Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Sermon Deuteronomy 5:8-10 “Do Not Make Idols”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Deuteronomy 5:8-10 “Do Not Make Idols”
New Covenant Church
February 11, 2018

This is my second sermon on the Ten Commandments.   The words “Ten Commandments” appears three times in the Bible.   In Exodus 34:28 we read, “Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.”   In Deuteronomy 4 we read beginning in the 12th verse, “Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets.”  And in Deuteronomy 10:4, “The Lord wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me.”

The word “commandment”  does not appear in the original Hebrew.   Rather the Hebrew says that God gave Moses ten “words”.   These are not really commandments.   These are words or principles for how we can live a good life.   God will bless us if we obey them.  But, God does not curse us if we disobey.   We disobey them at our own peril because we would be ignoring the principles that lead to a good life and would end up living something less than a good life.

Last week we heard the principle in Deuteronomy 5:7 “You shall have no other gods before me.   We learned that the God we are to worship is the same God who delivered his people from slavery in Egypt.   And the principles given to us in the Ten Commandments teach us how to remain free.   If we worship anything other than the Creator God we will be enslaved to that which we worship.   But if we worship God and obey his commands we will remain free.

Today we will look at a warning that we must never worship what we make with our own hands.   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)
Deuteronomy 5:1 Moses summoned all Israel and said:
8 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them;

God created us in his image.   This means that we too have the ability to create.   This is a wonderful gift that fills us with enjoyment.   But as with all gifts, this gift of creation can be misused.    We can create whatever we want to make our lives better and our world more beautiful.  But there is one thing we must never make, something to worship.

In the ancient world, people worship many gods.   And it was thought that to worship a god you must first have an image of that god.   So craftsmen would fashion an image out of wood or stone or metal to represent a god.   Worshipers believed that their god inhabited the image.  They could talk with their god by talking to the image.  They could hold their god by holding the image.  They could love their god by loving the image.

The people of Israel wanted images to worship too.   Sometimes the images they worshiped represented the true God.   This happened when golden calves were made by Moses’ brother Aaron and by King Jeroboam of Israel.      Sometimes the images they worshiped were of other gods like the fertility goddess, Asherah or the weather god, Baal.   It didn’t really matter what the image represented.   The Bible is clear, you do not worship images because this would be a misuse of your gift of creativity.

The prophet Isaiah ridiculed people for worshiping images.  Here is what he had to say.

Isaiah 44:9 All who make idols are nothing,
and the things they treasure are worthless.
Those who would speak up for them are blind;
they are ignorant, to their own shame.

10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol,
which can profit nothing?
11 People who do that will be put to shame;
such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
they will be brought down to terror and shame.
12The blacksmith takes a tool
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm.
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.

13The carpenter measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form,
human form in all its glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.
14 He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.
16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
“Save me! You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they understand nothing;
their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
19 No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”

20Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”
21“Remember these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant.
I have made you, you are my servant;
Israel, I will not forget you.

22I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you.”

Of course, worshiping a man-made image of a god is wrong.   Something made of wood or metal or stone cannot deliver you from slavery or assure you of eternal life.   They are not gods at all. They are inanimate objects.
 
But is worshiping an image of God, our creator, also wrong?  The answer here is yes, absolutely.   The God who created us reveals himself to us not through an image but through spoken words.   That’s why we don’t have pictures or statues of God here in church.   These would be inappropriate.   We worship not an image of God.   We worship the word of God spoken to us from the Bible.

Take a look at the new banners being produced by our Arts Ministry.   There is no image of God or of Jesus anywhere in these banners.  There is what looks like a face in the first banner.  But notice what it says, “Then God Said”.  So the banner emphasizes that it is the word of God not the image of God that we worship.

Today idol production is not a major industry.    Christians, Jews and Muslims all respect the 2nd Commandment and refrain from creating an image of God.   There does seem to be a healthy business in images of Buddha, and you should avoid these.  No good can come from an idol.

So it seems that we have nothing to worry about with the 2nd command.   We don’t have idols in our homes.  But there is something we must pay attention to.   We make lots of stuff with wood, stone, and metal.   And we have to be careful not to worship these things.   We must never make something that we make with our hands the most important thing in our lives.  But sadly, many people do just that.  

People build houses of wood.   For some people, their house is the most important thing in their lives.   They spend money on it.  They care for it.   They show it off to others.   They are proud of it.   If they lost it they would be devastated.   A house made of wood can become an idol.

People also build automobiles of metal.   For some people, their car is the most important thing in their lives.   They love it.   They shine it.   They are filled with pride as they drive down the street.   They want everyone to see their car.   A car of metal can become an idol.

