Sermon Isaiah 64:1-9 “We are your People”

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon Isaiah 64:1-9 “We are your People”
November 29, 2020

Video of our worship service

This morning I am beginning a series of sermons from The Book of Isaiah.  During Advent, we will be looking at this important Old Testament book.  The Book of Isaiah was in the Bible that Jesus read and taught from.  A Greek translation of  The Book of Isaiah had been distributed all over the known world by the first century.  And  The Book of Isaiah had an enormous influence on New Testament authors who quoted from it frequently.  For all of these reasons, it is important for Christians to understand what  The Book of Isaiah says about God.

The Book of Isaiah speaks to us in four distinct voices.  The first was the voice of a prophet.  His name was Isaiah, the son of Amoz.  He lived in Jerusalem in the first half of the eighth century before Christ.  The prophet spoke at a time of great international conflict.  The Assyrian Empire was growing stronger and was becoming a threat to its neighbors.  The military alliance between Judah, Israel, and Aram was dissolving.  During the prophet’s lifetime, the kingdoms of Israel and Aram were destroyed by the Assyrians.  Judah and its magnificent capital of Jerusalem were threatened.  The prophet called on the people of God to turn away from their worship of foreign gods and return to the worship of the Holy One of Israel.

The second voice in  The Book of Isaiah is that of a poet.  We don’t know his or her name.  But we do know of the great love and respect that this poet had for the prophet called Isaiah.  The poet lived in Babylon with other Jews who had been exiled after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.   The poet spoke at a time of relative peace, but the people longed for a return to their city and farms.  The poet called the people of God to return to the faith of their ancestors in the Holy One of Israel.  The poet told them to put away their idols of wood and clay and worship the LORD.

The third voice in  The Book of Isaiah is that of a preacher.  The preacher had great love and respect for both the prophet and poet.  The preacher spoke during the time of the return from exile.  Babylon had been defeated by the Persian Empire and King Cyrus had permitted the Jews to return to their land and to rebuild their city.  The preacher called the people of God to faith in the Holy One of Israel.  Even though the magnificent Temple of Solomon had been burned to the ground, the preacher told the people that the LORD was still their God.

The fourth and final voice in  The Book of Isaiah was that of the editor who in the fifth century before Christ took the writings of the prophet, the poet, and the preacher and put them into a scroll which we know as  The Book of Isaiah.  This scroll has been faithfully preserved from then until now, twenty-five centuries, by the faithful people of God.  Let’s begin our look at   The Book of Isaiah with prayer.

Almighty God we wait for the day when the heavens will be torn open and you will come down.   We long for that day when you will dwell with us and lead us as your king.   As we wait, prepare us for that glorious day.  Amen.

As the Jews made their way back to Jerusalem the sight they saw was devastating.  Their beloved city was in ruins and their Temple was burned to the ground, no more Holy of Holies, no more Arc of the Covenant.   It must have felt like God had abandoned them.

Solomon had built a temple for God.   God had always been right there with them accepting their offerings and forgiving their sins.  But their prophet in Babylon, Ezekiel, had told them that God’s glory had departed from Jerusalem.  Here is how he described it.

Ezekiel 10:18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. 19 While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

And with that God abandoned Jerusalem and went to heaven.  When the people of God returned to Jerusalem and saw the destruction they knew that God was no longer there so they cried out their deepest longing to their creator.

NRS Isaiah 64:1 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence--  2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil-- to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence!  3 When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.  4 From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.  5 You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed.  

In the midst of their longing for God, they confessed their sins.

6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.  7 There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.  

Then the Preacher asked God to bless his people.

8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.  9 Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.  

As the Jews made their way back to Jerusalem the sight they saw was devastating.  Their beloved city was in ruins and their Temple was burned to the ground, no more Holy of Holies, no more Arc of the Covenant, no more God.  It must have felt like God had abandoned them.

We have all experienced these times when God is not to be found.  After a night of prayers, you go to the hospital and the doctor says that your mother did not make it through the night.  Where is God when it hurts so much?  After dinner with the woman, you love and want to marry she says “I don’t love you.  The relationship is over.”  Where is God when it hurts so much?  You lose your job and can’t pay this month's rent; you may have to live in your car.  Where, oh where, is God?  Even Jesus experienced the absence of God when he cried out from the cross, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?  The absence of God is not something we ever want to experience but from time to time we do.

When the Jews experienced the absence of God they remembered what God had done for them in the past.  God had protected the nation time and again.  It was God that had freed the people from slavery in Egypt and gave them the Promised Land.  It was God who had protected them from the Philistines and the Assyrians.  God could always be counted on, until now.  And that made the feeling of abandonment even worse.  Why had God blessed their ancestors so much but turned his back on them when the Babylonians came?  They knew deep down that it was their own fault; they had turned their backs to God by worshiping idols.  But in their anger, they blamed God for all that had happened to them.

The Jews finally realized that God was not something that they could control.  God was not a good luck charm.  Not all prayers are answered.  They also realized that the protection from the consequence of sin, that they had always enjoyed, had been removed.  Now they had to experience the consequences of what they had done themselves.  But they still had one perplexing question:  Why had God acted in history to save his people but failed to do the same for them?  

