Sermon – Joshua 24 – Choose the God You Will Serve

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Joshua 24 – Choose the God You Will Serve

August 23, 2015

            I want you to continue thinking about a basket of summer vegetables.  The tomatoes from your garden are at their peak of flavor.  The crabs are coming out of the bay in abundance.  The sweet corn was picked this morning.  But today you are approaching a summertime feast with some trepidation because something new is about to happen.  For years you have always gone over to your parent’s house for the summertime family cookout.  But this year everyone is coming to your house.  The responsibility is now on you.  You have to get the crabs.  You have to grill the burgers and slice the tomatoes.  God still provides all the food we eat, but now you have to prepare it.

            This is what was happening to the Israelites.  The people of God had wondered in the wilderness for 40 years.  During this time God provided for their every need.  Then they entered the Promised Land and God drove out all their enemies.  Now they are settled on the land and enjoying their lives.  Finally they are at peace.  But now they must grow their own barley and wheat.  The must raise their own chickens and cows.  God still provides for them, but not by putting manna on the ground every day.  God provides by sending light and warmth from the sun and rain from the clouds so that the crops they plant will grow.

            The people of God have matured, and so Joshua takes this opportunity to ask them to make a choice.  This is the same choice we have.  We have to choose the god we will serve.  And as your pastor I will call on you to make this choice today.  We will get to this, but first let’s pray.

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

Joshua 24:1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

            As Joshua approached the end of his long life he assembled his people for a great feast at Shechem.  His purpose was to ask them which god they intend to worship and serve.  There were several gods they could choose from.  One possibility was the group of gods Abraham worshiped as young man.  Many people thought that they should return to these ancient gods.  But here is what Joshua told them.

² … “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. ³ But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, ⁴ and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.

            So according to Joshua these ancient gods of Abraham’s forefathers were powerless.  They were unable to help Abraham and Sarah have children.  But when the Abraham followed the Lord God of Israel into Canaan he was blessed with numerous children and a large extended family.  So why would you worship impotent gods of your ancestors when you can serve the one true God?

            Other people wanted to worship the gods of Egypt.  They had learned about Egyptian gods when they were slaves.  These gods seemed pretty powerful at the time.  But God reminded them of this:

⁵ “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. ⁶ When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. ⁷ But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.

            So the Egyptian gods also were pretty powerless too.  They were unable to keep the Israelites as slaves.  The Lord God of Israel was far stronger than in impotent Egyptian gods when he parted the Red Sea and help them escape.  So why worship and serve them when the Lord God of Israel was clearly more powerful?

            Other people wanted to worship the gods of the land they were settling. Here is what Joshua told them:

⁸ “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. ⁹ When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you.¹⁰ But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

¹¹ “‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. ¹² I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. ¹³ So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

            So the gods of the Amorites east of the Jordan, and the local gods of the people living in the Promised Land west of the Jordan were pretty impotent too.  Only the Lord God of Israel was worthy of worship.  So Joshua told them this:

¹⁴ “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.¹⁵ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

            And so we have a choice.  We can worship other gods or we can worship the Lord God of Israel.  Who will we worship?

            Before we can answer this question we have to ask, who are these other gods we could choose to worship and serve?  The 20^th Century theologian Karl Barth said that these others gods are any authority that we deem important.  For example you are driving here in Ocean City and you see flashing lights in your rear view mirror.  These lights represent the authority of the Ocean City Policy Department.  Since you deem this authority important you pull over.  Any authority, according to Barth, that you deem important is what the Bible calls “other gods”.  And the first commandment is very clear about where God stands with regard to these “other gods.”

Deuteronomy 5: ⁷ “You shall have no other gods before me.

            So you must not deem any other authority more important than God.

            These ideas were crucial when Adolf Hitler became the leader of Germany.  He was a powerful authority who people deemed most important.  This allowed him to seize control of the German church and replace bishops with men sympathetic to government policies.   But a small group of pastors resisted and formed the Confessing Church Movement.  They said that there was an authority they deemed more important than Hitler, and his name was Jesus Christ.  Here is what a member of the Confessing Church Movement, Karl Barth, wrote in the Theological Declaration of Barmen challenging Hitler’s church.

“Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death.”  (Book of Confessions 8.11)

            With that statement the members of Confessing Church said that they deemed Jesus’ authority with greater importance than Hitler’s authority, putting their own lives at risk.

            Are there any “other gods” we serve?  Is there any authority we deem important?  Of course!  There are lots of other gods.  The government is one.  Business, money, power, education are all authorities we deem pretty important.   

            Is there any authority we deem more important that Jesus?  Why would we do this given all the blessings we have received from the Lord God of Israel?  No authority can forgive our sins besides Jesus.  No authority can grant us eternal life besides Jesus.  No authority will reign in the Kingdom of God besides Jesus.  So why would you worship and serve any other authority ahead of Jesus?

            Here is how the people of Joshua’s day answered this question:

¹⁶ “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!   ²¹ … “No! We will serve the Lord.”

            Here is how the Confessing Church Movement answered this question in Nazi Germany:

“ We reject the false doctrine, as though the church, over and beyond its special commission, should and could appropriate the characteristics, the tasks, and the dignity of the State, thus itself becoming an organ of the State. (Theological Declaration of Barmen, 8.24)

The church’s commission, upon which its freedom is founded, consists in delivering the message of the free grace of God to all people in Christ’s stead, and therefore in the ministry of his own Word and work through sermon and Sacrament. (Theological Declaration of Barmen, 8.26)”

            That was their answer.  They declare that Jesus was the supreme authority in heaven and on earth.  How will we answer the question?  Will we serve other gods?  Will we deem any authority as more important than Jesus?  Or will we enter into a covenant with God today and pledge that we will have no other gods before him.  I urge you this day to choose the Lord God of Israel as revealed in the pages of scripture and in the person of Jesus Christ and serve only him.

            Our basket of summer vegetables is a reminder that all the food we eat comes from God.  As we mature in our faith we now must choose which God we will worship and serve.  As for me I will worship that God who provides that food that nourishes us.  I suggest you worship this God too.   Let's pray.

            Father in heaven we thank you for all the ways you bless us.  We recognize your power and authority.   And we deem your authority as more important than any other authority on earth.   And so we choose to worship and serve you.   This we pledge, in your Son’s name.  Amen.

Sermon – Proverbs 9 - Miss Wisdom and Miss Folly

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Proverbs 9 - Miss Wisdom and Miss Folly

August 15, 2015

            For the last few weeks we have been looking at the biblical truth that the food we eat comes from God.  All food is a gift from our creator.  And so we should be grateful, satisfied, and assured the God provides us food so that we will be able to accomplish God's plan for our lives.

            I want you to continue today thinking about a basket of summer vegetables.  The white corn and blue crabs are in the pot of boiling water.  The red tomatoes have been sliced.   The summer squash is cooking in butter.  Burgers and dogs are on the grill.  Potato salad is in refrigerator.  All the makings of a great summertime feast are ready.  But there is a problem.  We have received two invitations to two feasts at the same time.  We can't go to both.  So we have to choose one or the other.  Do we accept the invitation we have received from Miss Wisdom or Miss Folly?  We will get to this, but first let's pray.

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

Let's start this morning with a story about wisdom and foolishness.

Wanda the Wise and Frederick the Foolish, who were walking through a field.

They were good friends and enjoyed their strolls together.

On this walk, they came upon two carrots.  One of the carrots had large leaves sprouting out of the top and the other looked much smaller from the surface.

Frederick was excited and ran up to the carrot with the larger leaves.

“I’ll have this one,” he proudly exclaimed and proceeded to extract it from the ground.

Wanda shrugged her shoulders and pulled out the other carrot, which turned out to be much bigger.

Frederick was surprised and asked how this could possibly be.

Wanda looked at her friend and replied, “You can’t always judge a carrot by its leaves.”

They kept on walking and came across another pair of carrots, again with differing sized leaves.

This time Frederick allowed his friend the first pick.

Wanda hopped to each carrot, inspected and sniffed them carefully and, to Frederick’s surprise, chose the carrot with the larger leaves.

As they each extracted their carrots from the ground, Frederick was bemused to see that his carrot was smaller than Wanda’s.

“I thought that you said that small leaves meant it would be a larger carrot.” He said.

