Sidney UMC - World Communion Sunday/18th Sunday after Pentecost - 10/04/20 - Sermon - “The 10-Commandments” (“Exodus: The People of the Covenant” Series: Part 5 of 7)

Sunday 10/04/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:                  “The 10-Commandments”

                (“Exodus: The People of the Covenant” Series: Part 5 of 7)

Old Testament Scripture: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20                                     

New Testament Scripture: Philippians 3:4b-14

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 21:33-46

          Welcome once again my friends, brothers, and sisters on this our World Communion Sunday, and this the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost.

          World Communion Sunday is a Sunday that many Christian denominations or expressions of Christianity celebrate Holy Communion, the Eucharist, together as a sign of Christian ecumenical unity.

          To better explain World Communion Sunday, let me tell you what www.umc.org says:

“What is World Communion Sunday?”
“World Communion Sunday is one of six churchwide Special Sundays with offerings of The United Methodist Church. World Communion Sunday calls the church to reach out to all people and model diversity among God’s children. The special offering provides World Communion Scholarships, the Ethnic Scholarship Program and the Ethnic In-Service Training Program”.

“When did it start?”
“According to the 1972 Book of Discipline paragraph 163.b there shall be a World Communion (formerly Fellowship of Suffering and Service) offering to support the division of chaplains and ministries, Crusade Scholarships and the scholarship fund for minority groups” (https://www.umc.org/en/content/world-communion-sunday-faq).

          According to another source that speaks about World Communion Sunday’s history, it says this:

“World Communion Sunday is a celebration observed by several Christian denominations, taking place on the first Sunday of every October, that promotes Christian unity and ecumenical cooperation. It focuses on an observance of the eucharist. The tradition was begun in 1933 by Hugh Thomson Kerr who ministered in the Shadyside Presbyterian Church. It was then adopted throughout the US Presbyterian Church in 1936^[1] and subsequently spread to other denominations. In 1940, the Federal Council of Churches (now the National Council of Churches), led by Jesse Moren Bader, endorsed World Communion Sunday and began to promote it to Christian churches worldwide” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Communion_Sunday).

          In this being, once again, one of the six special giving Sundays in the life of the United Methodist Church, there are giving envelopes in our bulletins this morning, should we be interested in giving to this special giving Sunday. Feel free to put checks or funds in these giving envelopes, and we will make sure that they get to the people who need them.

          With his being said, this morning we are going to continue with our sermon series from the Book of Exodus. So far in this sermon series, God had spoken to Moses through a burning bush, and told Moses that God will use him to free the Israelite or Jewish people from slavery under the Pharaoh in Egypt.

          The Pharaoh refused Moses’ request to free his people, the Israelites, from Egyptian slavery, and so a series of 10-plagues ensued. This culminated with the final plague, which was the death of the first-born child, and the Israelites were saved by smearing the blood of a pure and spotless lamb on their doorposts and lintels.

          Moses then led the Israelite people through the parted Red Sea to freedom, and closer to the promised land, the land of milk and honey. Food then became scarce and the Israelites turned on God and Moses. God then provided the Israelite of Jewish people with daily Manna from heaven and daily quail for meat. God did this for the 40-years that the Israelites wandered the wilderness searching for the promised land.

          Last Sunday, the Israelites turned again on God and Moses over a water shortage. Again, God intervened, and had Moses strike a rock with his staff, causing water to flow abundantly. The Israelite or Jewish people were again loyal and praising God.

          This is where we pick up this morning, in this the fifth week of this sermon series. Today’s sermon is called “The 10 Commandments”. I even put a picture in our slideshow for this morning of Moses, AKA Charlton Heston, holding a depiction of the 10-Commandments on the stone tablets.

          An important thing to point out, is that while we are given the 10-Commandments in our reading from the Book of Exodus for this morning in Exodus 20, Moses doesn’t actually carry the actual stone tablets down from Mount Sinai until Exodus 32. So, the 10-Commandments that God give Moses this morning, as well as soon many other laws, are when Moses is on the Mountain. Next Sunday, we will talk about what happens in Exodus 32 when Moses is on the mountain longer than the Israelites wanted, and bad things happened. As I said last Sunday, when “The Cat is away, the mice play”. As I said then, the failure and the sin of the Israelite people at Mount Sinai is our scripture reading for next week. Today however, God gives Moses the 10-Commandments.

