Sermon - Mark 1:9-15 Following Jesus

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon - Mark 1:9-15 Following Jesus

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

February 22, 2015

Today is the first Sunday in the season of Lent. We remember during this period the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness as he began his ministry. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes forty days later (excluding Sundays) on the Saturday before Easter. During Lent we journey with Jesus toward the cross, remembering his death and resurrection. Sundays are excluded from this because Sundays are always set aside for celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. Let’s begin today in prayer.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight O Lord, our rock and redeemer. Amen.

The early church used these forty days before Easter to educate new members before they were baptized. As early as the second century Christians were fasting during Lent. But the protestant reformers called this practice of a Lenten fast into question. Let me tell you one I my favorite reformation stories.

On the first Sunday of Lent in 1522, a printer in Zurich, Switzerland, named Christoph Froschauer, invited eleven of his friends to a special meal. He served smoked sausage. Now, ordinarily, a meal of smoked sausage would not be a big deal. But, the church in the Middle Ages had declared that God's moral law forbade the eating of meat during Lent. These men were breaking the law. Froschauer's pastor, Ulrich Zwingli, was present at the meal, but did not eat the meat. Within a month Zwingli preached a sermon on fasting during Lent. That sermon was published and circulated throughout Europe. In his sermon, Zwingli argued that there is nothing in the Bible that requires Christians to fast during Lent. In fact the Bible says nothing about Lent at all. Therefore Christians were free to fast or not to fast as a matter of their own conscience. It was their free choice. The church has no authority to command Christians to fast because the Bible is silent on this. It’s ok if you want to eat smoked sausage during Lent. You are free to fast or not as you choose.

Let’s take a look at Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness from the gospel of Mark.

Mark 1:9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

John the Baptist came with a message of “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”. People would come to the Jordan River. John will tell them to repent. “Repent” literally means “to change direction”. John was telling them to think differently.

People usually think about what benefits them. We think about how to improve our health, or get a better job, or buy a newer car or a bigger house. As we think about these things we find ourselves tempted. We are tempted to do things we know we shouldn’t do in order to get what we want. So we lie to our spouses, or we cheat on our taxes, or we steal from our employers, in order to get what we want. We disobey God’s law for our own benefit. This is called sin.

John the Baptist was telling them as they came to the river to repent, think differently. Instead of thinking about what you want, think about what God wants. If we change our thinking this way, we will start to do what God wants us to do. John would symbolize this change in thinking by having people confess their sins, enter into the water of forgiveness, and emerge from the river thinking in a new way. Today we would call this a paradigm shift. One way of thinking suddenly gives way to a new way of thinking. You think about what God wants instead of what you want.

Now, when Jesus came to see John in the Jordan he had no need to change his way of thinking. Jesus was already thinking about what God wanted rather than thinking about what he wanted. Jesus was without sin.

Jesus was baptized by John to begin a new paradigm shift, a new way for people to think. We know this because of what happened when Jesus was baptized. Jesus “saw heaven being torn open.” The dividing barrier separating heaven and earth was torn in two pieces. At that moment there was nothing separating heaven and earth. And with nothing to separate us from God, then God must be here with us. God is here not someplace far away.

This was the new way of thinking that Jesus was instituting. Before Jesus, people thought of God as being far, far away above the highest heavens. But Jesus taught that God is right here with us. And that makes all the difference in the world.

A few months ago I visited the Pocomoke Police station. I went through the front door to visit the chief, not the back door into a holding cell. Chief Sewell showed me his computer screen. On it were video feeds from all over town. He could sit at his desk and watch what was happening at all the potential trouble spots. While he was showing me his new system I began to wonder what if God could see us just as the police chief could see Pocomoke.

Think about how your behavior would change if you thought that God was watching you. You are doing your taxes and your about to claim a false deduction when suddenly you feel like God is looking over your shoulder. Or a young woman invites you up to her room when suddenly God is next to you telling you to go home to your wife. Or you are counting money for your employer and it would be so easy to slip a twenty in your pocket, but then you realize that God is sitting next to you watching what you do. If you believe that God is with you then you will become more obedient. Wouldn’t you?