“No,” replied Wanda, “I said don’t judge a carrot by its leaves.  It’s also important to remember to think before you choose.”

Frederick nodded and they ate their carrots before continuing their stroll.

For a third time, they found two carrots, again with different sized leaves.

Frederick looked confused and didn’t know what to do.  Wanda indicated that he could choose which carrot to eat.

The poor foolish rabbit, pretended to inspect each carrot, but he didn’t really know what to do.  He knew that he wasn’t as smart as his friend and he looked to Wanda with a confused expression on his face.

Wanda smiled warmly and hopped over to the carrots.  She inspected them and pulled out one of the carrots.

Frederick shrugged his shoulders and went to the other one before he was interrupted by his wise friend.

“No Frederick, this one’s your carrot,” she said.

“But you made the choice and I’m sure it’s the bigger one of the two.  I don’t know how you do it, but I guess you’re just smarter than me.”

“Frederick, there’s no point in having wisdom if you’re not willing to share the benefits of it with others.  You’re my friend and I want you to have this carrot.  A smart rabbit with a full stomach but no friends isn’t really wise is she?”

“I guess you’re right,” said Frederick with a full mouth, “As usual.”

http://betterlifecoachingblog.com/2012/01/13/the-two-rabbits-a-story-about-wisdom/

            We have received two invitations to two picnics at the same time.  We have to choose one or the other.  They have come from Miss Wisdom and Miss Folly.  Let's start by looking at the invitation we have received from Miss Folly.

Proverbs 9:13-18  13 Folly is an unruly woman; she is simple and knows nothing.  14 She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city,  15 calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way,  16 “Let all who are simple come to my house!”  To those who have no sense she says,  17 “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!”  18 But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.

            If we accept this invitation from Miss Folly we will find her dressed most seductively at the door of her house.  When she invites us in the door and the window shades will all be closed so that our actions will be hidden from all who pass by her house.  She will lead us to the most reckless and thoughtless behaviors.  She will lead us away from the knowledge of God and teach us to lead a life of stupidity, shamefulness, lawlessness and dishonor.  She entices untrained fools into her lair with the promise of a life of pleasure.  But her promises are really a pack of lies because they lead not to life but to death.  Her foolish ways leads us down a path to destruction.  Adultery with Miss Folly is the just first step down a very slippery slope to your own ruin.

             Miss Folly will not be content to lead us only into sexual sin.  She will also lead us to cheat on God.  The God we worship is a jealous God.  And when we worship other gods:  power, money, fame, alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, whatever is most important to us, we are violating the covenant with the one God we are to love with all our hearts, souls and minds.  So be warned that if we dine at the feast prepared by Miss Folly she will lead us to worship these other gods.       Miss Folly’s invitation looks attractive.  It says it leads to the good life.  But in reality it leads to pain, hardship and death.  Let's look now at the second invitation to a great feast at the home of Miss Wisdom.

Proverbs 9:1-6  Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars.  2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.  3 She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city,  4 “Let all who are simple come to my house!”  To those who have no sense she says, 5 “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.  6 Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight.”

            If we accept the invitation from Miss Wisdom we will dine in a home of seven pillars representing the seven days it took God to create the world.  Wisdom will provide us with the finest meal of meat, bread and wine.  This feast is open to everyone.  Wisdom has gone to the effort of sending her servants out to gather us up.  Everyone is invited to dine at her table.  And everyone who eats at her table will receive the greatest gift of all the gift of eternal life.

            So which invitation do we accept?  Do we go to Miss Folly's banquet for the dubious promise of pleasure?  Or do we go to Miss Wisdom's feast do dine on the bread of heaven?  Since Miss Folly will lead you to foolishness and death, and since Miss Wisdom will lead you to Christ and eternal life, I suggest that we do the wise thing and accept Miss Wisdom's invitation.  What do you say?

            There seems to be many of us who desire to go to Miss Wisdom's banquet.  How do we get there?  Does anyone have the address?  Can we use a GPS?  Here it is, the address for Miss Wisdom's house.