          Many scholars call these commandments and the laws that God gives Moses, the “Mosaic Covenant”. Some refer to the 10-Commandments and the law of the Old Testament, specifically the Torah or the first five books of the Bible, as “The Law”. Some call it “The Law,” including the Apostle Paul, because these were the commandments and the laws that God told Moses that the Israelite or Jewish people should live by. Did the Jewish people have to follow these commandments and laws forever? As Christians, we would say no. As Christians we had the follow the law of the Torah, or the Old Testament, until the Messiah, Jesus came. Jesus would usher in the New Covenant, as laid out in our New Testament of our Bible.

          In our Bibles, we have the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament, in part, we have the Jewish Law, or the “Old Covenant”. Jesus at the Last Supper though, said when he gave the Apostles the cup of wine, “This is the blood of the New Covenant”. As Christians then, we no longer live under the Law of Moses, or the Old Covenant. The New Covenant is Jesus Christ, and we are not under the Law anymore, instead we are under grace.

          In fact, the Apostle Paul who was a Jewish religious leader, and a convert to Christianity said in Romans 6:14:

“¹⁴ For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14, NRSV).

          So, as Christians we are living under the New Covenant in Jesus Christ, not under the Old Covenant that God gave to Moses. If we are no longer bound as Christians by the Old Covenant, or the Mosaic Law, why then are we encouraged to follow the 10-Commandments? I will explain this but let me first let me give you a couple of supporting scriptures. Jesus says in Matthew 22:37-40:

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the greatest and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Mt. 22:37-40, NRSV).

          So, Jesus is saying that all the Old Covenant, or the Law of Moses can be boiled down to this. Since Jesus did not mention the 10-Commandments here though, why should we still follow them? Do we have to follow the 10-Commandments? Let me give you a couple of more scriptures.

          Jesus says in John 14:15:

“¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (Jn. 14:15, NRSV).

          This means that we should keep and follow everything that Jesus said and taught. Jesus also says in Matthew 19:18-19:

“¹⁸ He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt. 19:18-19, NRSV).

          So, Jesus here is quoting five of the 10-Commandments. So, do we follow the 10-Commandments as Christians or not? I thought we were not under the Law as Christians, but that we are under grace.

          For me and for many scholars, this is the simple answer, God cannot contradict Himself. Further, if God gives us a moral law, should we disregard a moral law? It is true that loving God and our neighbor is what Jesus says that all the Law and all the teachings of the prophets can be boiled down to. Yet, many, like myself still think we are to follow the moral laws of the Old Testament. We do not need to follow dietary laws, like we cannot eat shellfish or pig meat, but we are to follow the moral laws. Why?

          Well do we honestly think that God wanted the Jews to not kill others, but that it is ok for Christians to do it? Do you think that God did not want the Jews to steal, but that we still can? The reality is that the moral laws that God gave to Moses in the Old Testament are still in effect I believe, because these are God’s desire for how we are to live together. If God does not contradict himself, then how can God not be ok with murder under the Law, but now it is ok for us to murder? Jesus cites some of 10-Commandments for precisely this reason.

          While Christ and his gospel are the New Covenant, the moral laws that God gave to Moses, I believe, should still be followed. I believe that is still not good to commit adultery, that it is still not good to covet or desire other people’s possessions or steal them. Having no other God but our God, and not worshipping idols are still good things. Honoring your mother and father is still a good thing to do.

          It is true then that we are not under the Law of Moses, or the Law of the Old Testament, and that we are indeed under the New Covenant through Jesus Christ. We are not under the Law, and we are indeed under grace, but God’s desire for how treat each other has not changed. So, the 10-Commandments, are still good to follow and practice.

          Regarding the following of the Old Covenant or the Old Law, and the New Covenant in Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul speaks to this, this morning in Philippians 3:4b-14. Once again, the Apostle Paul says:

⁴ If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. ⁷ Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ” (Phil. 3:4b-7, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul is saying that as a former Jew and a former Pharisee that he was righteous and blameless under the Old Covenant or the Law of Moses. Yet, because he now knows Christ, the New Covenant, the Law of Moses does not matter to him anymore. So, we are not as Christians under the Law, the Old Covenant, or the Law of Moses anymore, but we should follow the moral and the loving parts that explain how God wants us to treat each other.