Of course not everyone will be happy that God is walking next to them. Criminals, adulterers, cheats, and liars will no doubt not want God to be close by. And the biggest cheat around, Satan, certainly does not want you thinking this way. He will tempt you. Satan will whisper in your ear that it is ok to do whatever you want do. Satan whispered that into Jesus’ ear in the wilderness. But Jesus would have none of that. Jesus boldly declared that the Kingdom of God has come near. God is with us. Just as God walked in the garden with Adam so too now that Jesus has come. God walks with us. Our new way of thinking, our paradigm shift, is that God sees us all the time.

I will never forget the time that first realized that God was here with me. I was driving to church one Sunday. As I drove to the church I began thinking about many things. I was unhappy. My hopes and dreams went unfulfilled. My business was struggling. I didn’t have a girlfriend. So I started to pray. As I prayed I got angry. I was a Christian and went to church every Sunday, but God’s blessings seemed to go to everyone else, not me. God never seemed to give me what I wanted. And so I prayed angrily. I continued to pray as I entered the church and sat down in the midst of believers. That’s when I sensed that God was sitting behind me and I heard him say, “It’s in the book.” That’s when I reached down and picked up a pew Bible. As I leafed through it I realized I knew some of these stories from Sunday school class as a kid. But I had never read the Bible, or even studied it seriously as an adult.

This event had a major transformative effect on my life. The next Sunday I came to church early and attended the SOAR Singles Ministry, the first Sunday school class I had been in in decades. The following Wednesday I began attending a Bible class called the Bethel Bible Series. For the next ten years I attended every Bible study the church offered and I became a Bible teacher. Then I went to seminary to study the Bible in even greater depth. I experience a verbal call from God to focus my life on the study of the word of God. I responded to this call be becoming a pastor and by preaching and teaching the Bible as faithfully as I can.

Jesus received his call from God by hearing “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus was then prepared for his ministry by withstanding the temptations of the Devil and by knowing that God was with him. And then Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming that the boundary between heaven and earth has been removed and therefore God is here with us.

During Lent I urge you to live your lives as if God was standing next to you, which, by the way, he is. Do what he tells you to do as if he is watching you all the time, which he is. Be obedient to God’s will, not your will, remembering that he is always watching us.

Let’s pray. Heavenly father we know that the barrier between heaven and earth has been torn in two. You now know who we are and what we do. Help us to remember that you are watching us whenever we are tempted to go our way rather than following you. We ask that you not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil because you are with us. This we pray in your son’s name. Amen.

Sermon – Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Solemn Assembly

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Joel 2:1-2, 12-17  Solemn Assembly

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2015

 

            Tonight we have gathered in a solemn assembly for the imposition of ashes.  Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season of forty days, excluding Sundays leading up to Easter.  It begins be reminding us that we are dust, from dust we came to dust we shall return.  Ashes are a sign of our own mortality.  They help us to remember our sin and desire for forgiveness.   And so tonight we gather for repentance and prayer and begin a period of fasting and self-denial.

            Tonight we have received a warning from the Prophet Joel.  I'll tell you what he has to say, but first let's pray.

            Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy Heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen. (John Calvin)

            Let's look at some of today's headlines.  Islamic extremist in Libya kidnapped 21 Egyptian Christians and beheaded them.  Egypt bombed ISIS in response.  Last weekend a gunman attacked a synagogue in Copenhagen.  In response to this and other acts of hostility, the prime minister of Israel urged Jews to flee Europe.   A cease fire is holding in Ukraine after a million people have been displaced and over 5000 have died in the ten-month war.

            Are these signs that God is about to do something?   I hope so.  I pray every day that Jesus will return and put everything right.  But do we really want this?  Do we really want the Day of the Lord to fix the world?  We turn to the Book of Joel for some guidance.