Proverbs 9:10  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

            So the way to get to Miss Wisdom's banquet is to start with an appropriate fear of God and then add to this knowledge of God.  Follow this route and you will arrive at Miss Wisdom's home just in time for the great banquet.  Fear of the Lord is developed in worship where we bow down before God confessing our sins.  Knowledge of God comes from the reading, preaching and teaching of the Word of God.  So the way to Miss Wisdom's banquet is to come to worship and Bible studies as often as you can.   Worship and Bible study will give you the wisdom you need to get to Miss Wisdom's feast. 

            And what will you eat when you get to Miss Wisdom's dining table?  Well, you will eat the bread the God gives you that leads to eternal life.  Let's hear what Jesus had to say about this bread.

John 6:35 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 

            This means that whenever we gather around this table for the Lord's Supper we are actually dining at Miss Wisdom's house.  Our worship, Bible studies and communion are done for two purposes:  to bring the people of God to an appropriate respect of God and knowledge of God in Jesus Christ.  The church therefore must be located in Miss Wisdom's house.  We are already here.

            So you have a choice.  You can accept the invitation from Miss Folly and find yourself following a path of foolishness, destruction and death.  Or you can accept the invitation of Miss Wisdom, come to church, find God in Jesus Christ, and receive eternal life.  The choice is yours.

            I almost forgot to remind you that Miss Wisdom sent out her servants to gather people for the feast.  Those servants would be you, the believers.  You are the ones who are to invite people to Wisdom's feast.   Don't abandon people to Miss Folly's destruction.  That would be a most foolish thing to do.  Rather invite people to Miss Wisdom's feast.  Bring people to church where through worship, and Bible study and communion people will feed on the bread of eternal life.  That would be a most wise thing to do.  And you want to be wise?  Don't you?  Of course we all want to be wise.  We all want to feast at Wisdom’s table.  And so we invite people to worship and Bibles studies so that we all might all grow in God's wisdom.

            Sadly, this morning most people in Ocean City are visiting Miss Folly.  Miss Folly loves drinking and late night parties.  Summertime in Ocean City is one of her favorite hangouts.  But the people who come here to visit her are doomed to a life of destruction and death.  She is not the way to go.  So when you get out of here today and visit the beach, the boardwalk, the shops and the restaurants you will see people who have been seduced by Miss Folly.  Tell them the good news of Miss Wisdom's great feast.  It's easy to find.  It right here at church.  Tell them the good news of the bread that leads to eternal live.  Bless them with an alternative to Miss Folly's path of destruction.  Tell them about Jesus, church, and Miss Wisdom's feast.

            And so we all desire to be wise.  Wisdom comes from an appropriate an appropriate reverence of God and knowledge of the God of the Bible.  You find this wisdom in church though worship and Bible study.  As we gain in wisdom we discover that Jesus Christ is the bread from heaven.  We are reminded of this in our monthly sacrament of the Lord's Supper.  As we feast of Jesus' teachings we become wise to the fact that we have already begun our eternal life. 

            So rejoice in the good news that we have received an invitation to a great feast of summer vegetables.from Miss Wisdom.  Let's accept her invitation and invite others to come with us.  Let's pray.

            Father in heaven we thank you for the great feast we enjoy.  Bless us as we devour your word to gain wisdom and insights in our world.  Bless us with eternal life as we feast on you word, Jesus our Savior.  Amen.

Sermon – 1Kings 19:4-8 Get Up and Eat

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – 1Kings 19:4-8 Get Up and Eat

August 9, 2015

Two weeks ago we heard the important biblical truth that the food we eat comes from God. We found the biblical principle that we should be thankful to God for this blessing. And we engage in the biblical practices of thanking God for our food in prayer before each meal and of giving a tithe, 10%, to the church. Last week we affirmed this biblical truth and found a new principle that we should be satisfied with what we have. And so we engage in the biblical practices of sharing food with others and keeping a Sabbath rest. Today we will once again reaffirm the biblical truth that all of the food we eat comes from God. And again today we will find a biblical principle and biblical practices we can follow.

As we begin this morning, I want you to continue thinking about a basket of summer vegetables. Now, as we move through August, some of the vegetables are a little overripe. The corn has some worms in it. The squirrels have eaten some of your tomatoes, and blight is threatening the rest. This symbol of God’s provision for us is giving way to fear that God may not be there when we need him. Even the great prophet Elijah feared that God would not be there when he needed God the most. We will get to this, but first let’s pray.

