Sermon – Exodus 19:2-8a - What Have We Seen?

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Churches

Sermon – Exodus 19:2-8a - What Have We Seen?

June 15, 2014

Just before Moses climbed the mountain to receive the Ten Commandment and the other laws from God he assembled his people together. While they assembled, Moses ascended the mountain to pray and listen for God's voice. God told him to tell his people to look around and see all the things he was doing for them. I suggest that we all look around and see all the things God is doing for us as well. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

God of wisdom, as we go forth this day, show us how to testify to your grace and truth. Give us the chance to speak and the words to say, so that we may glorify your name; through Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.¹

Exodus 19:2-3a 2 After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. 3 Then Moses went up to God,

The people of God had been slaves in Egypt. They suffered under harsh conditions. They were persecuted for their faith. Their God sent Moses to perform spectacular miracles to free them from slavery. And once they were free their God led them through the wilderness with a pillar of smoke during the day and a pillar of fire at night. And he led them all the way to the mountain where he could be found. Along the way this God blessed them richly. They had food to eat, and water to drink. God protected them from their enemies. And now they were camped at the foot of Mr. Sinai.

Moses ascended the mountain and began to pray. He prayed, not by telling God what he wanted, but by listening to what God had to say. Let's hear what God told him.

Exodus 19:3b-4 and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.

So what God wanted from his people was to remember how he had blessed them. And this is what God wants from us: to look around and see how much we have been blessed. I know that many of you feel that you too have been richly blessed by God. You have seen God at work in you lives. You know that your faith has made a difference. Let me tell you a couple of stories of people who have been richly blessed by God.

I recently talked to a woman who lives in Philadelphia. Her name is Linda. Linda has always been a good church worker. She volunteered for everything that was needed. She cooked meals and took care of kids in the nursery. She worked so hard, in fact, that she began to burn out. She did so much she just got tired of doing it. So she went to her pastor to talk about her feelings. He told her to pray for three days to see what God had to say about it. The first day, God said nothing. When she met the pastor in the hall and told him he said, “Keep praying.” The second day, God was still silent. She saw the pastor at a Bible study that night and told him. He told her “Keep praying for still another day.” On the third day, while praying something happened. Linda described it as “a light went off in my head.” Suddenly she realized that she had been doing things around the church to please people. She wanted to please her friends. She wanted to please her husband. She wanted to please her pastor. But no matter what she did, or how hard she worked it was never good enough. She tried to please herself, and found that she was her own worst critique. But God told her that the reason to do things around the church was not to please others. She was to do things around the church for one reason, and one reason only: to Glorify God. Once Linda realized that all the work she did pleased God very much she was filled with joy.

So as you volunteer around this church remember that your purpose is not to please others with you service. Rather you do things for the church that glorify God. This pleases God. And making God happy is the source of our greatest joy.

I have another story for you about a young man named Raymond. Raymond now lives in New York, but he was born in Korea, and grew up in Argentina. As a boy he saw that his family suffered from many problems. Life was difficult. This bothered his mother so much she visited a local shaman. The shaman told her to pray to her ancestors, and ask them to help with their troubles. So she took her son up the mountain to a cemetery where should could ask her ancestors for the help she needed. But no help ever came. The ancestors never did anything.

Eventually the family moved to Argentina, but their troubles remained. His mother kept praying to idols, and nothing happened. Several years later, Raymond, now a teenager was in a coffee shop in Argentina. He saw another Korean man there and they began a conversation. Eventually Raymond told this man about his family's troubles. The man listened intently and then said, “I know what's going on. The reason for all your troubles is that you and your family are separated from God.” With that he began to explain the reality of sin and our total inability to deal with it. Our only hope was to find a savior who would remove the sin and reconcile him with God. And he explained that we have such a savior, Jesus Christ. After a three hour conversation Raymond was ready to give his life to Christ. They prayed together and Raymond started attending church. And his problems began to go away. He graduated from college, got married, and now lives in New York City. He credits all this to his relationship with Jesus Christ. And he feels truly blessed by God.

Raymond and Linda are not alone in feeling blessed by God. My guess is that many of you feel blessed as well. And I urge all of you to look around and see how God is blessing you. The Hebrews also felt blessed by God as they camped at the base of the mountain of God. They had seen all that God had done for them. And so they were ready to enter into a covenant with God. Let's hear what happened.

Exodus 19:5-6 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."

God made them an offer: Obey my commands in full and I will create for you a holy nation, set aside for my purposes. This deal is offered to us as well. We have been richly blessed by God and now if we just obey him, he will continue to bless us more than we can imagine. Are we ready to accept this offer? Let's see what the Hebrews did.

Exodus 19:7-8 7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the LORD had commanded him to speak. 8 The people all responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has said.”

And so they promised to obey God's commands and God promised to create for them a nation that would exhibit his holiness to the world. God offers this to us as well. We have been richly blessed by God in many ways. Look around and see all of God's blessings. Are we now ready to obey him? Are we ready to be formed into God's own people? I think we are ready for this. And if we are ready, here is what we are to do.