            Sometime, four hundred years before the birth of Christ, a giant swarm of locusts and grasshoppers descended on the farms around Jerusalem.  The devoured all the barley and wheat growing in the fields.  They ate all the leaves on grape vines and olive trees.  When the holocaust ended God sent the Prophet Joel to deliver some bad news.

            Joel first went to see the alcoholics.  He told the drunks the bad news.  Locusts had eaten all the grapes and there would be no grape harvest and no wine this year.  They would not have the wine they needed to stay drunk.

            Then Joel went to see the priests.  He told the religious people in the temple the bad news.  Locusts had eaten all the grain growing in the field and the grapes on the vine.  There would be no grain offerings or drink offerings this year.  The people would not have the offerings they needed to bring into the temple as symbols of their relationship with God.

            Finally Joel went to see the farmers.  He told them the bad news.  Locusts had eaten their crops and vineyards.  There would be no joyful harvest this year. 

            Joel realized that the disaster was bad, but they would survive.  He also realized that one day, maybe one day soon, there would be a more complete, more terrible disaster.  This would come on judgment day when God comes to judge the earth.  The locusts were just a warning that the Day of the Lord was coming.  This is what the prophet Joel said.

             

            Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill.  Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand— 2  a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.  Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was in ancient times  nor ever will be in ages to come.

 

            Joel's warning is that God is coming.  He will come with the angelic army, the heavenly hosts, with power to destroy all the he has made.  This will be a day of judgment when all people must account for their sin.  And God will punish us for what we have done. 

            This is my warning to you.  God is coming.  He may come soon.  And we will all be judged.  God will not come to judge an individual or a group of people.  God will come to judge everyone.  All of us should be afraid, literally scared to death of this judgment, because none of us is righteous.  None of us is good enough.  None of us can stand before God with pure hearts and clean hands.

            So what are we to do?  Is there no hope?  Let's go back to the prophet.

 

            12 “(But)  Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”  13 Rend your heart  and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. 14 Who knows? He may turn and relent
 and leave behind a blessing—grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.

           

            Joel has told the people that it is now time to repent:  to stop worshiping false gods, to stop ignoring the needs of your neighbor, to stop your sinful behavior.  Now is the time to change your ways and become obedient to God not because God is a fearful judge, but because God is gracious, kind, loving, and wants to forgive you and give you everything you need for a good life.  So, what should we do?  Let's go back to the prophet and find out.

 

            15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. 16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast.  Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.

            So, we are to come together in this a sacred assembly.  We are to confess our sins, and ask God for forgiveness.  And no one should be left out.  This assembly is for everyone, men and women, old and young, rich and poor, everyone.  Everyone needs to repent, turn away from sin and turn to God in prayer.  The prophet Joel then told the priests how they should pray in this assembly.

 

17 Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
 a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples,  ‘Where is their God?’”

 

            So my job as your pastor tonight is to ask God to forgive you.  I am to remind God of his love and faithfulness.  And give him the opportunity to forgive us and love us as a sign to the world of his character and power.

 

            The Prophet Joel leaves us tonight with a promise.  If we turn from our evil ways and turn back to our creator then we will be blessed.  Let's listen.

 

                Joel 3:17 “Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill.  Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her.  18 “In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water.  A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house and will water the valley of acacias.

 

            If we turn from sin and turn to God, God will forgive us and bless us as his children.  This is the good news, the promise of scripture.

 

            So when will this happen?  When can we expect the Day of the Lord when God will come to Earth.  Joel tells us.

 

            Joel 2:28-29  I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.  29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

 

            And so the Day of the Lord, when God comes to judge and forgives all who repents is when the Holy Spirit comes to earth.  This has already happened.  Listen to this from the Book of Acts.

 

            Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

 

            According to the Apostle Peter this was the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy.  The Day of the Lord has come.  And in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our sins are washed away and we are made new.           So in gratitude for what God has done for you repent, turn away from sin, and turn toward your savior, Jesus Christ, with obedience.  Let's pray.