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

The prophet Elijah was running for his life just days after his greatest triumph. Queen Jezebel had brought her faith into Israel. She had convinced her husband King Ahab to worship Baal, the weather god. Each year they ascended to the high places in the kingdom to pray to Baal to send rain to make the crops grow. But year after year the drought continued and life became desperate.

Elijah proposed a test. They would all go up to Mount Carmel. The prophets of Baal prepared wood for a fire. So too did Elijah who covered his wood with water. The prophets of Baal prayed to their weather god for lightening to bring fire to their wood. Nothing happen. Then Elijah prayed to the Lord God of Israel who sent lightening from heaven and consumed the wood with fire. With this spectacular success Elijah put the prophet of Baal to the sword.

When King Ahab returned to the palace he told Queen Jezebel what happened and she flew into a rage. She ordered the immediate execution of Elijah. He was wanted dead or alive.

So Elijah ran. He fled south to Judah. After crossing the southern boarder he continued south to Beersheba when his companions left him. Elijah continued alone towards the south into the dessert for another day. There, alone, tired, exhausted, and at the end of his rope, Elijah asked God to end his life. Just days after his greatest triumph, Elijah seemed like a complete failure.

Haven’t we all been there? Things are going along so well. You are on the top of the world. And then all of sudden the bottom drops out and you lose everything. Maybe it happened in a doctor’s office where a loved one received some bad news. Maybe it happened in your boss’s office when you were told the company couldn’t afford you anymore. Maybe it happened in a letter when the one you loved says he loves someone else. Whatever it was suddenly a good day turns awful. That’s what’s happening to Elijah when we hear this story.

1Kings 19:4-8  ⁴ while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” ⁵ Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” ⁶ He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

⁷ The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” ⁸ So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

And so even though Elijah thought he had come to the end of his usefulness, God blessed him with bread from heaven and the water he needed to sustain his life. This reaffirms the biblical truth that we have seen over the last two weeks. God provides us with the food we eat. And we find another biblical principle. Even though we may see no way out of our circumstances, God still has a plan for us.

No matter where we are in our life’s struggles God is using us for his purposes. Maybe you are retired and wondering what if anything God wants you to do. Maybe you are a university student from Eastern Europe and wondering how God will use you this summer in Ocean City. Maybe you are on vacation with you family and wondering what God is calling you to do this summer. God has a plan for all us no matter our age of where we are from. God is ready to use us in some way, but how?

Before God would reveal to Elijah what his role would be Elijah had to first engage in two biblical practices. The first biblical practice was that Elijah had to spend forty days in the wilderness. Moses spent forty days in the wilderness before receiving the Ten Commandments from God. Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness preparing for his ministry. What both Moses and Jesus did in the wilderness was to pray.

Prayer is a biblical practice you do in order to know what God is planning for your life. This church is entering into a period of prayer as it begins its search for a new pastor. Each of you should be spending some time in prayer each day to discern God’s will in your lives.

The main reason I went to Fuller Seminary was to spend an extended period of time in prayer to discern God’s call in my life. I had reached a point when I thought that God no longer desired me to run the business I had operated for many years. I knew God wanted me to expand on the Bible teaching I was doing in church. But I didn’t know where that would lead. I spoke with my pastor about going to seminary as a way of discerning what God was calling me to do. We decided to start the process of becoming a Presbyterian pastor with the presbytery, and then start a three year program of discernment while working on my Master of Divinity. Three years later, after much prayer, my presbytery and I were certain that God was calling me into pastoral ministry. And here I am.

So to find God purpose in your life I urge you to enter into an extended period of prayer and discernment. You should be praying every day asking God for guidance. This is the first biblical practice. Let’s now look at the second.

The second biblical practice Elijah was to engage in was to ascend Mount Horeb. Mount Horeb was the mountain Moses had ascended to receive from God instructions for life as summarized by the Ten Commandment. By sending Elijah up this mountain God was telling Elijah to return to Israel’s Holy Scripture. By reading Israel’s Bible, Elijah would uncover God’s plan for his life. This practice is open to us as well. God speaks to us about His plan and purpose for us in the pages of scripture. That is why it is so important to read the Bible every day. One way to do this is to follow the Daily Lectionary in the bulletin each day this week. There are other ways to read the Bible each day. Select the way that works for you and let God reveal to you his plan and purpose.