Exodus 20:1-17 ^NIV Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words: ² "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ³ "You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴ "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

⁸ "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

¹³ "You shall not murder.

¹⁴ "You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ "You shall not steal.

¹⁶ "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

We have been richly blessed. And God has offered to make us into his treasured possession. All we have to do is obey him. Let's pray. Father in heaven, you have blessed us so much. In gratitude for all you have done for us, we pledge to keep these commandments. Form us into your royal priesthood, a holy nation. This we pray in your son's name. Amen.

1Kimberly Long, Feasting On the Word Worship Companion A-2 (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013), 39.

Sermon – John 20:19–23 – He Breathed Upon Them

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Churches

Sermon – John 20:19–23 – He Breathed Upon Them

June 8, 2014

Today is Pentecost Sunday. It is the day we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and the equipping of the church for it's mission to bring people to Christ. All of this started when Jesus made a promise to his disciples. This is what he said:

John 14:16-18 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

After his resurrection Jesus kept this promise. He gave his disciples the Holy Spirit to be with the church and in the church forever. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

“Spirit of God, source of life, refresh my spirit, reshape my desire, and re-create my heart, that I may show forth your enduring glory; through Jesus Christ. Amen”.¹

Jesus not only promised that he would send the Holy Spirit, but he also told his disciples what the Holy Spirit would do. Let's return to John 14.

John 14:26 ²⁶ But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

So the function of the Holy Spirit is to help the disciples remember what Jesus said and did. This is why we have such confidence in the New Testament. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John record what Jesus said and did. They are true because the authors worked under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And we understand them because the Spirit is here with us, teaching us what they mean. My words, which proclaim the good news of the gospel, is the word of God for us because both I and all of you are filled with the Holy Spirit who is our teacher.

Jesus also told his disciples what they must do once the Holy Spirit comes into the church. From John 15:

John 15:26-27 ²⁶ "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. ²⁷ And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

So just as the Holy Spirit testifies to who Jesus is so too must we who have been filled with the Holy Spirit testify to others about our faith in Jesus. This is the function of the church. We are to learn about Jesus from scripture through the Holy Spirit, when we come to church. But then we are to take our knowledge of what Jesus said and did out of the church and share it with others. This is our responsibility as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Jesus also told his disciples some of the topics the Holy Spirit would teach them.

John 16:8-11 ⁸ When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; ¹⁰ in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ¹¹ and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

The Holy Spirit is at work in the world. The Holy Spirit will convince those who have heard the good news of Jesus Christ from our testimony to come to faith. The Holy Spirit will reconcile people with God. And the Holy Spirit will continue to battle the evil spirits of the world, which Jesus had defeated on the cross, but are still at work trying to keep people from coming to faith. The Holy Spirit will do all of this to glorify God.

Jesus kept all of these promises and sent his Holy Spirit into his church. Let's hear what did from the Gospel of John.

John 20:19-22 ¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Just as God has breathed life in Adam so too did Jesus breathe life into his church. This Spirit which came into the church that day continues to be with us today. It is with us as we hear the word of God read and proclaimed, and convinces us of it's truth. The Holy Spirit brings us to belief in Jesus Christ, and sends us into the world to testify to others about what God done for us. The Holy Spirit uses our testimony to bring others to faith. That way the church grows in members and continues generation after generation.

Let me tell you a story about Spirit filled evangelism. Cheeia Lo was the first member of her family to go to college. In her freshman year she found out about Jesus Christ and came to belief in him. She was afraid to share her faith with her family because, she thought, they just wouldn't understand. But the Holy Spirit told her, “Don't be afraid, I'll give you the words.” And with that she began to share her story of how she met Jesus.

A personal story like this is the best way to share your faith. You start by telling people about your life before Jesus was a part of it. Tell them of your struggles and insecurity. Then tell people about the gospel message, how you heard it and what it meant for you. And finally tell them how your life has changed as a result.

Cheeia Lo began talking to her family about her faith. She told them about the depression, anger and suicidal thoughts she had experience when she first arrived at college. Then she explained how Jesus Christ had helped her overcome these. After explaining all this to her family she download the Jesus film in Hmong, her family's language. After watching the film and hearing her story, 37 members of her family accepted Jesus Christ.²

So with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the church is empowered to spread the good news of Jesus bringing others to faith. The Holy Spirit will take what we say about Jesus and the stories we tell about how we have experienced Jesus in our lives and will use these to help others believe. Your role is to nurture your faith by praying, worshiping and studying the Bible. Then talk with your family and friends. Tell them of your life before you accepted Jesus. Talk about who Jesus is and what he has done for you. Then tell them how your life has changed because of Jesus. The Holy Spirit will empower you as you go. And more and more people will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

1Kimberly Long, Feasting On the Word Worship Companion (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013), 176.

2 http://www.cru.org/training-and-growth/training/how-to-tell-your-story.htm

An Evangelism Tool You Already Have Use your own story to naturally communicate how to become a Christian. by Sarah Martin

Sermon - Psalm 68 - Praise God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Churches

Sermon - Psalm 68 - Praise God

June 1, 2014

This morning we will talk about praising God. We know that we should praise God and we come to worship on Sundays to do just that. But why do we praise God? What has God done for us that deserves praise? We will get to this, but first let's pray.

