Sidney UMC - 15th Sunday after Pentecost - 09/13/20 - Sermon - “We Were Once Slaves in Egypt!” (“Exodus: The People of the Covenant” Series: Part 2 of 7)

Sunday 09/13/20 - Sidney UMC

 

Sermon Title:                “We Were Once Slaves in Egypt!”

                (“Exodus: The People of the Covenant” Series: Part 2 of 7)

Old Testament Scripture: Exodus 14:19-31                                       

New Testament Scripture: Romans 14:1-12

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 18:21-35

          Friends, brothers, and sisters in Christ, welcome once again on this the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost.

          This morning, we are picking up with our seven-week sermon series from the Old Testament Book of Exodus called, “Exodus: The People of the Covenant”. Or to say another way, “Exodus: The people who made an agreement with God”.

          Two weeks ago, we talked about how God spoke to Moses through a burning bush. In doing this, God told Moses that he was going to use him to free the Israelite, or Jewish, or Covenant people, from slavery in Egypt. Moses would lead them through God’s power to the land of milk and honey, or the promised land. Even though this is what God revealed to Moses, the Egyptian leader, the Pharaoh was not willing to let God’s people go.

          As I mentioned last Sunday, multiples plagues then occurred in Egypt, which included the water turning to blood, people getting boils, locusts eating crops, and frogs. These ten plagues culminated with the first Passover. God told Moses and his brother Aaron to tell the Israelite or Jewish people, to all sacrifice a pure and spotless lamb on this the first Passover. They were to then take this lamb, and place some of the blood of the lamb on their doorposts and lintels of their homes. On that same night, death would come to the first born of all people and animals in Egypt. Yet, for those who had marked their doorposts and lintels with the blood of the lamb, the death of the first born would not happen. Instead, these people’s home would be passed over because of the shed blood of a pure and spotless lamb.  

          In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to many times as the Lamb of God, as the new Passover, and the one in whom his shed blood will save us all. When we repent of our sins and turn to Christ, his blood covers the doorways and lintels of our hearts and souls. While we will die an earthly death one day, we will be with Christ for eternity. Eternal death will then pass us over, through the blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony.

          This morning however, we have a well-known reading from the Book of Exodus. We have in part the parting of the Red Sea, as the Israelites or the Jews are now officially moving from slavery towards freedom. What does this Book of Exodus scripture reading say once again? Let us look at our reading from the Book of Exodus again, as it says:

“¹⁹ The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. ²⁰ It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night. ²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. ²² The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. ²³ The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. ²⁴ At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. ²⁵ He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” ²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” ²⁷ So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. ²⁸ The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. ²⁹ But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. ³⁰ Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ³¹ Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses” (Ex. 14:19-31, NRSV).

          So, we have the timeless story of the parting of the Red Sea, and Moses leading the Covenant people towards freedom. In the process of this, the whole Egyptian army is destroyed. Some people have struggled with this. By this I mean, all the Egyptian soldiers died. Why would God allow such a thing? The best answer that I can offer is that God has standards and expectations of how we are to live and to treat each other. The Egyptian leader Pharaoh had enslaved the Israelite or Jewish people. Pharaoh had multiple opportunities to release his slaves to freedom. Yet, because of greed, arrogance, pride, and the desire for power, Pharaoh refused to let God’s people go. Sometimes when we defy God, and we do terrible things, the Bible tells us that God will enact Justice and hold us to account. We do not like this, but God is a God of fairness, love, justice, and mercy.

          With all of this said, on this Sunday that we tell the story of the parting of the Red Sea, and Moses leading the Israelites, the Covenant people, out of Egypt toward freedom, I thought that I would tell you a Moses joke. Not any ordinary Moses joke either, but a golfing Moses joke! Here is the joke:

“It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon while Moses, Jesus, and another guy were out playing golf. On the first tee-box, Moses pulls out his driver and blisters a shot up the right side of the fairway, rolling fast towards a water hazard. Moses quickly raised his club, parting the water while his ball rolls through to the other side safely”.