We face this same question today.  Why did God deliver Israel from Egypt but did nothing to prevent the slaughter of six million Jews in the holocaust?  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian writing from a concentration camp in 1944 said, “God would have us know that we are men who manage our lives without him.  The God who is with us is the God who will forsake us.”   Bonhoeffer was reminding us of Christ who came not as a superhero to solve all the world problems, but as a vulnerable suffering servant.

The Jews returning to Jerusalem experienced the absence of God but were not driven to despair.  Rather they were filled with hope.  This hope rested on their belief that God had formed them from the dust of the earth and had breathed life into their lungs.  God was their creator, and they were all God’s people.  So filled with hope they cried out for God to break open the heavens and return to Jerusalem.  And confident that God would return one day, they began the hard work of rebuilding their city and their temple.

God did come back to Jerusalem in a spectacular way.  The heavens were literally ripped open and God descended back to earth.  Listen to what happened from the Gospel of Mark.

   

Mark 1:9-11   In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.  11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Even though we may experience the absence of God in our lives and all the suffering that entails, Jesus Christ is coming at Christmas.  In Jesus Christ, God loves us as much as a potter loves the clay pot he has created.  In Jesus Christ, God loves us as much as a parent loves a child.  In Jesus Christ, God will never leave nor abandon us.  God is always with us. 

This is the good news we remember at Christmas.   The heavens were torn open.   God did come down.  God is present here with us now.  God will never forsake us. And we are blessed by Immanuel, God with us, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Let’s pray. 

Father in Heaven as we await the coming of your son at Christmas we ask that you forgive our sins and pardon us for turning our backs on you.  We ask that you never abandon us nor forsake us.  We ask that you care for us as your creatures, your children, and your people.  Send your Holy Spirit to be with us always.  And we pray this in the name of our coming Lord, Jesus Christ.  Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 13

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 13
Presbyterian Church of Easton
November 24, 2020

Watch Episode 3

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

26Q.  What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth”?

A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ the Son.  I trust God so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for body and soul and will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends upon me in this sad world.  God is able to do this because he is almighty God and desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.

The Apostles Creed begins with the simple words, “I believe”. When we say “I believe” we can mean different things. First, we might mean that we “think that something is true, but don't know for sure”.  For example, if you asked me when Grace will be home this afternoon I might say something like, “I believe that she will be here around 3.” By this, I would mean that “I think she will be home around 3 because she usually is, but I am not really sure when she will be home today.”   Or, we might mean that we believe something because we have certain knowledge of it.  For example, we believe that water will boil at 212 degrees.  Or remember when you first dove off the high dive into the swimming pool.   You believed that you would survive contact with the water, but until you did it for the first time you weren’t so sure.  You believed but did not fully trust it.  I think that in the Apostles’ Creed the words “I believe” means that we trust God with our lives. 

We read in Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.  15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

So according to the Apostle Paul, we believe in God in the same way that a child believes in her mother and father. We trust our lives to God. We trust that God will provide what we need each day.  We trust that God will protect us from the virus.  We trust that God will love us and bless us so that we will be a blessing for others. We trust that God will be with us when our health fails, our parents age, our jobs are lost, and our relationships end. When we say “I believe in God the Father” we mean that we trust that God will care for us just as a parent cares for a child.  We trust our Heavenly Father with our lives.  Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father,  we thank you for blessing us as a parent blesses a child.   We trust you with our lives as much as a young child trusts her parents.  And with Christians for 2000 years we say with our lips, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty.”   Amen.  

Sermon Matthew 6:25-33 “Don’t Worry be Thankful”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon Matthew 6:25-33 “Don’t Worry be Thankful”
November 22, 2020

Watch our Thanksgiving Worship Service

This morning we will be remembering the blessings that we have received in our lifetimes:  the blessings of our birth and loving parents, the blessing of our youth, education, and moral development, the blessings of our spouses, families, jobs, and church, the blessings of retirement, travel, and lifelong friendships.  We have so much to be thankful for.  So God has given us this week to be thankful for all of our blessings. Will you pray with me?  

Father in heaven, we approach your throne this morning thankful for all you have done for us.  Purge from our minds the worries that often overwhelm us.  Help us to focus this week on all that you have provided for us, especially our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

If you are anything like me you worry most of the time.  I worry about the stock market and what is happening to my retirement funds.  I worry about my Dad getting older and how he will be cared for.  I worry about this church and the problems each of you face.  I worry, like so many others, about paying the bills each month.  Worry is a part of my life and I am sure that worry is a part of your lives too.

The Israelites were worried as they wandered for forty years in the wilderness.  Just a few days after God freed them from slavery in Egypt, with the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, they ran out of water.  Moses, who had been a shepherd in this desert for forty years, guided them to a watering hole, but the water was bitter and people were worried. 

O Moses, what have you done?  We had plenty of water in Egypt.  It would have been better to die there than die here in the desert of thirst.  God knew they were worried so God led them to an area with twelve springs, one for each tribe.  