Delivering God, you have safely brought us to this new day. Keep us free from all dangers, perils, and troubles. By the power of your Spirit, strengthen our focus as we seek to follow Christ and to humbly serve your truth. Amen.¹

Psalm 68:1-35 NIV Psalm 68:1 For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song. May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him. 2 As smoke is blown away by the wind, may you blow them away; as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God. 3 But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. 4 Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds--his name is the LORD-- and rejoice before him.

The thing the Hebrews feared more than than anything else was slavery. Their scripture reminded them over and over again of their history as slaves in Egypt. They remembered, with feasts and festivals, the time, when God worked through Moses to redeem them from slavery. And they had promised, while wandering in the wilderness for forty years, to always keep God's laws in gratitude for their freedom. But they knew that they were only one battle away from returning to slavery. A defeat in battle would mean that they would lose everything they had, their farms, their businesses, their families and their way of life. People who lost a war were often taken into slavery. But David wants his people to live in the confidence that God, the creator of the world, will use his power to protect them. And for this God deserves our praise. Let's return to the psalm.

5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 6 God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. 7 When you went out before your people, O God, when you marched through the wasteland, Selah 8 the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. 9 You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance. 10 Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.

Another way to become a slave was to lose a husband or a father. In ancient times, the only way to make a living was by working the land. Women and children were completely dependent on husbands and fathers to work the land and provide for their families. But if a woman lost her husband or a child lost a father, and there were no other family members around to care for them, they would be left destitute. David wants the widows and orphans to know that they will be cared for. It is God's desire that everyone have food to eat and a place to stay. That's why God provides sunshine and rain and good soil where food can grow in abundance. And so for caring for the widows and the orphans and the poor, we praise God. Back to David.

11 The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it: 12 "Kings and armies flee in haste; in the camps men divide the plunder. 13 Even while you sleep among the campfires, the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold." 14 When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like snow fallen on Zalmon. 15 The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan. 16 Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever? 17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary. 18 When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men, even from the rebellious-- that you, O LORD God, might dwell there. 19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah

The only hope that David's people had to escape from slavery was their God. God's power was needed to defeat their enemies. God's justice was needed to care for the widows and orphans. Only God could protect them. And this was the good news that priests proclaimed to the people. Their God was a God of power and righteousness and was coming on a chariot across the sky. God was always with them. And for this, God deserved their praise.

But what about us. We live securely behind a vast army and large oceans that protect us from our enemies. Our widows can work for wages or start businesses. We have a child welfare system to take care of orphans. And here in America slavery has been outlawed. What reason do we have to praise God. Listen to this story which I think is an example of modern day slavery.

Renaud III was the king of a province of Belgium in the 14^th century. The word “renaud” means “fat” in French. And Renaud was very fat. After a dispute with his brother, Edward, Renuad found himself in prison, but there was no lock on the door and no bars on the window. All Renaud had to do to regain his kingdom was to walk out the door. But he couldn't because he was too fat and couldn't fit through a normal sized door. Renaud tried to lose weight to free himself, but his brother, Edward, kept sending his favorite food into his room.²

Renaud was a slave to eating. This slavery prevented him from inheriting a kingdom which was rightly his. He needed help to escape from his slavery, but he couldn't do it himself. He needed a redeemer. Let's go back to the psalm.

20 Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.

This is the good news for us. We are condemned to die. Death is a sure thing. You can put it off for a while, but it always catches up with you. And the reason for this is that we are slaves. We are slaves to sin. Generation after generation since the beginning of time people have been totally depraved, unable to do good, slaves to their sinful nature. As a consequence of this slavery, we are condemned to death. But the good news is that in Jesus Christ this slavery has ended. The Holy Spirit frees us from slavery to sin. And the curse of death is ended. The gift for all who believe in Jesus Christ is that they will live eternally in the resurrection. Let's hear what David said about a redeemer.

21 Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.

The devil's days are numbered. His evil spirits are on the run, because you no longer have to do their bidding. You have been set free from sin by the power of Jesus Christ.

Renaud was freed from his room. When Edward died the door of Renaud's room was enlarged freeing him to ascend to his rightful throne. You too have been given freedom from sin. And now you are free to follow your savior, Jesus Christ and obey his commands. So, how should we respond to a gift like this? Let's hear what David has to say.

32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, Selah 33 to him who rides the ancient skies above, who thunders with mighty voice. 34 Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies. 35 You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!

Our response is to praise God for this wonderful gift of salvation. We proclaim to the world that God's power and God's justice have freed us from slavery to sin and we are assured of eternal life. We pledge to follow Jesus Christ and keep his commands to be peacekeepers and protectors of widows and orphans as a way of glorifying him. Praise the Lord! Let's pray.

Father in heaven, we thank you for the gift of salvation. You have freed us from slavery to sin which allows us to freely choose you. We do choose you. And we offer up these praises to you in gratitude. This we pray in our redeemer's name. Amen.

1Kimberly Long, Feasting On the Word Worship Companion (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013), 171.

2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_III,_Duke_of_Guelders