“Next up on the tee, Jesus hits a really long drive right towards the very same water hazard. His ball came to rest dead center of the pond, hovering just over the surface of the water. Jesus casually walks out onto the pond, and chips it up onto the green within a couple feet of the flagstick”.

“Not impressed, the third guy steps up to the tee without taking any time and just randomly whacks at the ball. Rightfully so, the ball is hit with a nasty hook that clears the left OB markers and goes over a fence into oncoming traffic. It bounces off a truck’s windshield hitting a nearby tree, bounces onto the roof of the greenkeeper’s shed, back out onto the fairway and towards the same pond that Moses and Jesus hit. Before it gets wet, the ball ricochets off a small rock and bounces onto a lily pad on over the water when a bullfrog jumped up and ate the ball. Right at that moment, a bald eagle swoops down and grabs the frog, flying away. As it flew over the green, the frog squeals with fright and drops the ball right next to the flagstick, taking one bounce and landing in the cup for an astounding hole in one”.

“In disgust, Moses then turns to Jesus and says, “I hate playing with your Dad” (https://www.funnyandjokes.com/moses-and-jesus-playing-golf.html).

          This morning, God parts the Red Sea through Moses, and the Israelite or Jewish people start their trek towards freedom. At different times in human history, people have falsely used the Bible to defend the institution of slavery. I think the story of the Israelite people moving towards freedom in the Book of Exodus shows us clearly what God thinks of slavery. Our country fought a Civil War from 1861-1865, that cost the lives of 600,000 soldiers, to remove the sin of slavery. It is terrible when such struggles result in deaths, as the Egyptian Army was destroyed this morning, but God clearly does not approve of slavery.

          Today is a day of victory for Moses and the Israelite or Jewish people. What they do not realize yet though, is that their path to the land of milk and honey, or the promised land, will be long and difficult. They will lose heart, they will turn away from God, and they will wander for 40-years in the wilderness. We will get into more of these realities in the coming weeks of this sermon series, however.

          As I was preparing for this sermon this morning, I thought about what it was like to be freed? What was it like the day that you left high school for good? For those who are retired, what was it like the day that you retired? What was it like when something just ended in your life, and you were thrilled about it? How did that feel? How excited where you to end that chapter of your life, and to be freed from that thing?

          God offers us spiritual freedom, and this morning provides physical and spiritual freedom to Moses and the Israelites. We are offered spiritual freedom in Jesus Christ. To be forgiven, made new, and to be made into a new creation. Much like the Israelites will struggle after going through the Red Sea, we will still struggle and sometimes endure great hardship. Is it because God does not love us? Of course not! It is largely because we live in a broken, fallen, and sinful world. Spiritual freedom in Christ is the best thing that we can ever have, but it does not mean that after we walk through the Red Seas of our lives towards freedom that everything will always be well. We will endure, we will at times suffer, but God is with us.

          I mentioned last Sunday that I was blessed to go with my seminary to Israel and Palestine in 2014. Of the many amazing things that I was blessed to see there, including where Jesus was born, died, and was resurrected, I also got to see the physical place where Israel declared its national independence as a country. This “Independence Hall” in Tel Aviv, Israel, is where Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Hall_(Israel). In Independence Hall there are some scriptures on the walls from the Torah, or the first five books of the Old Testament. The one scripture that struck me, that I will never forget reading in Independence Hall, in Tel Aviv, Israel, was Deuteronomy 15:15. Well what exactly does Deuteronomy 15:15 say? This is what it says:

 

“¹⁵ Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you;” (Deut. 15:15, NRSV).

 

          The Book of Deuteronomy is three books of scripture after the Book of Exodus. In this scripture from Deuteronomy 15:15, the Israelite or Jewish people are being reminded of what God has done for them. What God has done for them, and at a great human cost. Pharaoh would not let them go, so God kept “upping the ante” with another plague, and another. Finally, Moses leads God’s people through the Red Sea towards freedom.

          May we also remember that we were once slaves to sin and death, but through our Passover Lamb Jesus Christ, and his shed blood, we are or can be set free. Or another way to say it, is from our “Great Thanksgiving” Communion liturgy in our United Methodist Hymnal. On page 13 it says:

“Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, And made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit” (UMC Hymnal, pg. 13).