But a few days later the Israelites ran out of food.  They worried again.  

O Moses, what have you done?  We had plenty of food in Egypt.  It would have been better to die there with full stomachs than to die out here in the wilderness of hunger.  God knew that they were worried so he rained down bread from heaven each morning and had quails fly by every evening so that the Israelites would never be hungry.  

You would think that with all these blessings from God the Israelites would never worry again.  After all time after time, God had provided for them.  But when the spies returned from the Promised Land with a report that the people of Canaan were powerful, and descended from giants the Israelites were worried, really worried.  

O Moses, what have you done?  In Egypt, we weren’t facing slaughter.  It would have been better to remain slaves, than to all be killed in this strange place.  

With that their God, who was slow to anger and abiding in steadfast love, had enough.  God was ready to wipe out his people and start over.  But Moses intervened and reminded God of God’s love for God’s people.  

God relented, and permitted the Israelites to wander around the desert for forty years where they could worry all the time until a new generation, free from worry, could take what was being offered, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Worry is part of our lives.  We do it well because we practice it all the time.  We are worried about the economy and the values of our retirement investments and homes.  We are worried about keeping our jobs or finding a job.  We are worried about our health and what will happen to us as we age.  We are worried about our families and their future.

Most of all, right now, we are worried about a virus.   Every time you turn on the news, there is a reporter worried about infections.   Every time, as you watch the news, they share statistics about the virus, how many have it and how many have died.  Our politicians are worried. Our Governor and President - Elect are so worried that they want to shut us down again.  Worry is now a national obsession.   

The Christians of the Protestant Reformation were also filled with worry.  As William of Orange organized the rebel forces in the Netherlands to fight for political independence from Spain and religious independence from Rome, the Reformed Christians worried about their churches, their country, and their lives.  They gathered into churches for worship and prayer which sustained them through these most dangerous times.  In the midst of their worry, here is what they prayed.

“We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing; He chastens and hastens His will to make known; the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing, sing praises to His name; he forgets not His own.  

Beside us to guide us our God with us joining, ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine; so from the beginning the fight we are winning; Thou, Lord wast at our side; all glory be Thine!  

We all do extol Thee, Thou leader triumphant, and pray that Thou still our defender wilt be, let thy congregation escape tribulation; thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!”

Whenever we are overwhelmed by worry there is a simple solution.  All we have to do is to turn to God with praise and thanksgiving.  By praising God our faith increases, which allows us to withstand anything that world might throw at us.  We are able to face our worries with confidence only when we have first approached God in praise.  And this brings us to this morning’s scripture and Jesus’ teachings on worry.

Matthew 6:25-33   25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?  28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin,  29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.  

30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more, clothe you-- you of little faith?  31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?'  

32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

According to Jesus, the antidote for worrying all the time, is to strive for the kingdom of God.   We do this by worshiping God either by stream or by being here.  We do this by studying the Bible, either in Foster Hall or on Zoom.   We do this by daily prayer.   Instead of filling our head with worry, let’s fill them with the word of God. And as we do this we become more and more thankful.

Also striving for the kingdom of God is service to others.  If we feed someone who is hungry today then we will not be worried about being hungry tomorrow.  If we clothe someone who is naked today then we will not be concerned with what we will wear tomorrow.  This is how the Kingdom of Heaven works.  God provides us with everything we need and all God asks us to do is to provide for the needs of others.  By caring for others we realize all the blessings that we have received and become a thankful people praising God in the highest.

Craig Barnes, President of Princeton Seminary, tells a story about one Thanksgiving.  On Thanksgiving morning at about 11AM while his family was preparing for a great feast the telephone rang.  It was a nurse at a local hospital saying that a member of his church was dying.  Craig knew he had to go visit her, but was worried about what this interruption would do to his family’s plans for the day.  

He arrived at the hospital to find Jean, a seventy-eight year old member of the congregation surrounded by her family.  She had had another heart attack and was not expected to make it through the day.  Jean was about to die.  After Craig prayed with the family and read some scripture someone mentioned that it was sad for Jean to die on Thanksgiving.  But Jean replied that it was a glorious Thanksgiving because she would soon be with the Lord.  She then prayed for everyone in the room and died.  

While driving home Craig realized that Jean was a saint. She had taught Sunday School for thirty-five years until her eyesight failed and then settled into a ministry of prayer for others.  Jean had no worry about her fate because of her service to others in the kingdom.  She was grateful for all that God had done for her.  

Craig arrived home just in time to carve the Thanksgiving turkey, but Jean was on his mind, and all he could say as he carved the bird was that this truly was a glorious Thanksgiving.

When we live lives of service to others we stop worrying about what the future will bring and become thankful people who praise God for our blessings.  As Christians we are thankful for all the blessings God has provided for us:  the blue sky and bright sunshine, families coming together for the Thanksgiving feast, the food, water and clothing that our planet provides, and our saving faith in Jesus Christ.  All these and so much more have been provided to us by our loving God.  So we have come here today to thank God for all that God has done for us, to express our gratitude for all the blessings we have received, and to commit ourselves to lives of service to others.  As we gather together let's give our worries to God and be thankful for all the blessings we have received.  Let’s pray.