And people wear stones.  They wear diamonds around their necks, in their ears, and on their fingers.   They love jewelry.   They love how it looks.   They love how it sparkles.   A diamond can become an idol too.

Many people worship things rather than the God who created them.   They mistakenly think that things will lead them to a good life.   But things can’t do this.  They are just things.  Only the true God, the Creator God can bless you with a good life.   So worship God rather than things.   Let’s pray.


Heavenly Father, we thank you for the privilege of worshiping you as our creator and being able to make things we enjoy.  But sometimes we begin to worship the things we make rather than the creator who made us.   Forgive us and help us to make you the most important thing in our lives.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.   Amen.

Friday, February 9, 2018

Sermon Deuteronomy 5:1-2 “No Other God”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Deuteronomy 5:1-2 “No Other God”
New Covenant Church
February 4, 2018

I am beginning today a series of sermons drawn from the Ten Commandments.   These principles for life have been used by the people of God for thousands of years.  In 1604 the Church of England decided to put a copy of the Ten Commandments on the east wall of every church and chapel so that people might see and read them.  In Lutheran churches, they are read before confession to convict people of sin.  In Reformed and Presbyterian churches they are often recited after the assurance of forgiveness to remind Christian how they should now live their lives. 

Although the Ten Commandments remain important inside church they are losing importance in our general culture.  No longer do we have laws prohibiting businesses from opening on Sundays.  No longer are the Ten Commandments displayed in schools and public buildings.  And children no longer are asked to memorize them.

My hope with these sermons is that we will come to appreciate what the Ten Commandments meant in their original context and what they mean for us today.   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)


Deuteronomy 5:1 Moses summoned all Israel and said:
Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. 5 (At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.)

The Ten Commandments were given by God to his prophet Moses.  They were permanently written on tablets of stone.  These tablets were placed in the Ark of the Covenant which accompanied the people of God through 40 years in the wilderness.   Later it placed in the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem temple built by Solomon.    They are the foundation upon which our relationship with God is based.   The Ten Commands are not optional.    They are principles given to us by our creator to teach us the best way to live in a God created world.  Obey them and live in harmony with creation.   Disobey them and problems will result.  So let look at the preamble of the first commandment and hear what it tells us.

6 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.


The first thing we learn is the identity of the lawgiver.   The person who wrote these commands is Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel.   This is our creator God.   He is telling us how his creation really works.  We too were created by Yahweh.   If we follow these command then we will live in harmony with the created world around us.

The second thing we learn is the history of this God.   Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel, delivered his people from Egypt.  In Egypt they were slaves.   Now they are free.  This is important.  The Ten Commandments were not given to slaves to help them be slaves.   Nor were Ten Commandments given to slaves to help them become free.   Rather, the Ten Commandments were given to the people God had already freed from slavery.   They were instructions on how to live as free people.  If they obeyed the commandments they would prosper as free people.   If they ignored the commandments they would return to slavery.   Sadly God’s people often end up in slavery to something because they ignored the commands.  But if they simply obeyed the commands they would continue to live in freedom. 

So let’s look at the First Commandments. 

7 “You shall have no other gods before me.

      In the ancient world, people worshiped many gods.   Each nation had their own gods.  And people shared gods with one another.  It was thought that gods would fertilize crops, or bring the much-needed rain.  People just had to ask the appropriate god for help.    So people would have many gods and try to keep them all happy so that blessing would continue.

   But if you asked them where these gods came from you would usually hear about an ancient god who had created them all.   And the God the children of Israel worshiped was this very god, the creator God, Yahweh, The Lord God of Israel.  And this God demands absolute loyalty from us.

     Sadly God’s people were rarely loyal.   They continued to worship weather gods and fertility gods.   And they found themselves right back in slavery when their enemies defeated them in battle and hauled them into exile.   All of this was preventable.   But it was also predictable.   Because God’s commandments are designed to keep you free.  Ignoring his commands always leads back to slavery. 
Today this same creator God wants loyalty from us.   We worship only one God, Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel, our creator.   By obeying the Ten Commandments we preserve our freedoms.   But if we ignore the commandments and follow other gods we find ourselves as slaves.   Let me give you some examples of people who worshiped something other than the creator God and found themselves back in slavery.   Here is a story from a person named Craig whose god was named alcohol.

“I would drink a bottle of strong cheap vodka everyday by myself, hoping that I would never wake up. I had a problem, but I chose to do nothing about it. Like a typical alcoholic, I felt the world owed me a favour and it was the world’s responsibility to help me. I would wake up every day feeling as sick as a dog. My job suffered and I had to lie every single day. I lived for payday; then I could start the party all over again.

I did not start in life like this. I drank like normal people. I never would get drunk, and I would look at alcoholics and say bad things to them...like, “I will never be like you.”