 

          So as our Holy Communion liturgy says, Jesus “delivered us from slavery to sin and death”. Even so, our journeys our not always perfect, and our days are sometimes fraught with great trials and struggles.

          The Apostle Paul also reminds us this morning about judging and despising one another. The Apostle Paul also talks about not judging each other, about how some will struggle, but that we should live for God (Rom. 14:1-12, NRSV). Whatever the day brings, good or bad, let us live for God. God is with us.

          In displaying the great love and forgiveness of God, Jesus talks about forgiveness once again, in our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning. Once again, our gospel of Matthew reading says:

²¹ Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” ²² Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times”                 (Mt. 18:21-22, NRSV).

 

          In some translations of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says to forgive not seventy time, but seven times seventy time. Trust God, love each other, forgive each other, and allow Jesus to lead you to spiritual freedom.

          This gospel reading once again ends with “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant”. A servant is forgiven of his financial debt from his lord. This same servant then leaves freed from his financial debt, and then tries to collect on a debt owed to him. This same servant does not forgive the debt owed to him, but instead put his debtor in prison. The servant’s lord who forgave his debt heard of this and was angered at how his servant treated the man that owed his servant money. He then had the servant seized and the servant paid him through some less than orthodox methods (Mt. 18:23-35, NRSV).

          Life is not always perfect for us here on earth. Sometimes we suffer, sometimes we endure hardships, and sometimes God leads us through the Red Seas of our lives. God has been with us through the good times and the bad times, and no matter what today or tomorrow brings, let us remember the freedom and the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. For as it says once again in Deuteronomy 15:15:

“¹⁵ Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you;” (Deut. 15:15, NRSV). Amen.

Sidney UMC - 14th Sunday after Pentecost - 09/06/20 - Sermon - “The Blood Of The Lamb” (“Exodus: The People of the Covenant” Series: Part 1 of 7)

Sunday 09/06/20 - Sidney UMC

 

Sermon Title:                “The Blood Of The Lamb”

                (“Exodus: The People of the Covenant” Series: Part 1 of 7)

 

Old Testament Scripture: Exodus 12:1-14

                                           

New Testament Scripture: Romans 13:8-14

 

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 18:15-20

          Welcome again my friends, on this the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost. Fourteen Sundays after the Holy Spirit moved in a powerful way, nearly two-thousand years ago on the day of Pentecost. On this day, the Christian Church was born. We here today are part of that great legacy in Jesus Christ.

          With this said, this morning I am starting a 7-week sermon series that focuses on our Sunday lectionary readings from the Old Testament Book of Exodus. This sermon series is called, “Exodus: The People of the Covenant”. One meaning of the word Exodus, is to leave, to depart, or to “exit,” Exodus. In these scripture readings from the Book of Exodus, we pick up this morning as the struggle for the Israelites or Jew’s push for freedom in Egypt hits its climax. The Egyptian ruler, the Pharaoh has refused to allow Moses to lead the Israelite or the Jewish people to freedom. The Jews are slaves in Egypt under the Egyptian Pharaoh and have been for some time.

          Last week in our Book of Exodus reading, God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, and told Moses that he would lead God’s people to freedom. Since the Egyptian Pharaoh refused to let the Jewish people go however, a series of plagues began in Egypt. Things such as the water turning to blood, people getting boils on their skin, and locusts devouring crops. This all led to the tenth and final plague of every family’s first-born child dying in Egypt. This tenth and final plague finally broke the Egyptian Pharaoh, as his own first born died. Moses then leads the Israelites through the Red Sea towards the land of milk and honey, or the promised land (Ex. 12:1-14, NRSV).

          So, I am going to talk about the Exodus scripture this morning, but I am also going to connect it to our New Testament readings, and to Jesus.