          With this said, let me also briefly touch on the gospel of Matthew lesson for this morning, which is often called, “The Parable of the Wicked Tenants”. In this parable, a landowner planted a vineyard, and at harvest he wanted to get his share of the produce. The vineyard owner, therefore, sent a group of slaves to collect for him. The tenants of the landowner’s vineyard beat one slave, killed another, and stoned another.

          The vineyard owner then sent another group of slaves to collect from the tenants, and the wicked tenants treated them the same way, as the first group of slaves. Lastly, the vineyard owner sent his own son, thinking that the wicked tenants would respect his son. Yet the wicked tenants seized the landowner’s son and killed him to. The vineyard owner then decided to put the tenants to a miserable death and lease the vineyard to other tenants. Jesus then said that he similarly would be rejected, as the cornerstone of humanity. Jesus lastly says that if we do not follow God, we will probably end up like the wicked tenants.

          For nearly 2,000 years most Christian scholars have interpreted this parable of “The Wicked Tenants” this way, God is the landowner, and the tenants are our fallen and sinful humanity. The first group of slaves that are sent to collect, are the first group of Old Testament Prophets, and the second group of slaves sent to collected are the second group of Old Testament Prophets. The son of the vineyard owner is Jesus, and again the vineyard owner is God.

          God made a covenant, an agreement with the Israelite people, making them the covenant people. This agreement had the 10-Commandments and the rest of Old Covenant, or the Law. Jesus is our New Covenant, the New Adam, and while we are no longer bound by the Law or the prophets of old, we are still to follow the moral laws of God. Therefore, my friends, brother, and sisters, the 10-Commandments sill matter. Amen.

Sidney UMC - 17th Sunday after Pentecost - 09/27/20 - Sermon - “You Can't Get Water From A Rock!” (“Exodus: The People of the Covenant” Series: Part 4 of 7)

Sunday 09/27/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:              “You Can’t Get Water From A Rock!”

                (“Exodus: The People of the Covenant” Series: Part 4 of 7)

Old Testament Scripture: Exodus 17:1-7                                    

New Testament Scripture: Philippians 2:1-13

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 21:23-32

          My friends, brothers, and sisters, welcome once again on this the 17^th Sunday after Pentecost.

          This morning, we are going to dive right into our sermon series from the Book of Exodus. In this seven-week sermon series, we have been looking thus far at the story of the Israelites fleeing slavery in Egypt. This all started in our Book of Exodus reading with God speaking to Moses through a burning bush. God told Moses that he would use him to free the Israelites, or the Jews, or “The People of the Covenant”. This group of people, this nation, that God chose to speak through, will be led out of slavery in Egypt, to the promised land, or the land of milk and honey.

          In the first week of this sermon series, Moses kept telling Pharaoh to let his people, the Israelites, who where slaves in Egypt go. Pharaoh refused, and 10-plagues later, he finally let the Israelites go. They then fled through the divided waters of the Red Sea.

          Last week, after years of slavery, bondage, and oppression, the Israelites, or “The People of the Covenant” were finally free. In no time though, these same people began to run out of food. In this happening, they turned on Moses, and desired to go back in slavery in Egypt. God then provided the Israelites or the Jews Manna or bread from heaven and quail to eat daily. God would do this for the next 40-years as the Israelites wandered through the wilderness, on their way to the promised land, or the land of milk and honey.

          What I said last week, reflecting on this, was how quickly the Israelite people lost faith in God and Moses, when things got hard. These people were no longer grateful to God, but instead were demanding and were full or doubt.

          I would love to tell you that when God provided the Israelites with daily Manna from heaven, and daily quail to eat, that this would be the last time that they would ever rebel and turn on God and Moses. Unfortunately, this turning to and then from God will be the saga of the Israelite or Jewish people all through the Book of Exodus, and the entire Old Testament. In fact, in the Old Testament of our Bibles, God called the prophets, such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah. God called these prophets to call His people back to holiness, righteousness, and faith in him. God is in indeed patient, as his covenant people go back and forth from being faithful to unfaithful. Each time God corrects, and this cycle seems to start all over again in the Old Testament.