            O Lord, your people have assembled.  Spare us your judgment.  For all who believe grant us forgiveness.  Fill us with your Spirit.  This we pray in your son's name.  Amen.

             

 

Sermon - 2 Kings 2:1–12 Double Share of Spirit

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon - 2 Kings 2:1–12 Double Share of Spirit

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

February 15, 2015

 

            For the last two weeks we have been looking at prophets.  Moses told us the standards that we should use in selecting a prophet.  A prophet must point us in the direction of the true God, the creator, as revealed to us in Jesus Christ.  And the prophet's words must be consistent with scripture and our own experience of God.  Then, last week we observed a prophet at work as one used the ideas of the prophet Isaiah to speak words of comfort to the children of the faithful who had been exiled to Babylon a generation before.  He reminded those who were falling away that we worship the creator of the world who is also very concerned about each one us.  Today we will look at a transition as one prophet, bigger than life, gives way to another.  We will get to this, but first let's pray.

            Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy Heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen. (John Calvin)

 

            Today is transfiguration Sunday.  We remember, on this day, the time when Jesus and four disciples ascended a mountain and met Moses and Elijah.  Both Moses and Elijah had their own mountaintop experiences.  Moses climbed to the top of Mt. Horeb to receive from God the Ten Commandments.  Elijah ascended a mountain where he encountered a hurricane and an earthquake before hearing God in a gentle whisper.

            What God told Elijah in that still small voice was that new kings had to be anointed over Israel and Aram, and, more importantly, Elijah was to anoint his successor.   It was time for Elijah to retire and God had selected Elisha as the new prophet.  Elijah then found Elisha plowing a field behind twelve oxen.  Elijah placed his cloak on Elisha as a sign of his selection as prophet.  Elijah sacrificed the oxen and had a great feast for Elisha's family and neighbors.  Elisha then left with Elijah as his assistant.

            A prophet is called by God.  God always makes the selection of who will be his prophet.   God decision was discerned by Elijah on the mountaintop.  Elijah revealed God's decision to Elisha be covering him with his cloak.   And Elijah revealed God's decision to Elisha's family and community with the feast.  Elisha responded to God's call by following Elijah and entering into a time of study.

            God's decision concerning my call occurred over a period of time.  In 1995 I was at a Wednesday night dinner at my church.  After dinner several Christian education classes were available.  Two of my friends, Nat and Linda,  were going to take a class called the Bethel Bible Series.  This was a two year survey of the entire Bible.  I followed them into the class and began to study.  We had homework each week and I tried to keep up.  I completed the two years and found that I loved studying the Bible very much.

            I asked my pastor if I could be trained as a teacher in this program.  He invited me to attend a two year training class with him which would begin in September of 1998.  It would last for two years, and I would be obligated to teach at the church for two more years.  I completed the training and taught Bethel for four years at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington DC.  And I represented the Bethel Program on the Adult Nurture Council. 

            After four years as a Bethel teacher I was ready for even more study of the scriptures.  So in 2004 I started the process to become a Presbyterian pastor and enrolled at Fuller Theological Seminary. 

            Elisha's apprenticeship under Elijah came at a difficult time.  There was constant warfare among the states of Israel, Judah and Aram.  Elijah had the difficult task of proclaiming God's judgment on the King of Israel.   God wanted new kings for these nations and Elisha as his prophet.  Let's hear the story from the Book of Second Kings.

           

            2^nd Kings 2:1 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”  But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”“Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.”

            4 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.”

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.  5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

“Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.”

            6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.

 

            Before Elisha could become God's prophet he had to be tested.  He already been chosen by God and had received his education about God from his teacher Elijah.  But now he must be examined.  Elijah gave Elisha several opportunities to give up and go back home.  But Elisha was up to the tests.  Three groups of prophets examined Elisha as he and Elijah approached the Jordan river.  We don't know what the test were.  We just know that Elisha was made aware that he would be replacing Elijah.  He must have passed the tests.