          As I was thinking and praying about making these connections between the Old and the New Testament, for some reason I thought of one of my favorite childhood tv shows, “The A-Team”. Any of you remember the “The A-Team”? You might remember the character “Mr. T” who used to say, “I pity the fool”! The one character that I really liked however, was “Hannibal”. “Hannibal” often had a big cigar hanging out of his mouth, and no matter what “The A-Team” was involved with, once thing were going well, “Hannibal” would always say, “I love it when a plan comes together”!

          My intention with this new 7-week sermon series is to show all of us, how the Old Testament fully connects to the New Testament, and Jesus Christ. Or to say it like “Hannibal,” “I love it when a plan comes together!”

          Once again, this sermon series is called “Exodus: the people of the covenant”. If any of you have ever opened your bible and looked at the first chapter of the gospel of Matthew, you will notice that Matthew immediately starts the gospel with a lineage (Mt. 1:1-17, NRSV). Specifically, Matthew wants to establish that Jesus is descendent of the great King David, and that Jesus’ lineage goes all the way back to Abraham. Abraham was the first person who God made a covenant with after Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. That covenant was then passed down through the generations, all the way to Jesus. The covenant that God made through Moses, gave us the 10-commandments, and all the laws of the first five books of the Old Testament that devout Jews follow even to this day. God made a covenant through Moses with the Israelites or Jews. God promised that he would deliver the Israelites or Jews from slavery in Egypt, and that he would lead them to the promised land. The land of milk and honey.

          When God made a covenant in the Old Testament with the great King David, God promised that David’s line or lineage would rule forever. Further God told King David that one day he would send a ruler of David’s lineage that would save God’s people and rule forever. This future ruler would die for all people and would rule for eternity. This ruler was and is Jesus Christ. Boy, “I love it when a plan comes together!”

          While there are many prophecies and foreshadowing’s of the coming of Christ, the Messiah, in the Old Testament, we have one strong one this morning. As you notice in the picture on the screen, we have a pure white spotless lamb.

          In the tenth and final plague to free God’s chosen or “covenant people,” this morning God tells Moses and Aaron in our Book of Exodus reading, to instruct their people to kill a pure white and spotless lamb. They were to take some of the blood of the lamb and smear it on their doorposts and lintels of their homes. In doing this, the tenth and final plague of there firstborn being killed would “Passover” the Israelites or the Jews. This is in part where the Jewish holiday of the “Passover” comes from.

          Anyone here every been to a Passover Seder? Anyone here ever eat Lamb on Easter? Friends, this is not an accident. Further, “a covenant,” as my sermon series is called “people of the covenant,” in Biblical terms, is an agreement with God. We agree to serve God, follow his teachings, and honor him. The Ten-Commandments that Moses carried down from Mount Sinai, and the rest of the Old Testament Law is the Jewish covenant or agreement with God.

          As a United Methodist pastor, I am under a clergy covenant. I have agreed to and have taken vows to teach the doctrines or beliefs of the church, to live and conduct myself in a Christian manner, and many other things. Covenants are binding, like a marriage covenant for example.

          With this all said, lets look once again at our scripture reading from the Book of Exodus for this morning. It says:

“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: ² This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. ³ Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. ⁴ If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. ⁵ Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ⁶ You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. ⁷ They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. ⁸ They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ⁹ Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. ¹⁰ You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. ¹¹ This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. ¹² For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. ¹³ The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. ¹⁴ This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance” (Ex. 12:1-14, NRSV).

          So, this event, is what finally broke the Egyptian Pharaoh, and very reluctantly he allowed the Jews to flee slavery in Egypt. In this event, God used the blood of a pure and spotless lambs to save the firstborn of all in Egypt whose doorpost and lintels were covered with the blood of the lamb.

          In the gospel of John, as our picture for this morning says, Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist announces as he sees Jesus:

 “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”                           (Jn. 1:29, NRSV).

          In the Book of Exodus reading for this morning, the Israelites or the Jews, God’s chosen and covenant people, are able to keep there first born alive, because of the blood of the sacrificed lamb. Yet, in the gospel of John 1:29, Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist says when he sees Jesus, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29, NRSV).

          On the first Passover, which is a major Jewish holiday, the Jews sacrificed and ate pure spotless white lambs. They then used that lamb’s blood on there doorways and lintels, and it saved their first-born child.