          The word repent, in fact, can mean to walk away from. When we repent of our sins, we are not just apologizing to God for them, we are supposed to walk away from recommitting our sins.  Maybe we, therefore, are not all that different from the ancient Israelites or the Jews. Sometimes we are faithful and trusting of God, and maybe at other times our faith weakens.

          This is where we pick up in the Book of Exodus for this morning. So, guess what? Things for the Israelites or the Jews start going south again. This morning, things get tough again. Yet the Israelites are not going to lose faith, and will not turn on God and Moses again, right? Wrong! Yet, maybe sometimes in our lives we go through phases of coming to God and then running from God.

          So, let us drive right into our reading once again from our Book of Exodus reading for this morning. Once again, it starts with Exodus 17:1 that says:

“From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ² The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” ³ But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” ⁴ So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” ⁵ The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶ I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (Ex. 17:1-17, NRSV).

          Upon getting this water, the Israelite people were then given water to drink, to bathe with, and to cook with. Order was restored, faith in God was restored, and everything was good. Well, for now at least!

          So unruly, rebellious, and questing of God were the Israelites this morning though, that Moses named the places where these things took place to reflect the events that had just occurred. As one of my bible commentaries puts it well of this scripture reading, it says:

“As the Israelites journey, one of the places where they set up camp is Rephidim, which is the south part of the Sinai Peninsula. Once again, there is a lack of water (17:1). And once again the people turn on Moses and blame him for their plight (17:2-3). The situation is so bad that Moses names the place Massah, which means ‘testing’ and Meribah, which means ‘quarrelling (17:7)”.

“Exasperated by the people’s lack of faith, Moses cries out. What am I to do with these people? (17:4). God replies, telling him to go ahead of the people with the elders and strike the rock at Horeb with his rod (17:6). This use of the rod with which Moses had already struck the Nile serves to remind the people and the elders, who seem to be regretting ever having left Egypt, of what God has done for them in the past (17:5). Moses obeys God and the water flows in abundance” (Africa Bible Commentary, pg. 107).

          It is amazing to me, just how quickly people can turn against you. Someone might have full faith and trust in you, and then just like that they turn on you. I can only imagine how Moses felt this morning. I mean God is feeding the Israelites Manna from heaven and quail daily. Did they think that God would let them die of thirst? When will they just fully trust God? When we will just fully trust God?

           So, I remember one time when I was with my late Grandpa Winkelman. I think I was about 6 or 7 years old. He was working on something, and he just could not get the thing that he was working on working. After trying various things, he just said, “Well, I guess you can’t get water from a rock”.

          I then went home that night and thought, “why did grandpa say that? You can’t water from a rock!” What I realize years later is that my grandpa was quoting this story from the Book of Exodus, whether he realized it or not. Anyone here every heard someone say, “you can’t get water from a rock?”

          Most reasonable people would completely agree with the idea that you cannot get water from a rock. I would agree with it to. Yet, God can do all things. There have been theories about a water source right next to the rock that Moses struck with his staff, but in general “You Can’t Get Water From A Rock!”

          Again, I would love to tell you that the Israelite people will never doubt or rebel and against God and Moses again, but they will. Next week in fact! Yet are there times in our lives that we have rebelled, or that we have lost some faith.

          Next Sunday, we will have the epic story of Moses going up Mount Sinai. Moses will be given the covenant or the agreement with God for the Israelites. Specifically, the 10-Commandments. Yet Moses will get delayed on the mountain. You know what they say, “When the cat is away, the mice play”. Next Sunday and the following Sunday will be looking at Moses going up the mountain to commune with God, to receive the 10-Commandments, and I wonder if the Israelites will behave themselves in his absence. I bet you can guess on this one! That is the next two Sundays though.

          In briefly touching upon our other two readings from this morning from Philippians, and the gospel of Matthew, in the reading from the Philippians, Paul reminds us to love each other, serve each other, and to be united with each other. The Apostle Paul said that even though Jesus was God in earth, he still humbled himself, even to the point of death on a cross. The Apostle Paul tells us to work out our faith with fear and trembling, and to love and serve like Christ (Phil. 2:1-13, NRSV).