Gracious and loving God, we are a people who gather around tables. On Thanksgiving Day, many of us will gather around dining tables or kitchen tables or tray tables and share a meal with our family and friends.  As we do protect us from the virus.   Others will be alone this Thanksgiving.   Lord, I ask that you be present with them in their Thanksgiving meal.  Bless all of us with your presence and protection this Thanksgiving.  

As we are seated at our tables, help us also remember the table where we gather in worship to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. At this table we are all God’s people gathered in communion with Christ. May our joy-filled celebrations of Thanksgiving Day remind us of the joyful feast of the people of God. Thank you, God! Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 12

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 12
Presbyterian Church of Easton
November 17, 2020

Video - Grace and Peace Episode 12

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

24Q.  How are these articles (of the Apostle’s Creed) divided?
A. Into three parts: God the Father and our creation; God the Son and our deliverance; and God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification.
25Q.  Since there is only one divine being, why do you speak of three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
A. Because that is how God has revealed himself in his Word: these three distinct persons are one, true, eternal God.

The ancient Hebrews believed in one God.   While all the kingdoms around them worshiped many gods, they worship the one God who made heaven and earth.  This is what they believed:  Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one”.  We, Christians, also believe in this God.  We believe that God is one.

But we believe that this one God is revealed to us in a trinity.   The word “trinity” is not in the Bible, but it expresses what the New Testament says.   Jesus said this to his disciples:  Matthew 28:19   “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”   Jesus understood that God exists in three persons:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The Apostle Paul also understood that our one God exists in three persons when he said:  2 Corinthians 13:14 “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

So how do we understand the idea of one God in three persons?  In the fifth century, a bishop in North Africa thought about this.  Bishop Augustine read this in the Bible:  1 John 4:16 “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” Augustin pointed out that love is relational.   For love to exist there must be at least two who love each other.   There must be a lover and a beloved.  

So if God is love, who is the lover, and who is the beloved? Jesus said this:  John 15:10-12 “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love”.  When the Bible says that God is love, it means that the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father.  And the Holy Spirit binds the Father and the Son together in love.   God is love, the mutual love of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Let’s pray.

Holy God, three in one, we pray to you this day.   Bless us with the understanding of who you are.  Help us to believe in you, one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon Matthew 25:14-30 "Well Done Good and Faithful Servant"

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Matthew 25:14-30 "Well Done Good and Faithful Servant"
Presbyterian Church of Easton
November 15, 2020

Watch our worship service.

This morning we are celebrating Stewardship Sunday.  Now I know that “celebrating” is not the usual term applied to this day.  Most of us think of Stewardship Sunday as a time when the church hits us up for more money.  How could this be a celebration?  But the reality is that today we are celebrating all the gifts that God has provided to us and the response that God expects from us, sharing our blessings with others.  As we prepare for this celebration will you pray with me?

Holy Spirit, fill our hearts this day with God’s love.  Help us to remember all the blessings we have received throughout our lifetimes.  Help us to share the blessings God has given us with others in the kingdom.  We pray all of this in the name of the greatest gift God has given us, our savior, Jesus Christ.

Matthew 25:14-30  14 "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them;  15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.  

16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents.  17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents.  18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.  

19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.  20 

Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.'  21 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'  

22 And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.'  23 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'  

24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed;  25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' 

 26 But his master replied, 'You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter?  27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest.  

28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents.  29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.  30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Years ago I went to business school and studied economics.  One of the important concepts in economics is the “velocity of money”.  Here is how it works.  Suppose Janet owns a bank and Hubert deposits his savings in Janet’s bank.  Then Clyde borrows some money from Janet’s bank, which originally came from Hubert, to open a business and then places his profits back in the bank.  Nancy then wants to buy a car so she borrows the same money from Janet’s bank that had been originally deposited by Hubert and has already been used by Clyde to start a business.  You see, the same money is used over and over again, it is multiplied.  This is called the velocity of money and is essential for the well working of the economy.  The velocity of money is a concept that can be applied to God’s economy as well.   

The underlying principle, in God’s economy, comes to us from the promise of God to Abraham when God said “I will bless you … so that you will be a blessing”.  Suppose that someone in the congregation is richly blessed with good health and a loving family.  In God’s economy, these blessings are to be shared with others.  Those who have been blessed are to share these blessings by blessing others in need.  We are to care for each other, and the poor and needy in our community just as God has cared for us.  We use God’s blessing over and over again.  In this way, the blessings we receive are multiplied benefiting the entire kingdom of God.

Let’s look at how God’s economy works in today’s scripture.  The first slave received five talents.  In ancient times a talent was a heavy gold coin.  It was the largest denomination of ancient currency.  It was a lot of money.  Five talents equaled the total wages a laborer could possibly earn in about eighty years, a lifetime.  So in this parable five talents represent all the blessings that God has provided us over our lifetimes, all of the food that we have enjoyed, all of the love we have received from family and friends, and, of course, the church God has provided for us with worship and education.  

