to the hungry.  I can easily think of several remarkable times that God has directly provided food for the hungry.  Exodus 16 details when God provided manna and quail to the Israelites fleeing Egypt. During their time in the wilderness water was also provided for them in spectacular ways.

In the new testament we find that Jesus’ first recorded miracle was him providing drink at a wedding.  All four of the gospels give the account of Jesus feeding of 5000 people with a boy’s lunch of five barley loaves and two fish.  The gospels of Matthew and Mark also record a second time when Jesus feed the people who had followed him into a remote place.  This time it is recorded that he feed 4000 with seven loaves and a few fishes.  After his resurrection, Jesus found his disciples had gone back to fishing.  He prepared a meal of fish for them on the shore.

I have had my own miraculous cases of food arriving just when I needed it.  Oh, the heavens didn’t open and rain down bread upon me.  God used human agents as his messengers but that did not make it any less miraculous.  We are commanded, among other things, to feed the hungry as though we were feeding Jesus.

Freedom for the prisoners:  Wow!  Where to start? Maybe with Joseph being thrown into a deep pit and then sold into slavery by his brothers,   How about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being cast into a fiery furnace?  Or maybe just Daniel in the lions’ den.  Sampson breaking his chains?  Paul and Silas when the earth shook, the doors of the prison opened, and their chains fell off.  No, there are just too many examples to try and list them all.

Sight to the blind: at least three times in the gospels are examples of Jesus healing the blind.  In one example the man’s friends brought him to Jesus for healing. (Mark 8:22-25).  In Luke 18:35 Jesus stopped his journey to Jericho to heal a blind beggar along the side of the road.  And in John 9 Jesus uses his healing of a man blind from birth as a “visual aid” (sorry about the pun) to teach his disciples a truth about God’s plans.  But let’s not forget that Saul of Tarsus was blinded in an encounter with the risen Christ and later in Damascus something like fish scales fell from his eyes and he could see.  But Paul’s sight was more than physically restored.  His spiritual eyes had also been opened.

Straightens the backs of those who are bent over: This statement is much more than just about the physical healing.  It is also about the downtrodden in society, those that live on the fringes of society, those that are outcasts, those that are different, those that live in fear, paranoia, and depression.  These are people who have had their backs broken by their burdens.  In many cases the Lord is the only hope they have.  Certainly the ten lepers mentioned in Luke 17:11-19 that Jesus healed fit this category.  They had to not only deal with their disease but also the rejection of society.  Yet Jesus approached them and touched them.  He laid hands on them and healed them.  God cares.

Loves the righteous:  Can we just agree on this one?  Search your own Bible for the thousands of examples.  If I took time to cover them, we’d be here a very long time indeed.

Protects the foreigners: One of the commands repeated over and over in the Old Testament was to care for the strangers within your borders.  It was also to be a remembrance that the Jews had also been foreigners in strange lands.  We know that in this country, with the exceptions of the native people, we are all descendants from foreigners.  I had my DNA tested.  Here are the results for my personal history:

· 48% Western Europe (germany, france etc.)

· 28% Great Britain

· 13% Ireland

· 3% Scandinavian

· 2% Western Asia

· 2% Iberian peninsula  Spain/Portugal

· 2% European Jew

· 1% Finland / NW Russia

· 1% Pacific Islander Melanesian

· 1% Northern Africa

I am going to sidestep the issue of “illegal” foreigners in our land and just restate that we are to remember that we too were foreigners and we are to treat those within our borders with respect and dignity as commanded by God. 

Along with the oft repeated command about the foreigners,we are also to provide relief for the the orphans and widows.  These three groups of people are so important to God that He reminds the Israelites (and by extension us) multiple times.

Special laws forbade farmers from harvesting all of their crops.  They were to leave enough in the fields that the widows and orphans could gather enough food to feed themselves. 

Jesus in his parable of the sheep and the goats declares that those who feed, cloth, shelter, heal the least of His brothers, will be credited as doing it for the Lord himself.  And those who don’t, will be condemned. 

The Psalm ends with the declaration that “The Lord rules as king forever.  Zion, your God rules throughout every generation.  Hallelujah!”

 

*Psalm 146 GOD’S WORD Translation

1 Hallelujah!  Praise the Lord, my soul!                                                               2 I want to praise the Lord throughout my life.  I want to make music to praise my God as long as I live.                                                                                       3 Do not trust influential people, mortals who cannot help you.                           4 When they breathe their last breath, they return to the ground.  On that day their plans come to an end.                                                                                    5 Blessed are those who receive help from the God of Jacob. Their hope rests on the Lord their God,                                                                                                6 who made heaven, earth, the sea, and everything in them.  The Lord remains faithful forever.                                                                                                     7 He brings about justice for those who are oppressed.  He gives food to those who are hungry.  The Lord sets prisoners free.                                                     8 The Lord gives sight to blind people.  The Lord straightens the backs of those who are bent over.  The Lord loves righteous people.                                            9 The Lord protects foreigners.  The Lord gives relief to orphans and widows.  But he keeps wicked people from reaching their goal.                           10 The Lord rules as king forever.  Zion, your God rules throughout every generation.  Hallelujah!