          In our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning, Jesus’ authority to teach, to love, to heal, and to forgive, is challenged by the chief priests and the elders. They ask Jesus by what authority he is doing and saying the things he is. Jesus then agrees to tell them if they answer a question for him. They are not able to answer this question, and as a result, Jesus will not tell them were his power and authority come from.

          Jesus then in further response tells the parable or the story of the two sons. In this parable a father asks his two sons to go and work in the vineyard. One refuses, but later goes and works in the vineyard, and one says he will go, but then does not. Jesus then asked which one of the two sons did the will of there father? The chief priests and elders respond that the first son did the will of his father. Jesus then concludes this morning’s gospel lesson with Matthew reading from 21:31b-32 that says once again of John the Baptist:

“Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him” (Mt. 21:31b-32, NRSV).

          Jesus challenges their unbelief and their lack of faith. The reality of trusting God, and then rebelling, is a theme not only in the Old Testament of our Bible, but also in our New Testament, as well. All of us, every day, need to surrender our lives to Christ and put our trust in him.

          In getting back to our Book of Exodus reading for this morning though, no rational person would try to get water from a rock. There are various scientific exceptions that I have read about this, as well as a few scientific phenomena, but in general, you cannot get water from a rock.

          So why is it that we lose faith sometimes? Is it that the pains and the struggles that we are experiencing are just too much to bear sometimes? Is it because our own personal plans did not work out? What prevents us from truly, I mean truly, trusting God? What would need to happen so that we would trust God with everything that we are and have? If we trust God this much, this God who created us and loves us, then maybe we could believe that this God, and only this God, can even “Get Water From a Rock!” Amen.

Sidney UMC - 16th Sunday after Pentecost - 09/20/20 - Sermon - “Don't Be Ungrateful To God!” (“Exodus: The People of the Covenant” Series: Part 3 of 7)

Sunday 09/20/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:                “Don’t Be Ungrateful to God!”

                (“Exodus: The People of the Covenant” Series: Part 3 of 7)

Old Testament Scripture: Exodus 16:2-15                                         

New Testament Scripture: Philippians 1:21-30

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 20:1-16

          Welcome again my brothers and sisters, my friends, on this the 16^th Sunday after Pentecost.

          For the past two Sundays I have been preaching parts of a seven-week sermon series on the Book of Exodus, called “Exodus: The People Of The Covenant”. More specifically, this sermon series is about the story of the Israelite or Jewish people, or “The Covenant People,” and their journey from slavery to freedom, the promised land, or the land of milk and honey.

This sermon series, once again, was preceded three weeks ago on Sunday August 30th, when we had the scripture reading from the Book of Exodus where God spoke to Moses through a burning bush. God told Moses through this burning bush that he would lead the Israelite or Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt to freedom.

          In the first week of this sermon series, I talked about “The Blood Of The Lamb”. This sermon picked up at the climax of the ten plagues that befell Egypt. These plagues occurred, because the Egyptian Pharaoh would not free the Israelite or Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, despite Moses asking the Pharaoh over and over, to let his people go. The final or tenth plague was the death of all first-born children and animals in Egypt. Yet prior to this final or tenth plague occurring, God told Moses and his brother Aaron to tell the Israelites, to take a pure and spotless lamb from among their animals, sacrifice it, and then take some of the blood of this lamb and put it on their doorposts and lintels of their homes. On this first Passover holiday, or this tenth plague, death passed over the first born of the Israelites that night. They first born were saved by the blood of lamb, as we are all saved by the blood of the lamb that is Jesus Christ.

          After this tenth plague or the first Passover, the Egyptian Pharaoh then reluctantly let the Israelite or Jewish people go from slavery in Egypt. This is where we picked up last Sunday, in my sermon called, “We Were Once Slaves In Egypt”. In this sermon series, I talked about God parting the Red Sea through Moses. Moses then led the Israelite or the Jewish people through the parted Red Sea towards freedom. Towards the land of milk or honey, or the promised land.