            As I completed my studies at Fuller Seminary I was examined by the Presbyterian Church for my ability to be a pastor.  I was tested on Bible Content, Theology, Worship, Church Polity, and Biblical Exegesis, the ability to interpret and understand the Bible in its original languages and contexts .  Like Elijah I was examined by elders and pastors of the church and was found suitable to serve as a Presbyterian pastor.

            After Elisha had completed his exams he was ready for ordination as a prophet of God.  Let's go back to the story.

 

            7 Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

 

            Just as Moses had parted the Red Sea and Joshua parted the Jordan river when entering the promised land, so now the great Elijah parts the Jordan.  He does this by dipping his cloak in the water.  Elijah's cloak is very special.  Remember he used the cloak to cover Elisha back on the farm as a sign of his call from God.  And now this cloak was dipped in the river and caused the waters to part.   What is it?  What is this cloak?  What is covering Elijah?  We will get to this, but let's keep going in the story.

 

            9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.  10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”

 

            So Elisha wants a double share of Elijah's spirit when Elijah goes to be with the Lord.  No amount of training or high test scores can substitute for the Holy Spirit's presence with prophet.   A person may be called.  A person may be trained.  A person may be tested.  But a person does not become a prophet until anointed by the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit gives a prophet or a pastor the ability to do what God requires.  And therefore the Holy Spirit must be a significant part of a prophet's ministry.  Elisha knows that he can never measure up to Elijah's performance.  He is only half as good.  So he needs a double share of the Holy Spirit if he ever hopes to approach what Elijah did.  Let's go back and hear the conclusion of the story.

 

            11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.

            So God came down in a chariot of fire to watch as Elijah was carried to heaven in a whirlwind.  And Elisha tore his cloak into two pieces.  And now we know what Elijah's cloak was.  Elijah was cloaked with the Holy Spirit.  It was the Holy Spirit who called Elisha into ministry.  It was the Holy Spirit who parted the Jordan.  Elisha now has the cloak, the Holy Spirit.  And by tearing it in two he now has received the double portion of the Spirit he needed.

            In November of 2007 I was ready for ordination as a Presbyterian pastor.  I had completed my Master of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary.  I had passed all five ordination exams.  My call from God was confirmed by a church calling me as their pastor.  National Capitol Presbytery came to my home church in DC and ordained me as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament.  I became a Presbyterian pastor.  

            So as this church looks for a new pastor, what are you looking for.  Well, first you want someone who has been called by God.  Ask this person if he or she experienced a call from God into pastoral ministry and if this call was confirmed by his or her church and presbytery. Then ask about his or her education and examinations.  But most importantly find out if God has given her or him sufficient quantities of the Holy Spirit to do the work required of a pastor. 

            And if any of you are sense God's call into ministry, come talk to me about it.  The Holy Spirit may be trying to tell you something.  Lets find out the best way to respond.  Please join me in prayer.

            Holy Spirit of God we thank you for calling men and women into ministry.  We thank you for the opportunities we have to study your word in depth.  We thank you for equipping women and me to serves as your pastor.  We offer this prayer to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the son of God.  Amen.

 

 

 

Sermon - Isaiah 40:21–31 Renewed Strength

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon - Isaiah 40:21–31 Renewed Strength

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City MD

February 8, 2015

Last week we talked about God's plan to raise up prophets to guide his people. As Moses was retiring he assured his people that God would continue to raise prophets to speak his word to them. And today God raises up pastors to call people to discipleship and point them toward Jesus Christ. Today we will turn to a very troubled place and time when the children of God's people were abandoning the faith. A prophet is needed. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy Heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen. (John Calvin)

I am a child of the 50s who grew up in the 60s. That makes me a Baby Boomer. Like most people in my generation I went to church every Sunday with my family. But like many of us, when I went to college I stopped going to church. Saturday night frat parties became more important than Sunday morning worship. I stopped going to church, except on Christmas and Easter. I had effectively abandoned the faith of my parents.