God spoke to me one time. I was in church and complaining to him about many things. Like Elijah I seemed to be at the end of my rope. And God sent an angel to me with these words, “It’s in the book.” And I instantly knew that I needed to study the Bible more. I picked up a pew Bible and began to look through it. The next week I was in a Sunday School class for the first time as an adult. I joined a Wednesday night Bible study. I went on a retreat. And my life has never been the same.

This will happen to you as well. Engage in the biblical practices we have been talking about today. Spend a considerable amount of time in prayer discerning where God is calling you. And read scripture every day to see how you fit into God’s purpose and plan for the world.

And so today we have reaffirmed the biblical truth that all the food we eat comes from God. As we eat food we should be thankful for what we have received, satisfied by the abundance God provides, and discerning of God’s purpose in our lives. To do this we engage in biblical practices. We thank God by saying grace before each meal. And we thank God by bringing our offerings to the church. We become satisfied with what God gives us by sharing food with others and keeping a Sabbath rest for ourselves. And we discover God’s plan and purpose for us by a practice of regular prayer and Bible reading.

And this brings us back to our basket of summer vegetables. Yes the lettuce has wilted a little in the August heat. But always remember that this basket is a symbol that God provides for you the food you eat. Be thankful for abundance of food God provides for you. Remember to thank God for what you have received by saying grace before meals and supporting your church. Don’t complain but be satisfied with what God gives you. Learn to be satisfied with what you have by sharing with others and remembering to take a Sabbath rest. And be assured that God sustains you with food because He has a plan and purpose for your life. Discover this plan and purpose by praying and reading the Bible every day. Let's pray.

Father God, we thank you for the bountiful food you provide for us. Help us to see the plan and purpose you have for our lives. We will come to you each day in prayer and Bible reading asking you to reveal to us the plan and purpose for our lives that you spoke before we were born. We will also approach you daily in prayer asking you to reveal to us the pastor you have already chosen to lead this church. This we pray in your son's name and in your Spirit. Amen.

Sermon – Exodus 16:9-15 Bread The Lord Has Given You

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Exodus 16:9-15 Bread The Lord Has Given You

August 2, 2015

            I want you to continue thinking about a basket of summer vegetables.  It's overflowing with beautiful colors.  It's smell takes you back to childhood.  It's flavor is what makes summer on the eastern shore so special.  Keep thinking about how God has blessed you with sweet corn and vine ripe tomatoes. 

            Last week we heard an important biblical truth.  All the food we enjoy comes to us as a gift of God's grace.  We developed from this truth the biblical principle that we should be thankful for the food we receive from God.  And this led us to two important biblical practices.  First, we are to pray every morning and evening thanking God for the day he has given us and before each meal thanking God for our food.  And second, we are to bring as our first fruits a tithe, 10%, of what God has given us to the church as a way of thanking God for all of our blessings.

            Today we will affirm this biblical truth.   All we eat comes from God.  We will also develop another biblical principle and biblical practices.  We will get to this, but first let's pray.

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

            Around 3500 years ago at the end bronze age the people of God were slaves in Egypt.  Life was very hard.  We are told in the Bible that the Hebrews were to make bricks for Egyptian construction projects, but the Egyptians refused to supply them with straw.  The Hebrew had to fend for themselves.  But God freed them from their slavery in Egypt with a spectacular display of parting the Red Sea,  Now the people of God are free.  But after a month and a half in the wilderness they are running out of food and beginning to panic.  We are told that they grumbled to Moses.  Here is how Moses responded

Exodus 16: 9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”

10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.

11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 

            God didn't intend for his people to die of starvation in the wilderness.  He has made a world of abundance.  And God's plan all along was to bless his people with an abundance of food.  And so their grumbling was out of line.   They grumbled because of their fear that they wouldn't have enough.  But God wanted them not to fear but to be satisfied.  This is an important biblical principle for us.  We should be satisfied with the blessings God gives us.  So what can we do to calm our fears of not having enough and be satisfied with the blessings we receive? Let's go back to the Book of Exodus.