          Even though the Egyptian Pharaoh let the Israelite or Jewish people go, reluctantly, the Pharaoh then changed his mind. The Pharaoh then sent the whole Egyptian army to pursue the Israelites or Jews. As the Israelites fled ahead of the Egyptian army, the waters of the Red Sea fell in on the Egyptian army. The entire Egyptian army was wiped out, and the Israelites or Jews crossed safely to the other side of the Red Sea.

          This is where we pick up this sermon series for this morning. So, the Israelites or Jews are now freed from slavery in Egypt. God has called Moses to lead the Jewish people to the promised land, or the land of milk and honey. Much of this land by the way, is what many Jews believe to be the modern-day country of Israel, including the holy city of Jerusalem. This city is often referred to in the Old Testament as “Zion”. This is in part what the subject of the hymn “Marching to Zion” is about (UMC Hymnal, no. 733).

           Now the Israelites or the Jews are not going to get to the land of milk and honey or the promised land right away. In fact, it is going to take a long time, and there will be much struggle and suffering along the way. Given all of this, let us pick up again where we read this morning from the Book of Exodus. Once again, this reading says:

“² The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. ³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Ex. 16:2:15, NRSV).

As one of my Bible commentaries, the Africa Bible Commentary says,

“It is one thing to liberate a people from slavery (or from subjection to some dictator or colonial power); it is quite another to govern the freed people (or to run a democracy in Africa). How will the Israelites react now that they have entered a new situation that will place new demands on them?”                                          (Africa Bible Commentary, pg. 105).

          The Israelites or the Jewish people are now freed from the Egyptian Pharaoh, yet they are running out of food. Some of them then have the audacity to say to Moses, it was better in slavery in Egypt! We should have died in Egypt or stayed in Egypt they argued, because at least we had a lot of food there.

          So the Israelites or Jews trusted Moses through all ten plagues, including the lamb’s blood on there doors, trusted Moses to lead them through the Red Sea, but once things get hard on the other side of the Red Sea they are ready to throw in the towel? Really! Go back to slavery in Egypt! Really!

          Moses had told his people to trust God, and already they have lost faith and heart. Anyone here know someone who has courage and strong faith when things are going well, but falls apart when things go bad? Anyone here ever get exactly what they wanted and hoped for, and then were ungrateful for it? Ever see a kid open a Christmas gift and be upset because they got a sweater instead of an RC car? Ever get frustrated when some people have no idea the sacrifices that were made to give us the opportunities that we have today?

          For all these reasons, and others, my sermon this morning is called, “Don’t Be Ungrateful to God!” We have all questioned God, and all push backed at times in our life.

          For example, I remember when I was about 24-25 years old, and I was serving as a leader on a Walk to Emmaus men’s spiritual retreat weekend. On this weekend, I was talking to a much older and highly respected pastor. This pastor is still serving United Methodist Churches in his 80’s. In talking with this pastor, I was telling him about the job that I had and loved, but that I felt I wanted more, and a higher salary. He asked me if all my bills were paid? I said yes. He asked me if Melissa and I were able to save some money? I said yes. I told him that Melissa and I owned a house, had two nice cars, and a blessed life. He just listened intently. After getting through these questions and listening to me, this much old and wiser pastor asked me a question that I will never forget. He asked me, “Paul are you ungrateful to God or do you believe that God’s provision in your life is not enough?”

          I remember when I went to bed that night thinking and praying about that question. What I realized, was that if I chased stuff, money, and possessions, I would never fully be fulfilled, because all these things can never be enough if all you want is more. I found that on some level I was being ungrateful to God and doubted that God’s provision in my life was good enough. Yet God has provided Melissa and I with everything we needed and then some. This is also why I have never asked a church that I serve for a raise, because God has blessed Melissa and I with so much. Who am I to question or doubt God’s provision in my life? Plus, if I did get a raise, I am just going to give most of it away any!

          I tell you this story of my own life because this morning the Israelite or the Jewish people are doubting God and are ungrateful to God. They believe that they have been freed from Egyptian slavery under the Pharaoh, and that God will just drop them and let them starve. Isn’t it amazing how quickly people can turn on each other and even God?