In the middle of the sixth century before Christ the children of the people of God were abandoning the faith of their parents. A generation before their parents had been carried into exile by the Babylonian army. When they arrived in Babylon they tried to keep their cultural and religious practices. The continued to dress and eat as they had in Jerusalem in accordance with the law of Moses. And they continued to study God's word with trained teachers called rabbis. They would gather after sunset on the Sabbath to hear and study the ancient scrolls containing the law and the prophets.

But a generation later their children had no interest in any of this. They wanted to dress, act, eat, and worship the way the Babylonians did. After all wasn't the Babylonian god Marduk the god of the victors? Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel was the god of the losers. Why worship a loser God?

With the children rapidly losing faith, God raised up a prophet to speak to them. This prophet had studied the work of the prophet Isaiah from centuries before. And from this knowledge he spoke to the people in exile. His work in contained in the Book of Isaiah chapters 40-55. God raised this person as a prophet with these words.

Isaiah 40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

This new prophet accepted his call and began to proclaim to the children of God's people that God had returned to be their God. But the children would hear none of this. As far as they were concerned God had abandoned them and did not deserve their worship. So the prophet had to proclaim a message that would persuade them to return to the Lord God of Israel. Here is part of what he said to the children of the exiles in Babylon.

Isaiah 40: 18 With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? 19 As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. 20 A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple.

The prophet told them that that Marduk, the god of the Babylonians, was no god at all. He was just a piece of metal or wood that a skilled worker had turn into an idol. It had no power to do anything. It might have some artistic value. But it was worthless as a god. Why would anyone worship something as worthless as Marduk? By contrast though, there was another God they could worship if only they could remember what their parents had taught them. So here is what he said.

21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. 24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

So unlike Marduk, the God of Israel is the king of everything. His throne is in heaven. And one day all the rulers on earth and all the people will put away their idols of wood and metal and will worship the God of the universe. Those who fail to worship this all-powerful God will be swept away. The power of the kings of earth is nothing compared to the great power of our God. So why would the people of this God worship a powerless hunk of wood and metal?

But they didn't listen. And their told the prophet that the god Marduk was more powerful than the God of their parents. After all Marduk had kept Yahweh's people captive for a generation. What more proof do you need? The prophet spoke to them about this comparison between the god of the Babylonians and the God of Israel. And he said this.

25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

The prophet told them to look around. Everything they saw was proof of God's existence. Look at the stars in the sky. Look at waves crashing on the beach. Look at a baby at her mother's breast. Who made all these things? Who sustains them so they continue from day to day? There must be a maker, a creator. And who is this creator? It is none other than God Almighty.

But the people were not convinced. Yes the God of Israel created the world we live in. They could accept that. But the creator God had vanished. He left a generation before when he allowed Jerusalem to fall. He was no longer around. Why should we worry about a God who doesn't pay any attention to us? We can do whatever we want. God doesn't care.  So the prophet once again had to address the people. And this is what he told them.

27 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

With this the prophet had made a import twist. Not only is our God the creator of the universe, but he is also concern with each one of us. If you are tired, if you are sick, if you are getting old, if you are lonely, if you are unemployed, if you are addicted to alcohol, if you are depressed, angry or sad then God is concerned about you. This is the most remarkable thing about our faith. The God who created the universe is concerned about our well-being.

America today is facing many of the same problem faced by the exiles in Babylon twenty-six centuries ago. Our young people are turning away from faith. Poll after poll indicates that young people are selecting “none” as their religious affiliation. They are worshiping wealth and the good life. Their idols are things made from metal and wood like I-phones and expensive houses. And they worship these things with their busyness. You can see the evidence all around. Sunday mornings used to be reserved for church – not so anymore. Churches sit empty as people spend Sunday mornings in coffee shops and soccer practice.

Today America needs prophets who have studied Isaiah. The prophet need to go to coffee shops and soccer practices and tell people that they are worshiping worthless things. Look around and see the grandeur of God's creation. Shouldn't you be in worship of the God who made all of this on Sunday mornings? How can a cup of coffee or a soccer game compare with the worship of the creator God?