          Jesus’ Last Supper years later was also during the Jewish Passover holiday. At this Last Supper, Jesus took the bread and wine, and said that this is my body and my blood broken and shed for you. Jesus was saying that his blood and broken body would save his disciples and all of humanity.

          While the blood of the pure and spotless lamb on that first Passover in the Book of Exodus saved the firstborn of the Israelites or the Jews for a night, Jesus’ blood covers our hearts and our souls for eternity. Jesus Christ is the new Passover Lamb, and his shed blood covers all our sin and transgressions. Since this is true, if we repent of our sin and come to Christ, while we will die here on this earth, our souls will live on eternally with Christ. For eternal death will not pass us over, because the blood of lamb, Jesus Christ. So when Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist said “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” he was saying that this Jesus’ shed blood on the cross is similar to pure and spotless lamb’s shed on that first Passover in the Book of Exodus. This Jesus and his shed blood will cover the doorways of our hearts and our souls, not just for a night, but for eternity.

          In further connecting the Old Testament to the New Testament for this morning, the Apostle Paul once again in Romans 13:8-14 references some of the 10-Commandments (Rom. 13:8-14, NRSV). I will be talking about the 10-Commandments one Sunday as part of this sermon series. We are still called to follow the 10-Commandments as they are part of the moral law of God, not Jewish dietary laws.

          In briefly mentioning our gospel of Matthew reading for this morning Jesus says once again:

“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. ¹⁶ But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”                               (Mt. 18:15-20, NRSV).

          In this gospel lesson, Jesus tells us how to be reconciled to each other, and how to better forgive each other. He also tells us that when two or three of us are gathered in his name, that he is with us.

          Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. God used plagues to convince the Egyptian leader Pharaoh to let the Jewish people go. The tenth and final plague was the death of all first-born children in Egypt. The Jew’s firstborn children were saved however, through the blood of a pure white and spotless lamb.

Friends, we are all saved through the blood of Jesus Christ, who is new Passover Lamb. Jesus is among us when we gather, and through him and him alone, we have forgiveness, newness of life, and eternal death with not visit us. For as we die our earthly deaths, we will continue on with Christ for eternity. For as Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist said, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Amen.             

Sidney UMC - 13th Sunday after Pentecost - 08/30/20 - Sermon - "I AM WHO I AM"

Sunday 08/30/20 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:        “I AM WHO I AM”

Old Testament Scripture: Exodus 3:1-15                                       

New Testament Scripture: Romans 12:9-21

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 16:21-28

          Welcome again my friends, brothers, and sisters, on this the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost.

          So, I have a question for all of us to think about this morning. This question is, have we ever questioned the authority figures over us? Have we ever questioned our leaders? Our teachers? Our pastors? Our government officials? Our parents? Or even God Himself?

          At different times, we all push back and question, don’t we? Maybe some of us do not have the faith in our leaders like we once did. Maybe you gave one of your teachers a really hard time, only to look back and see that they were right all along. Have you ever been angry with God, due to something that happened in your life?  I am sure that many people have felt angry at God, and hopefully we worked through or are working through these tough times.

          Some of us have even challenged our parents. Anyone here ever gotten one or both of your parents angry before? Ever gotten your grandma or grandpa angry? Ever wanted to do something, and your parents told you “no”? Was anyone here not happy once and a while when your parents told you “no”?

          Maybe you wanted to take a trip, go to a friend’s house, the school dance, or something else, and your parents said “no”. Maybe you were acting a little to hyper, and grandma let you know about it! In our lives, as children, and even now, we have authority figures. We have elected leaders, and other people in leadership positions. At times there is no problem, but sometimes we challenge the authority.

          I remember when I was a kid, sometimes I would beg my mom to let me do something. If she thought that it was a bad idea though, then this was met with a swift of “no!” Once and awhile though my mom would say, “let me think about,” which was usually a “no” to be declared later.