Exodus 16 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

            God provided for his people two practices which helped them to lose their fear of not having enough and be satisfied with what they had.  The first practice was to gather only enough food for the day.  If they gathered any more than that it would be filled with worms on the second day.  This was to teach them not to hoard food.

            The first thing we do when we fear that we won't have enough is to hoard what we have.  We buy an extra freezer.  We hide money in mattresses or maybe retirement accounts.   We build walk-in closets for all our clothes.   We have multiple garages for all our cars.  Storing far more than you need is hoarding.  And the reason we hoard is our fear of not having enough.

            This leads us to our first biblical practice.  We are to share what we have with others.   Sharing is the opposite of hoarding.  Jesus told us that the we are to pray for our “daily bread.”  All that we need are sufficient blessings of food from God for today.  That's all we need to ask for.  Anything more than that must either be stored or thrown out, unless we share it with others.   Our fear will motivate us to store it.  Our love will motivate us to share it.  Which do you think your God wants you to do?  Of course God wants you to love your neighbor and that means you should share what you have.       

            This was a difficult concept for me to understand.  In Pocomoke, Grace would get donations of chicken for her ministry in Princess Anne.  Large boxes of chicken would fill our freezer.  And I naturally thought that the chicken should remain in the freezer until it was needed.  But Grace showed me that this was incorrect.  It was important to give the chicken away as fast as we could to have room in the freezer for the next gift from God.  You see that faster you give God's blessings away to other people that faster God will bless you.  So we would deliver chicken to families all over the area in order to empty our freezer, and then sure enough the freezer was filled once again.

            This is exactly what the ancient Hebrews found out in the desert.  They couldn't store food.  So it was either share it or waste it.  And since God blessed them every day, sharing became what they did.  So I urge you to share what you have.  Give it away as fast as you can.  And God will bless you again tomorrow.  And when you do this your fear of not having enough becomes satisfaction with what God has given you.  So our first biblical practice is to share what we have because this makes us satisfied with the blessings we receive.

            The second biblical practice is to keep a Sabbath rest.  God provided his people with food for six days.  On the sixth day they were to collect a double share.  God gave his people a day of rest.  This idea of a Sabbath rest came from the fact that God rested on the seventh day of creation.  And if God rested on the seventh day  so should we.  This practice of a Sabbath rest was later made law in the Ten Commandments.  But why would a Sabbath rest remove our fear of not having enough and help us to be satisfied with the blessings we receive?

            It works like this.  Whenever we fear that we won't have enough we start to work harder.  We think that through hard work we can provide for ourselves the blessings we need.  When our well-being is tied to hard work it is difficult to rest.  Fear of not having enough causes you to work long days and seven days a week.  But our blessings come not from our hard work.  Rather all blessings come from God.  And God wants us to rest on the seventh day.  Therefore we should take a Sabbath rest each Sunday in order to be content with what we have rather than fearful that we won't have enough.

            Jesus spoke to his disciples about being satisfied with the blessings of food we receive from God.  Here is what he said.

John 6:31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

            As we gather around this table today we will enjoy the feast Jesus has prepared for us.  For all who believe in him the bread on this table is the bread from heaven.  All who believe in Jesus and eat at this table will never be hungry and thirsty.  You will be satisfied with the blessings you receive from God.  

            We come to church each Sunday to be reminded of the biblical truth that everything we have comes to us as a gift of God's grace.  We remind ourselves to be thankful with prayers of thanksgiving and generous offerings.  We learn how to be satisfied with what we have by sharing with others and keeping a Sabbath rest.  There is no place other than church were you will learn this important truth and engage in these biblical practices.  Only in church can you learn how to be satisfied with the blessings you receive from God.

            We are reminded of all of this by a basket of summer vegetables.  This image reminds us that the bounty we enjoy comes not from hard work, but as a gift from our God.   Every time we see it we are reminded to thank God for the blessings we receive, to express our gratefulness with our tithes to the church, to share what we have with others, and take a rest on the seventh day.  Let's pray.

            Dear Father, give us this day our daily bread.  Help us to be thankful and share this bread with others.   Remind us to give to the church and take a Sabbath rest.   Help us to be satisfied with the blessing we receive from you.  This we pray in the name of your Son, the bread from heaven.  Amen.