God had provided the first servant a lifetime of blessings.  And what did this slave do with all of these blessings?  She shared every one of those blessings with others through countless acts of love and compassion.  Every blessing invested by God in this slave has been multiplied as blessings for others.  You see the velocity of blessings at work.  The blessings we receive from God are used to bless others, and those who are blessed by us blessed still others, on and on, until the whole world is blessed.  And when this slave appeared in heaven after a long lifetime of shared blessings, Christ said, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

The second slave received two talents of blessings from God.   This represented all of the blessings that those of us in middle age have received.  We realize that although the world presents many challenges for us we have been greatly blessed by God.  We have been blessed with loving families, good jobs, and the promise of a glorious future.  The second slave recognized all the blessings that he had received and decided to share all those blessings with others.  Although his family budget was limited, he still found what was needed to give to his church to maintain Christian worship and serve the poor in the community.  Although his time was limited, he still made time for worship, prayer, and volunteer service.  And through his efforts more and more people received God’s blessings and were able to bless others.    So when Christ looked down from heaven and saw this saint he said, “Well done good and faithful servant”.

But of course, we have to look at the third slave too.  This slave was young with a bright future ahead.  Already she had already received one talent of blessings from God.  But she was afraid. She feared that if she gave food to the hungry she would have no food for herself.  She feared that if she clothed the naked she would have no clothes to wear.  She feared that if she contributed to charity or the church there would not be enough money left over for her needs.  So she received blessings from God every day, but because of fear, she failed to bless others.  And when Christ looked down from heaven he said to her, “You wicked and lazy slave.”

In God’s economy whenever God’s blessings are not being shared those blessings are removed and given to someone else.  In order to keep receiving blessings from God, we have to give them away.  Only after we have given blessings away will God bless us more and more.   This is the velocity of blessings at work in God’s economy.  The more we share the blessings God has given us, the more this church will grow and the more blessings we will have to share.  The blessings of God will be multiplied here in the Easton community.

This is why Stewardship Sunday is a time of great celebration.  We celebrate the many blessings and gifts God has given us.  We celebrate the use of these gifts to bless others in our community.  We celebrate the church that blesses the people of this community and encourages those gifts to be shared with others.  We celebrate our ability to share our gifts through the church and with others in the community.  We celebrate the wonders of God’s economy where blessings are multiplied.   And we celebrate when we hear the words of Christ, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  Let’s pray.

We thank you, Lord for all the blessings we have received in our lifetimes.  Help us to share those gifts with others in their time of need.  Multiply these gifts as we share them.  Help our church to grow as we share our blessings with our community.  Let us be your good and faithful servants.  Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 11

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Grace and Peace Episode 11
Presbyterian Church of Easton
November 10, 2020

Grace and Peace Episode 11 video

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism
22Q.  What then must a Christian believe?

A. All that is promised us in the gospel, a summary of which is taught us in the articles of our universal and undisputed Christian faith.

23Q.  What are these articles?
A. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

    We read in the Book of Romans 10:8  "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming.

We don't know exactly what this “word of faith” was in the Roman Church around 60AD.  But we do know that within a hundred years they had developed a “rule of faith” which they used to prepare people for baptism.  An initiate into Christianity would spend two years being instructed from scripture, the Old Testament.  Then, during the season of Lent, the good news of Jesus Christ would be revealed to them through the rule of faith which has come to be known as the Old Roman Symbol.  After their instruction, the initiates would be asked three questions.  Do you believe in God, the Father, almighty?  Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord?  Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?  If the initiate believed in this God they would be baptized on the Saturday evening before Easter, when the whole church would affirm their belief in this triune God as the initiate passed through the baptismal waters.
There is an old legend about the Apostles' Creed that has hung around the church.  In a sixth-century sermon, some pastor said that the Apostles' Creed was written by the Apostles' on the Day of Pentecost.  Supposedly, Peter said, “I believe in God the Father Almighty.”  To which Andrew replied, “And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord.”  James responded, “Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary.”  John added, “Was crucified dead and buried.”  And Thomas said, “He descended to the dead.  On the third day, he rose again.”  James reminded them, “He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father.”  To which Philip added, “ And will come again to judge the living and the dead.”  Then Bartholomew said, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.”  And Matthew added, “The holy catholic church, the communion of saints.”  Simon responded to this by saying, “The forgiveness of sins.”  Thaddaeus said “The resurrection of the flesh.”  

    Let’s pray.  Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord, and Holy Spirit, we pray to you asking that you reveal yourself to us.  Help us to study the Apostles' Creed to know who you are and what you do.  Make this a life-changing process for each of us.  Accept our humble prayers.  Amen.