And people need to be told that God cares for them. The God we worship is with us and loves us. We know this because this God was revealed to us in Jesus Christ. So this is the message we need to take into the world this day. The creator God who made everything in the world, loves each of us individually and calls us into worship on Sunday.

For ten years I didn't go to church. My teenage faith never blossomed into adult faith. While in college and grad school I pursued the American dream. I wanted an education and to start a business. I hoped to become wealthy. But then something happened to change this and bring me back to God. My mother died unexpectedly at the age of 58 from a heart attack. I was filled with grief and needed to get back to my faith in God. So the Sunday after she died I went back to the church I had attended as a youth. I've been in church every Sunday ever since. I needed to be reminded that my God is the creator of the universe. But more importantly, I needed to know that God loved and cared for me. I found this in church.

This is why what we do is so important. First, we give children Christian education that will provide them the foundation of faith for a lifetime. Then we provide a place and time where people can be reminded of the creator God and told that this God is with them though whatever problems they are experience. By doing these things we nurture people who need to remember their faith.

Surely you remember that our God is the creator of the universe. Surely you know that this God cares about you and is with you in your suffering. Believe in this God and receive all his blessings. Let's pray.

Father in heaven, creator God, we thank you for making the universe we live in. We are astonished that you, the creator, care about each of us and our lives and families. We have received many blessings from you. And we pledge to worship you alone all our lives. In your son's name we pray. Amen.

Sermon Deuteronomy 18:15-20 God Will Raise a Prophet for You

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon Deuteronomy 18:15-20 God Will Raise a Prophet for You

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City MD

February 1, 2015

Good morning. It is a great pleasure for Grace and me to be able to worship with you this morning. As your Interim pastor it is my role to equip the congregation to discern God's call for a new pastor. You have said goodbye to Alex and his family. You are welcoming Grace and me. And it is appropriate at this time of transition to look carefully at the roles of pastors, elders and members of church. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy Heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen. (John Calvin)

Moses was approaching the end of his life. After forty years of leadership of the people of God and at the age of 120 Moses was ready to move on. God had told him that he would not be accompanying the people as they entered the promised land. So Moses began preaching sermons about the transition. And in today's scripture we read about the role of the prophet. Let's listen to Moses.

Deuteronomy 18:15-20NIV 15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”

17 The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”

In the ancient world there were three branches of government not unlike the branches we have in government today. In Washington we have the Congress, President and Supreme Court. In the ancient world they had priests, elders and prophets. Let's look at each of these.

The ancient priests were church workers. They all came from the tribe of Levi. Their job was to do what was necessary to facilitate the worship of the LORD God of Israel. When the people of were on move in the wilderness they would carry the tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant containing the ten commandments and anything else needed for worship. When a new source of water and grazing land was found they would setup the tabernacle and commence worship of God. When the water and grazing land dried up the Levites would pack everything up and move on.

So who might be the Levites, the levitical priests, in this church today? The Protestant reformers were quite clear about this. All believers in Jesus Christ are priests. So, all of you are priests. And that means that you do the work of facilitating the worship of God. You provide the resources and effort needed for the church to function. You teach Sunday School classes. You sing in the choir. You prepare the sign out front. You fold the bulletins. You bring food for today's lunch and you cook breakfast. You care for the sick, the aged, and the poor. You, the congregation, are today's levitical priests. And from what I can see so far you take this job very seriously, and you work very hard at it.

The second branch of government in the ancient world, in addition to the levitical priests were the tribal elders. The responsibility of the elders was to make sure that the Law of Moses, the Torah, the first five books of our Old Testament, was read aloud to everyone in the tribe every seven years. And they were responsible for enforcing the Law of Moses in their tribes. Elders became judges with the responsibility of seeing God's will being done in the community. To do this God provided for them the Holy Spirit.