But as time grew on … I would spend every cent I had on alcohol and drugs. My family suffered; my kids had no food and the electricity would be cut. Once again I would blame the world. When my money was finished, I would borrow or pawn something for my next fix.
Why was this happening to me? I came from a good family and I knew that they loved me. I had all the good guidance and love and attention that I needed. Where did I go wrong? I felt that people were exaggerating and I was not as bad as they made me out to be. There are people worse off than me.
I got on my knees and I asked God to show himself. ‘If you do exist, now is the time to reveal yourself to me because I am in deep trouble and I need your help.’

There were no bright lights or the sound of church bells. I was still all alone.  I made a decision there and then ... to live or to die.  I chose life. As simple as that. I did not choose to remain sober or ask my wife or my family to forgive me.  I simply chose life. And I KNEW I could not do it by myself.  I had to start from scratch, but at least this time I had the right tools!

It was a Tuesday night and I was still in rehab.  That night the entire group went to church. We were all seated in the front row. In our creased clothes and our heads shaved, I had a choice ... again a choice. I could choose to be embarrassed ... or I could choose to embrace the moment and pray really hard and I knew that if I tried, I would receive a sign. I had no distractions like the thought of who was watching me, as the church was full. It was just me and God and I had total control of my mind. I was a broken man ...

I asked God, ‘If I am your child, why are you allowing me to suffer and why am I being spared. I am a sinner and a bad one. I don’t want to live.’

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks  ... there is a reason that I am still here!  I do matter to God! Right there and then I decided to give my messed up life over to God.  For once I was not running away and I was going to face this challenge head on.” (http://www.precious-testimonies.com/BornAgain/w-z/WykCraigVan.htm)

Alcohol is not the only false god we follow.  Listen to Jake’s story.

I was never in the right crowd for long growing up.  I was always trying to impress the older kids -- especially kids from the wrong crowd.  I don't think my parents, or many other parents, realized how dangerous this attitude can be for a child.  I was secretly smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol by the age of 11. Of course my parents caught me a few times, and they would ground me, and stop my pocket money for a while, but I kept on doing it anyway.  The older kids were allowed to so why shouldn't I be, I figured.

A few months into being age 13 I got involved with the worst kind of crowd any child can get involved in -- a gang of drug users. The youngest member was a year younger than me and the oldest members were in their late 20s.  We would sit in fields and little huts where they would pressure us into taking drugs. 

By the time I was nearly 15 I decided I wanted to leave.  This wasn't how people are meant to spend their childhood -- owned and controlled.  I had already distanced myself from my friends and family though.  I had nobody to talk to and couldn't see a way out.  I was at rock bottom.  I saw online a social networking website that Satanism could make me all powerful, and in a situation where I had no power, this was very appealing,

     When I realized I couldn't find relief in Satan anymore, I was surprised to find that the only thing that made me feel better was the Christian TV show I used to watch as a child called: Touched By An Angel.  The more my interest in God grew the healthier I felt, and when I finally accepted Jesus into my heart I was completely healed.
http://www.precious-testimonies.com/BornAgain/h-k/Jake.htm

     Craig and Jake both experienced that slavery that comes from a rejection of the First Commandment.  For them, other things were deemed more important than God.   And they became more and more enslaved by those other things.    But they were both loved by God.   They were both redeemed from slavery by Jesus.   And now they are free.   Let us hope that they remain free by obeying the Ten Commandments.

     Let’s pray.   Lord Jesus, there is so much temptation in this world.  We are always tempted to follow other gods like alcohol or a drug gangs.   Deliver us from false gods.   And keep us ever faithful to the one true God, our heavenly father.   Amen.

Friday, February 2, 2018

Sermon John 4:5-42 Created for Eternal Life

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
New Covenant Church
Sermon  John 4:5-42  Created for Eternal Life
January 28, 2018

We are continuing with our celebration of God’s creation.   God created us and the world we live in.   God created us in his image and so we can create too.   And so we also celebrate the creation of the Arts Ministry of four new banners for our sanctuary.   We have so much to be thankful for in God’s creation.   But the greatest gift we have ever received is the gift of eternal life.  Let’s pray.

Lord in heaven we are so thankful for the creation you have given us.   And we are so grateful for the ability to create.  We ask your blessings upon the Arts Ministry as they create these new banners.   We do this for your glory and in your Son’s name.   Amen. 

There is an old story about power relationships.  It was contained in an email that went viral in 1998 and still shows up from time to time.  The story is probably false, but it is still a pretty good story.  Here it is.
“ACTUAL transcript of a US naval ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October 1995. This radio conversation was released by the Chief of Naval Operations on 10-10-95.
Americans: "Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision."
Canadians: "Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision."
Americans: "This is the captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course."
Canadians: "No, I say again, you divert YOUR course."
Americans: "THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES' ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS, AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH. THAT'S ONE-FIVE DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP."
Canadians: "This is a lighthouse. Your call."