Sermon Matthew 25:1-13 “Be Ready”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon Matthew 25:1-13 “Be Ready”
November 8, 2020

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We are approaching the end of the church year.  Every November, just after Thanksgiving the Season of Advent starts a new year with the anticipation of the coming of our savior.  As the church year ends in November, we think about the end of things, the end of the year, the end of the age, the end of the world, and Jesus’ return.  So it is appropriate that the church has traditionally taken these weeks in November to look at what the Bible teaches us about the end of the world with the coming Kingdom of Heaven. We will get to this important subject, but first, let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, teach us this day as you taught the faithful in the temple two thousand years ago.  Open our hearts to understand what you are saying to us.  Help us to believe what we must to achieve eternal life. And may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

From the moment women and men started to communicate, we have wondered what will happen when the world ends.  Will it go out with a bang or a whimper?  How long do we have to wait for this to happen?  What if anything should we do now to prepare ourselves?  Who will survive and who will perish? 

A few years ago, I was driving to church.  While on the Beltway, the main freeway around Washington DC, I encountered a major traffic jam.  The radio said that several lanes of traffic were closed ahead because of a fatal accident.  Later, I found out that a drunk driver had hit a car driven by a pastor on the way to church.  The drunk walked away from the accident without a scratch.  The pastor died instantly.  

When things like this happen we have to wonder about God’s justice.  Why would God let a drunk live while a pastor perishes?  How is that just?  Our sense of justice demands that in the end times the pastor should be rewarded with a privileged place in the presence of God, and the drunk should experience endless thirst in the fires of hell.  Certainly, we think, the good will go to heaven and the evil will be excluded.  We look forward to the day when, as Paul said:

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Jesus alone can tell us about the end of time because Jesus came from the end of the world back to our time to tell us and show us a little of what the end will be like.  Jesus spoke as a rabbi in the Jerusalem temple to a crowd that included the religious leaders of the day.  The parable of the ten bridesmaids gives us important clues concerning what the end of the world will be like and what we have to do to be ready.  Let’s listen to Jesus’ teaching.  

Matthew 25:1 "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.  2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;  4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.  5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.  6 But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'  7 Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.  8 The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  9 But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.'  10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.  11 Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.'  12 But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.'  13 Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

In this parable, there are three characters.  First, there are wise bridesmaids.   Second, there are foolish bridesmaids.   And third, there is a groom.

I suggest that we look at this parable allegorically.   The groom is Jesus.  The wedding is the Kingdom of Heaven.   The bridesmaids are us, hoping to accompany Jesus into the Kingdom.  

The wise bridesmaids got into heaven.  Why?   Maybe they got in because they were good.  Maybe they were righteous people.   I don’t think so.  They hoarded their oil, refused to share any with those in need, and sent the foolish bridesmaids on a wild goose chase in the middle of the night.  I wouldn’t call them particularly virtuous, would you?  Yet it was these wise bridesmaids who entered into the Kingdom of Heaven.  

The conclusion that we have to draw from this is that just being good or bad has little or nothing to do with our entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.  Something other than ethical behavior must be required.  

So let’s take a look at the foolish bridesmaids.  They didn’t get in.  Why were the “foolish” bridesmaids excluded?

Some argue that the “foolish” bridesmaids were excluded because they weren’t ready when the time came.  Under this view, we need to be ready when Christ comes at the end of the age.  So with the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other, they look at world events to see if anything is happening in the news that might indicate that the end times are at hand so that we can be ready.  If you put together a Bible prophecy about the future destruction of Jerusalem and combine this with the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear program, you may think it is possible to accurately predict that Jesus is just about to return to the world. So you better be ready.

The Christian fiction literature of the Left Behind series is a perfect example of this.  The authors seem to know not only what will happen in detail, but also that it will happen very soon.  But before we accept this view let’s look back at Jesus’ story.  

The groom was late.  Whenever we try to come up with a model to predict the end of the world, Jesus always shows up later than we thought.  Jesus will come at his own time.  And Jesus told us that we will never know when that time will come until it is finally here.  Christians have been trying to predict the end of the world in this way for two thousand years.  Every time someone has announced a date for the end, that date has come and gone and this world remains.  And if we really don’t know when the end will come how could we ever be ready.

So it seems that the “wise” bridesmaids got into heaven despite their unethical behavior.   And the “foolish” bridesmaids failure to enter heaven really had little to do with their readiness.   So what is going on here?  

So far we know three things.  First, there is no ethical test to determine who gets into heaven and who does not.  Second, not everyone will go to heaven at the end of the age.  And third, we do not know when the end will come.  

How then should we prepare ourselves for the coming end so that we can be assured of having whatever is necessary to enter the Kingdom of Heaven even though we don’t know when this time will come?  Jesus is very clear on the answer to this question.  What we need to have to get into heaven is olive oil.  That’s right, the “foolish’ bridesmaids were barred from heaven because they did not have sufficient olive oil for their lamps.  

The obvious conclusion to all of this is that we should go out right now and buy every bottle of olive oil we can find at ACME, Aldi, and Giant.  Stock it up in your basement.  Like the “wise” bridesmaid, hoard as much as you can and share your stash with no one. Let’s start a worldwide run on olive oil supplies as all Christians stock up as the end of the world approaches.