          We all probably have also witnessed “the look,” and the pointy index finger. You know when mom or grandma got mad, raised there voices, looked at you with a look that could kill some people, and pointed a finger at you that looked like a 2’x4”. Some moms, dads, grandmas, and grandpas have what I like to call “the look”. Anyone here ever experience “the look”? Oddly enough, my wife also has “the look”. I think that over the years my mother has taught Melissa more on how to better do “the look”. “The look” is designed to strike fear, stop you in your tracks, and make you listen.

          Beyond this, when all else has failed, you would hear with a raised voice your entire name. Not “Paul Winkelman,” but “Paul Daniel Winkelman!” Anyone here ever hear your full name called out by parent or grandparent with a raised voice? It is like a horror movie. I have learned that only when you are graduating or receiving an award, is good to hear your full name. Outside of this, if my mother, my father, or grandparents said, “Paul Daniel Winkelman,” it was never good! Ever!

          There were times growing up that I disagreed with my parents, there decisions, and sometimes I even questioned their authority. Looking back now though, they were usually always right. It is part of our human sin nature to rebel sometimes, and to challenge authority sometimes.

          With all of this said, we have an Old Testament scripture, once again, from the Book of Exodus for this morning that I can connect with this idea of questioning and rebelling. In our Book of Exodus reading for this morning, once again, we have the story of Moses and the burning bush. How many of us have ever heard or have ever read the story of Moses and the burning bush?

          In looking at our scripture reading from Exodus 3:1-15 for this morning, once again, it says:

“Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. ³ Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” ⁴ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ⁵ Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God”                (Ex. 3:1-6, NRSV).

 

          Ever been leading a flock of sheep, when you notice a burning bush that is not burning up, yet is on fire and is burning? Ever hear the voice of God from this same burning bush? My guess is, is that when Moses went back to tell the Israelites about this, they said, “So let me get this straight Moses, you saw a bush on fire, yet it wasn’t burning up, and then God spoke to you through this same burning bush”? Moses would then say, “Yes,” and I’m sure everyone said, “Well of course Moses!”

          I can imagine that this was scary for Moses, and even startling. Imagine if a farmer was out in a corn field, and then suddenly they saw one of there corn stalks a blaze. Yet this corn stalk was not burning up, but was blazing with fire. Then God started speaking to you through this blazing corn stalk. I wonder when you returned to the house, or went to town, if your friends and family would believe this? It would probably also be startling and unsettling. Why would God reveal himself to Moses in a burning bush?

          Let’s find out, as we keep going with our scripture reading from Exodus, as it then says:

“⁷ Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, ⁸ and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ⁹ The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. ¹⁰ So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” ¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” ¹² He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain” (Ex. 3:7-12, NRSV).

 

          So, God appears to Moses in a burning bush to tell him that the time had come for the Israelite or the Jewish people to be free from slavery in Egypt under the Pharaoh. This eventual departure or “Exodus” will birth the holiday of the “Passover,” when death passed over the first born of the Jews.

          So, to recap here, Moses is walking along, he sees a bush burning, yet the bush does not burn up like wood in a fire. This bush keeps burning, and God begins to speak to Moses through this fiery bush. God tells Moses that the time had come for the Israelites, or the Jews, to be freed from slavery in Egypt under the Pharaoh.

          The Book of Exodus scripture then ends once again saying:

“¹³ But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” ¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” ¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations” (Ex. 3:13-15, NRSV).

 

          So, Moses is talking to God through this burning bush, and Moses asks God, that when he goes back to tell the Israelites or the Jews all of this, what should he tell them that God’s name is. As my sermon title for this morning says, God says, “I AM WHO I AM”. God then tells Moses to tell the Israelites, “I Am has sent me to you”. God then tell Moses to tell the Israelites or the Jews that the God of their ancestors sent Moses to the Israelites. God then tells Moses that his name for all generations and forever is “I AM”.

          When I read this, and I have thought this before, I thought what was Moses’ attitude towards God when he asked God His name? Was he afraid?  Was he demanding? Was he worried?