So who in today's church performs the role of the tribal elder? This would be the ruling elders of the church. The ruling elders on session are responsible for having the Word of God proclaimed here in Ocean City. They do this by providing for and maintaining a building where the God's word can be proclaimed each Sunday. They purchase Bibles and hymnals and musical instruments. They hire secretaries, musical directors and teaching elders. The teach adults, children and youth. And they make sure all the bills are paid. These are our elders, and from what I see so far they take their job very seriously and work very hard.

So far we have looked at the levitical priests and the tribal elders who had similar roles to the members and elders of this church. Now let's turn to the final branch of government in Moses' day. This was the office of the prophet.

The people in Moses' day needed a prophet to speak with God. They were afraid to speak with God by themselves. They were literally scared to death. If they came into God's presence without being pure and holy they would instantly die. So they had to find someone with sufficient holiness and courage to go into the presence of God with their petitions and ask God for his favor. They had a prophet for 40 years, Moses. But now with Moses' retirement they needed to find someone else. And Moses told them what to look for.

The first thing that Moses told them was that the selection of a prophet was not their choice to make. God chooses his own prophets and raises them up. So the people, priests and elders all had to enter into a discernment process to find who it was that God had selected to serve a prophet.

The second thing that Moses told them was that the prophet God would select would come from them. God would not select a prophet from outside of the worshiping community. Rather the prophet would have shown himself worthy by living a holy life, meditating regularly on the Word of God, and engaging in worship every Sabbath.

The third thing that Moses told them was that the prophet God would select from their midst would be given God's own words to speak to the people. This meant that everything the prophet spoke must come out of a rich prayer life and dedicated study of the word of God. A prophet who loved God and diligently prepared would then be able to proclaim God's word to the people of God.

There were two tests that people were to apply to a prophet's words to see if that prophet was true or false. The first was that the message of the prophet had to be consistent with the teachings of Moses that their was only one God, the LORD God of Israel? And the second was that the message of the prophet had to be consistent with the experience of the people of God. In other words, did a prophet's prophecy turn out to be true?

So who today would have the same role as a prophet in Moses' day. Who comes into the presence of God daily in prayer? Who diligently studies the Word of God. Who loves God more that anything else? Who loves the people of God? Well, this would be a pastor.

The pastor of the church must pray and meditate on scripture every day. The pastor of the church must diligently study the Word of God. The pastor of the church must be called by God from a worshiping community. And if the pastor's word's are consistent with the Word of God in scripture, and directs the people's attention to God as revealed in Jesus Christ then they are the Word of God for the congregation.

The protestant reformer Heinrich Bullinger, writing in the Second Helvetic Confession put it this way:

“Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful; and that neither any other Word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from heaven: and that now the Word itself which is preached is to be regarded, not the minister that preaches; for even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless the Word of God remains still true and good.”

So as we look for a new pastor what are we looking for? Well, we want a man or woman who was a faithful member of a Presbyterian church. We want someone who was called by God into ministry. We want someone with sufficient education and self study that he or she knows the Bible well. We want someone who prays and meditates on scripture every day and develops sermons from his or her prayer life and study. When we find this person his or her words will be for us the word of God.

There is one thing that a pastor cannot do that the prophets of Moses's day did. A pastor cannot come into the direct presence of God. A pastor cannot be holy enough. No pastor is free from sin. No pastor has clean enough hands to come before God's throne. Pastors need their own mediator. They need someone who is holy enough to appear in the presence of God. Who might this mediator be?

It is Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life and now stands before God on our behalf. Jesus Christ hears our prayers and communicates them to God. Jesus Christ hears God's response and whispers it in our ears. So in looking for a new pastor you want someone who has a strong relationship with Jesus Christ.

So now we go about the work of the church. The priests have prepared a table for all of us. The elders have hired an interim pastor to proclaim God's word and administer the sacrament of communion this day. And we are about to offer up our prayers to Jesus Christ our mediator with God. Let us pray.

Lord Jesus, we come before you today in worship. We have heard the word of God read and proclaimed. We are about to join with you in communion around this table. And we are about to offer up our prayers. We ask you to listen to these prayers and bring them to your Father in heaven. Amen.