Of course, hoarding olive oil is absurd.  We do not need to hoard olive oil as our ticket to heaven.  Rather we need what olive oil represents in this story.  So what does the olive oil symbolically refer to?  

Earlier, you heard the story of Joshua who had led the Israelites into the Promised Land.   When they arrived God blessed them with everything they needed, including an abundance of olive oil.  So Joshua gathered the people together and told them this:

Joshua 24:14 “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

This is the choice the bridesmaids had.   They had to choose which god they would serve.   The wise bridesmaid had made the same decision as Joshua’s family.   They would serve the Lord.  And they were ready when Jesus returned.  The foolish bridesmaids took no oil with them.   They did not love and serve the Lord.   And so they were excluded.

The foolish bridesmaids had little faith and what little they had evaporated while they waited for Jesus’ return.  But the wise ones had an abundance of faith that stayed with them while they waited for Jesus to return and bring an end to the age.  Belief in Jesus Christ is the key that opens the gates of heaven.  If you want to be certain that when the world ends you will be part of God’s new creation then believe in Jesus Christ, love and serve him. 

So I urge you to be like the Israelites.  Here is what they did:

Joshua 24:16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18 and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

People of God, I urge you this day to be prepared for Jesus’ return.   Be filled with faith.   Love and serve the Lord.  Let’s pray.  

Lord Jesus, we believe in you.  Bless us with deeper and deeper faith.  Help us to express this faith with our pledges, tithes, and offerings to the church.  And prepare us for your coming and your kingdom.  Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 10

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 10
Presbyterian Church of Easton
November 3, 2020

Video

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

20Q.  Are all people then saved through Christ just as they were lost through Adam?
A. No. Only those are saved who through true faith are grafted into Christ and accept all his benefits.
21Q.  What is true faith?

A. True faith is not only a sure knowledge by which I hold as true all that God has revealed to us in Scripture; it is also a wholehearted trust, which the Holy Spirit creates in me by the gospel, that God has freely granted, not only to others but to me also, forgiveness of sins, eternal righteousness,and salvation.  These are gifts of sheer grace, granted solely by Christ’s merit.

God’s justice requires that some will go to heaven and some will not.   Those who totally reject a relationship with Jesus Christ will not be forced to join him in heaven for eternity.  But for those who desire to be with Jesus in heaven, rest assured that your wish will be granted.  We know this because scripture assures us that our faith in Jesus Christ is a sure indication of our salvation.

How do we know if we have this faith which leads to salvation?   First, when we read the Bible we know that it is true.  We read  in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”  So when we read the extraordinary good news that Jesus was resurrected from the dead we believe it.

  But faith is more than just believing what scripture says.  We go beyond just believing what the Bible says to trusting that God loves us and cares for us.   We read in Ephesians 2:7-9 “...so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.   Faith is the belief that the God who created the world not knows you but also loves you.

How do we get to the point where we believe that the Bible is true and we trust that God loves us?   What must we do to have saving faith in Jesus Christ and receive all these benefits?   There is nothing we can do.   We can read the Bible every day and still not believe it is true.   We can attend Bible studies and worship and still not trust that God loves us.   Doing things that are good and helpful will never bring us the faith and trust we need.   So where do we get it?

The good news is that we receive faith in Jesus Christ as a gift from the Holy Spirit.  We read in Galatians 5:22 …the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.  Let’s pray.

Holy Spirit, come upon us with the gift of faith.   Help us to believe that what the Bible says is true.  And help us to trust that God loves us.  We thank you for this most gracious gift.  Amen.   

 

Sermon Ephesians 2:8-9 “Salvation by Grace through Faith”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon Ephesian 2:8-9 “Salvation by Grace through Faith” 
November 1, 2020

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Today is Reformation Sunday.   This is the day we remember the great Protestant reformers from five hundred years ago.   These men were protesting the errors that had come into the church over its 1500 years of history.   They advocated reforms that reflected biblical principles.  This was dangerous work.   And some of these men lost their lives.   But we still have some of their writings.   And today’s worship features prayers of the Protestant reformers.  

The Protestant Reformation was a reformation of the indulgence system.   With indulgences, the church sold tickets to heaven.   In order to raise money for St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome the church sold pieces of paper that guaranteed that you or a loved one would go to heaven.  The church said that the great saints of the past had lived such good lives that they left behind a treasury of merit.  This treasury was managed by the church and it would pay for your way to heaven if you bought an indulgence.  All Saints Day was a celebration of all this.

The Protestant Reformers said that this was unbiblical.   The Bible clearly teaches that salvation comes not from anything you do, and certainly not by buying indulgences.   Salvation comes from your faith in Jesus Christ.  The rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation was “Salvation by Grace through Faith”.    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)

A few years ago I was visiting a member of my church in a hospice facility in Salisbury MD.   Cliff had been a faithful follower of Jesus Christ and he, his daughter, and son-in-law all attended Beaver Dam church.  But Cliff had been in declining health for a couple of years and the end of his life was near.