          I decided to venture down the path this morning, of Moses being stern towards God, even though he might not have been. This then made me think of the authority figures in our lives, including God. It made me think of when mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa would be stern with us. “The look,” the index finger, the wood spoon, the belt, the broom, etc. The other thing that I thought of when God said to Moses that his name is “I AM WHO I AM,” is the statement “Because I said so!” Anyone ever have a parent or someone else say, “Because I said so!” I might have asked my mom Susan, “Mom why can’t I stay at my friends house and watch movies tonight”? Well, what if I didn’t do all my chores? Or what if I did something else? My mom might say “no!” “But mom I would say, “Why not!” Mom would then say, “because I said so!”

          While we have all challenged authority figures and authority at different times in our lives, Moses and the burning bush reminded me of what happens when we question our parents or our grandparents. Moses says, God tell me your name, and God says, “I am” in charge Moses, not you!

          The reality then is this, while sometimes we might wrestle with God, struggle with God, or even question God, God is sovereign over us. God is over us, governs us, and is sovereign, whether we want Him to be or not. When we ask God His name, He says, “I AM WHO I AM”. You do not tell me God says, I tell you. When I asked my mom “why not,” she would say, “because I said so!” We will always have authority figures over us, and our loving God will also be over us, but in love.

          In looking at our scripture reading from the Book of Romans for this morning, the Apostle Paul tells us that our love should be genuine (Rom. 12:9, NRSV). The Apostle Paul then specifically tells us the various ways to love, as God is love. For many of us, not all, our parents, our grandparents, and others love or loved us. Sometimes we did or still do challenged such people, but most of them had or have our best interests in mind. Sometimes if they are or were stern and said “no,” or said, “because I said so,” it was out of love. In the same way, we do not ask God what his name is, He tells us “I AM WHO I AM”.

          In looking at our gospel lesson for this morning from the gospel of Matthew, once again, Peter challenges Jesus’ authority. Peter has an “I AM WHO I AM” moment. Specifically, Jesus tells the disciples that he is going to go to Jerusalem soon, and suffer greatly for us all in his trial, torture, and crucifixion. In saying this though, the Apostle Peter says to Jesus in response, this:

“²² And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things” (Mt. 16:22-23, NRSV).

 

          Now I don’t know about you, but getting called Satan by Jesus, is way worse than mom saying “no,” or “because I said so!”. Many have and still try to challenge God, and this was not different when God came to this earth and took on flesh. The Apostle Peter is attempting to challenge the living God, Jesus Christ. “I AM WHO I AM!”

          To emphasize this even more, when Jesus was challenged in John 8:58, it says:

“⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”

          Jesus, God in the flesh on earth, much like God in the burning bush talking to Moses, said “I am”. Further Jesus is saying before Moses, Jacob, Isaac, and the great Abraham, “I am”. Jesus is saying God is eternal, He is eternal, and that He is in control not us.

          While we all challenged and pushed back at different times, let us humble ourselves, and remember that we are not in control, but God is in control. When we tell God what He should do, or ask Him His name, He says, “I AM WHO I AM”. When Jesus is challenged by Peter, He says, “I am” in charge not you. God loves us and may we submit to Christ knowing that He is the great “I am”. The hope for this country and the world, is us putting our trust in Jesus, and Jesus alone. Amen.

Sidney UMC - 12th Sunday after Pentecost - 08/23/20 - Sermon - "A Living Sacrifice"

Sunday 08/23/20 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:        “A Living Sacrifice”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 124                                          

New Testament Scripture: Romans 12:1-8

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 16:13-20

          Welcome again my friends, brothers, and sisters, on this the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost.

          With this said, how many of you have ever been really committed to something in your life? This could be your wife, your husband, your kids, your job, a cause, a Play Station, the Yankees, etc. Within this commitment in your life, how far are or where you willing to go? Would you give up everything? Would you even give up your life?

          If you began a new hobby, like knitting or coin collecting, my guess is that you would not give up everything you had, including your own life for this hobby. Would anyone here give up your life for a hobby? Would anyone her give up your life for your wife, your husband, your kids, your grandkids? Would anyone here give up everything for a job, a cause, etc.?