That was a story about power and humility.   Today we will hear a story of power given up as Jesus stoops all the way down to speak one on one with a lowly Samaritan woman.

John 4:5-42   5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.  7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"  8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus has encountered a Samaritan woman.  This is really all you need to know about her.  As a Samaritan, she is a member of a despised minority.  The Samaritans were people who had been forced to move to the region north of Jerusalem by the Assyrian Empire in the 8th century before Christ.  When they arrived they began worshiping Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel.  Even though they worshiped the true God, they were not accepted by the people of Judah because they were not descended from Abraham.   The Samaritans were not permitted to worship in the Jerusalem temple.  And when they built their own temple, it was destroyed.  The people of Judah and the people of Samaria hated each other so much that Jews traveling between Jerusalem and the region around the Sea of Galilee would detour through Jericho and the Jordan valley just to avoid traveling through Samaria.   Actually, most Jews would go out of their way, but not Jesus. On his way home after the Passover Jesus went through Samaria and encountered a Samaritan. 

The Samaritan who met Jesus that day was a woman.  A woman was completely powerless in that day.  She could not own property of her own.  She could not work.  She was completely dependent on her husband or father or son to take care of her.  She could not divorce her husband, even though her husband could divorce her.  And this woman had lost five husbands, five men who had either died or divorced her.  The only thing going for her at that moment was that a man, not her husband, probably the brother of a late husband, was taking care of her.  This Samaritan widow was as powerless as you can get.

The context of this story is that Jesus,  a Jewish rabbi or teacher, with all the power in the world encountered a completely powerless woman.  But something is odd here.  The powerful, male, Jewish teacher is thirsty, and the powerless Samaritan woman has the bucket he needs to get a drink of water.  So, who has all the power?  She does.  The powerless have been lifted us, and the powerful brought low.   Welcome to the Kingdom of Heaven, where Jesus said: “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11) Let's listen to their conversation.

10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."  11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"  13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,  14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." 

Jesus has done a remarkable thing.  He has offered a Samaritan, a Samaritan!, eternal life.  It doesn't matter if we are descended from Abraham or not, if we believe in Jesus Christ and experience the transformation of the Holy Spirit then we can be assured of eternal life.   All differences of ethnicity and gender dissolve in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Samaritan woman who heard these amazing words from the mouth of a Jewish man wasn't sure if she could believe them or not.  They sounded too good to be true, and she had been disappointed before.  So Jesus showed her a sign, a miracle, that brought her to faith.  Let's listen some more to their conversation.

16 He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."  17 "I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband.  18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."  19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 

Jesus knew all about this woman's life, the tragic life of a woman who had lost five husbands.  She realized that only God would know these details.  And therefore Jesus must be a prophet of God.  And since this prophet has brought such exceptionally good news, she was convinced that he must be the Messiah, the Christ, they had been waiting for.  To which Jesus answered,  26 … "I who speak to you am he."

So through the voice of a Samaritan woman, Jesus has proclaimed himself to be the Messiah or Christ.  He has been sent by God to initiate God's reign on Earth.  He is the leading edge of the Kingdom of God.  And he has promised to all who believe in him eternal life.

This is good news for us.   It doesn’t matter who we are or what we have done.   If we accept Jesus as our savior the promise of scripture is that we will enter his kingdom and receive the promise of eternal life.   All we have to do is drink the living water of faith and receive our promised blessings.

But the Samaritan woman did more than just believe and receive the living water.   Let’s hear what she did.

28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

So Jesus finally got the water he needed.   The woman left her water jar behind and I’m sure Jesus took a long drink.   But while Jesus was satisfying his thirst, the Samaritan Woman had something important to do.   She went into town and told everyone she met that she had encountered thMessiahah with an extraordinary offer.   All they had to do want believe in him and the blessing of eternal life was theirs.

So what are we to do?   We have received a remarkable gift.   We believe in Jesus and receive eternal life.   Nothing could be any better than this.   So do we keep it a secret?   Do we not tell everyone the good thing that has happened?   Or do we follow the example of this Samaritan Woman and tell everyone we meet about the amazing offer we have received?

Last week we sang about “This Little Light of Mine”.   And we asked the question:  “Put it under a bushel basket”?   And our response was “No!”   That’s right.   We won’t put our faith under a bushel basket.   We will share it and the promise of eternal life with everyone we meet.   The good news we have to share is the best news anyone can hear.  Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for coming down to us to offer us the gift of eternal life.   We accepts your offer with gratitude.  Help us now to share your offer with everyone we meet.   This we will do in your glorious name.   Amen.