          How is this food shortage solved then? Let us pick up in Exodus 16:4 once again, where it says:

“⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. ⁵ On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” ⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ⁷ and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?” ⁸ And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the Lord.” ⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’” ¹⁰ And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. ¹¹ The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ¹² “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” ¹³ In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ¹⁴ When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. ¹⁵ When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat”                          (Ex. 16:4-15, NRSV).

          All is well again with Moses and the Israelites or Jews. They have manna from heaven, and quail to eat every day. Does this mean that they will never question God or Moses ever again? No, they will all the time. How many of you have kids that have only questioned or doubted you once? Probably not. Much like this, the Israelites will continue to not fully follow what God is asking Moses to tell them to do. They will then wander the wilderness for 40-years, eating the manna from heaven, and the quail. They then finally come to the border of Canaan, the promised land, the land of milk and honey (Ex. 16:16-36, NRSV).

          Next week, the Israelites or Jews will get unruly with Moses yet again, and we will evaluate that great phrase that maybe you all have heard, “You Can’t Get Water From A Rock”! But that’s next week.

          In general, in the Book of Exodus, God walks the Israelites through a period of testing and trusting. Do God’s “Covenant People” truly trust Him, or do they only trust Him when things are good? Do we trust in God, or do we lean on our own understandings? Do we really believe that God has brought us this far in life to drop us? So, the trust of the Jewish faith, and our Christian faith through Christ, is not in us alone, it is in God. It is in Jesus. It is in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our hope is not in us, nor things of this world, but in the Lord Jesus Christ. We can make the world much better than it is now, but we lack the ability to build a perfect and flawless utopian world. It is not that we have not tried, but we are all broken and sinful by nature. Only through God and His love can this world prosper and look better. True earthly perfection will only be achieved when the Lord Jesus Christ returns, and the world is made into everything we have tried and failed to make it into. An example of humanity trying to do this, is the story of the tower of babel, where the people try to build a literal tower to heaven. It did not go well (Genesis 11:1-9, NRSV)!

          In our reading from the Book of Philippians for this morning, the Apostle Paul tells us once again, to love each other. He tells us to have compassion, sympathy, joy, humility, care, concern, and love for others. Even though Jesus was God on this earth, the Apostle Paul says that even Jesus humbled himself and went to the cross. The Apostle Paul tells us that God is at work in us, and to work for him (Phil. 2:1-13, NRSV).

          Can we build a perfect world on our own? No, but we can make it much better. Yes. The scripture tells us that humanity on earth will be perfected when Christ returns, and until then we are to love, care, give, and do all we can to follow God and serve Christ. God is in control in and us through us. We are not in control of God.

          In looking briefly at our Gospel of Matthew lesson for this morning, which certainly can connect with being “Ungrateful To God,” let us look once again at this reading. It says once again:

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; ⁴ and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. ⁵ When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. ⁶ And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ ⁷ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ ⁸ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ ⁹ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. ¹⁰ Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.  ¹¹ And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, ¹² saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ ¹³ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? ¹⁴ Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. ¹⁵ Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ ¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first will be last”                              (Mt. 20:1-16, NRSV).

                    A couple things about this scripture reading from the Gospel of Matthew, first the workers entered into an agreement with a landlord to labor in his vineyard. As you will notice, the landlord pays his workers all the same amount of money, even though some work many more hours than other workers. The workers who worked more than other workers grumbled against the vineyard landlord. Yet, the vineyard landlord said, this is what you agreed to, and you have been paid. Perhaps that vineyard landlord could ask them if they were ungrateful for a fair day’s wag. I mean what difference is it to the workers what the vineyard owner does with his money? After all it is his money, right?

          Second, the biggest take away from our gospel reading from Matthew this morning is this, whenever we repent of our sins and come to Christ, it doesn’t matter if it is early in life, mid-way through, or towards the end of our life, the reward is the same. God’s reward for coming to him and putting our trust in Christ is the same whenever we do it. This scripture reading from Matthew also blows a hole in the incorrect believe that Jesus was some sort of a Marxist or a Communist. No Marxist or Communist I know advocates paying people the same wage for different amounts of work.

          We are called to be loving, generous, caring, kind, and Godly. So, may we all be “Grateful To God,” and be extremely loving and generous to others. Amen.