As I entered the hospice facility a nurse stopped me to talk about Cliff.   Cliff had been unresponsive for a day and a half.  He had nothing to eat or drink during that time.   She told me to not expect any response from Cliff.   He probably wouldn’t wake up again.   And she had removed his hearing aids so he probably couldn’t hear anything I was saying.   So with this in mind I entered Cliff’s room and began to pray.

I took my cell phone out of my pocket and clicked on the Bible app.   Then I went to the 23rd Psalm and read out loud:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures,  he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”

Then I looked up and Cliff’s eyes were wide open.   He turned his head to look at me.   And he said, “Pastor, where am I going?”

I responded, “O Cliff, your next stop is heaven!”

Cliff smiled and closed his eyes never to open them again.

Why was I so sure, absolutely certain, that Cliff was going to heaven?  Well, let’s look at what the Bible says about salvation.

Most people think that the way to go to heaven is by being a good person.   They think that if you are good then God will love you and bring you to heaven.  In fact, there is a show NBC and Netflix called The Good Place based on this very idea.   Good people go to the Good Place and bad people go to the Bad Place.   Jesus once had a discussion with someone who believed this way.

Mark 11:17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

According to Jesus, “no one is good”.  Only God is good.   So all of us are not good enough.   It is impossible for us to do enough good work to earn our way to heaven.  As Americans, we believe that we can do anything with hard work.   But restoring our relationship with God is not something we can do alone.   We cannot do enough good to save ourselves. 

So, what do we do?  Let’s turn to our scripture for today.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works so that no one can boast.

Our only hope of salvation comes not through good works but by the grace of God.   God’s unmerited favor blesses us with forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life.   Salvation is a gift, not something to be earned.

This brings us to a question.   Does everyone receive this gift or only some of us?   The answer is that only some of us receive the gift of salvation because our salvation by grace comes through faith.    So we must have faith to be saved.  

This brings us to another question.   Do we have enough faith to receive God's gracious gift of salvation?  And how can we know if we have sufficient faith for salvation or not?    Let me suggest that there are three tests that you can give yourself to determine if God has graciously given you saving faith or not.  Let us look at the first test.

John 3:1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

So Jesus came to earth from heaven and, after his resurrection, he returned to heaven. No one could possibly believe that Jesus came from and returned to heaven unless they are blessed with faith from the Holy Spirit. If you believe that Jesus came from and returned to heaven, then this is strong evidence that God has graciously blessed you with faith, the forgiveness of sin, and the promise of eternal life.

So we have seen the first test.   If we believe that Jesus came from and returned to heaven then we have a good chance of having received the saving faith that leads to eternal life.   Let’s go to the second test.  

Acts 2:14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 

21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

38  “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

So, according to Peter, the second test we have to know whether or not we have received the gift of salvation is if we find ourselves repenting from sin and desiring baptism.  Repentance simply means to turn around.   One day you are pursuing your own sinful desires.  Then you turn around and desire to follow God and what God wants for your life.   You begin to read the Bible and pray every day to see where God is leading you.   You also attend worship every Sunday.  If you find these things happening in your life then this is a sure sign that you have received the gift of salvation from God.

Peter also says that with repentance goes baptism.   In baptism, we pass under the baptismal water symbolically dying to our old sinful desire and then we emerge from the water to new life as children of God.   So if you desire baptism for yourself or your children, or if you have been baptized already,  this too is a good sign that you have received the gift of salvation from God.  

So far we have two tests.   Do we believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came from heaven and returned to heaven?  And do we experience a strong desire to repent and be baptized?  If this answer to both of these questions is “yes”  then you can feel confident that God has blessed you with saving faith.

Now let’s turn to the third test from Paul.

Romans 10:1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

  9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

So here we have the third test.  Do we have the desire to publicly declare that Jesus is our Lord?   Will you stand before the congregation of the faithful and declare that you will follow Jesus?  If you do this then you can also declare that you have received the gracious gift from God of the promise of eternal life.

There is a second part of this test.   You need to answer this question.   Do you believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead?   Jesus’ resurrection is a historical fact.   There were many witnesses of the resurrected Jesus.   And many of these wrote down what they experienced.   Do you believe all this?   If so, then you have a very high degree of assurance of your salvation.

So we now have three tests.   Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came from and returned to heaven?  Have you experienced the desire for repentance of sin and baptism?   Have you professed with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that Jesus was resurrected from the dead?  If the answer to all three of these is yes then you can be absolutely assured of your salvation and the promise of eternal life.   If you are unsure of a positive answer to any of these questions then come to see me because we need to talk and pray with each other.  

So, our salvation depends not on what we do or what some saint did or on buying an indulgence.  Salvation is by Grace through Faith.  Let’s pray.

Father in heaven, we know that forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life is not something we can earn.   Our only hope is that you will give us the gift of salvation.  So give us faith that your Son came to earth and returned to heaven.   Help us to turn from sin and turn to you and be baptized.  Help us to profess publically that Jesus is Lord and believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.   For this great gift of salvation, we thank you and pledge to follow your Son and to receive your Spirit.  Amen.