          In our lives, we make commitments, yet the level of these commitments can vary. This morning, I want to talk about the deepest of all commitments. This commitment is bigger than our commitment to the church, our community and friends, our family, our spouse, and anything else. This commitment is our commitment to Jesus Christ. I have told many people going through this Covid-19 Pandemic that the order of our commitments should always be God first, then our wives or husbands and families, and then the church. Some people have told me, “Pastor Paul, I am not ready to return to church yet”. I have said that this is fine, because after God, Jesus, our next commitment is to our spouses, our families, and our own health and wellbeing. If we are worried about our health, then that comes before the church. It never comes before God, but it comes before the church.

So, my friends, what is our commitment to God? Is God more like a hobby to us? Is God like a commitment to a job? Is God like a commitment to our spouses and families, or is our commitment to God even bigger than all of that?

As you all know, my commitment to you and to this church is massive. Most of you know that I put in long hours, because I believe in you and this church. Yet, as much as I love and enjoy serving all of you, my first and most important ministry is to my wife Melissa. If Melissa needed me, she takes precedent over the church. The only one that takes precedent over Melissa and my family, is Jesus.

When I was ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church, a red stole was put around my neck, and on that day, I made the official commitment to be yoked to Jesus Christ for eternity. I took vows, I knelt, the bishop prayed over me, and said that Jesus is my sovereign Lord.

This morning, the Apostle Paul speaks to this in our book of Romans reading. Before getting into our reading from the Book of Romans however, we heard from our reading from Psalm 124 once again, about the sovereignty of God. That without God, we would not be where we are today. Twice in this Psalm, the Psalmist writes:

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side” (Ps. 124:1-2, NRSV).

The Psalmist then ends this Psalm once again, saying:

“Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth”     (Ps. 124:8, NRSV).

 

          How significant is God in our lives? How significant is the Lord Jesus Christ? What are willing to give up for God?

          In getting into the meat of my message for this morning, the Apostle Paul says in our reading from the Book of Romans, once again, to be a “Living Sacrifice”. Well what does this mean exactly? Let us look at our reading from the Book of Romans for this morning once again. It says:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:1-2, NRSV).

          A great explanation of this comes from one of my favorite Bible Commentaries, “The Africa Bible Commentary” This is what this commentary says:

“Because of what God has done for us, or what Paul calls God’s mercy (described in chapters 1-11), the best we can give to him is our selves, by presenting our bodies as living sacrifices (12:1).  The offering of the loving bodies of believers as sacrifices contrasts with the OT offerings of dead animals. Here the word ‘body’ represents far more than just our belongings or our money. It means the totality of our life, plans and activities. The offering of ourselves is a spiritual act of worship that we can give to God” (Africa Bible Commentary, pg. 1394).

          So, the Apostle Paul is saying that God must be far more than a hobby, or a marginal commitment. In fact, marriage vows say, “until death do you part”. The vows that we make to God, however, are eternal. I do plan to be in eternity with Melissa, however.

          The Apostle Paul then says, do not be like this world. For this world is broken, fallen, and sinful. This world is full of so many vices. We as humans can do great things, but this world is not the answer. Jesus is the answer. Renew your minds, focus on Christ, and allow him to lead us and the church. Do not let the world lead the church, rather let Christ lead the church. Fully submit to him and live for him and be “A Living Sacrifice”.

          The Apostle continues in our reading from the Book Romans saying:

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness

(Rom. 12:3-8, NRSV).

          We are called to submit to Christ and share the different spiritual gifts that we have been given, with each other, the church, and the world.

          In our gospel lesson for this morning, Jesus asks his disciples, once again, who do people say I am. They gave various answers, but:

“Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:16-18, NRSV).

          When Peter said that Jesus was the Son of the living God, the Messiah, the promised one, Jesus blessed Peter. He told Peter that on the rock of our faith the Christian Church would be built, and that the gates of Hades or hell cannot prevail against it.

          So, if Jesus is our Lord, if he died for us, and if the Christian Church is built upon him, do we love him like a hobby, like a friend, like a marriage, or as the sovereign God?

I want to show you this lengthy but good video on serving Jesus above all else. May we surrender to and give all we have to Jesus. Amen.