Sermon – 1Peter 1:10-25 – Living Holy Lives

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – 1Peter 1:10-25 – Living Holy Lives

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

April 6, 2008

This is the second in a series of sermons focused on the implications of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Last week we saw that as a result of the resurrection we now have new life, so that even if we still experience problems we can still rejoice because of all that Christ has done for us and the hope we have for a glorious future. Today we will be looking at how we get this new life and how that new life changes us in important ways.

Will you pray with me? Holy Father we ask that you allow us to be in your presence this morning as we worship. Help us to hear your word through my preaching today. Transform us by that word into holy people who truly love one another. We pray this in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

1 Peter 1:10-25 ¹⁰ Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, ¹¹ inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-- things into which angels long to look! ¹³ Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. ¹⁴ Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. ¹⁵ Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; ¹⁶ for it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." ¹⁷ If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. ¹⁸ You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. ²⁰ He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. ²¹ Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. ²² Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. ²³ You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, ²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures forever." That word is the good news that was announced to you.

A prophet is someone who sees clearly what is happening in the world and discerns what God thinks about it. They are not future tellers or psychics although what they say does have an element of timeless truth. Rather they are truth tellers who understand what is going on in the world around them and are connected sufficiently to God’s spirit through prayer to discern what God wants done about it. Moses saw the oppression of the Israelites and discerned God’s desire for their freedom. Amos saw the injustice to the poor and needy in his society and discerned God’s warning that the destruction of the nation was near if they did not repent and change their ways. Prophets are needed whenever the world we live in diverges from the Creator’s intent.

The Apostles of Jesus Christ who witnessed his resurrection were prophets. They saw clearly what was happening in the world around them and they knew what God wanted through the Holy Spirit. They spoke in synagogues, homes and later churches proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. As the church grew Apostles trained other preachers teaching them the message that God wanted proclaimed about the grace of Jesus Christ. So long as these new preachers proclaimed a message consistent with the teaching of the Apostles their words were considered to be the word of God. This was made possible by the Holy Spirit who speaks though the faithful words of the preacher to the attentive hearts of the congregation. According to Peter, the angels, God’s own messengers, are so interested in what is be proclaimed in the churches by faithful preachers they bend over to listen to what is going on. Because of this we can believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead because in the New Testament and in faithful preaching the teachings of the Apostolic witnesses are preserved. So long as my preaching is based on teachings of the Apostles who witnessed the event and is carried from my mouth to your ears by the Holy Spirit you are hearing God’s holy word.

When we hear and understand the Word of God proclaimed we are filled with hope of receiving the grace of Jesus Christ which was revealed in his resurrection. This is what brings us to new life in Jesus Christ. As you sit here in this sanctuary you are being transformed by God’s Word into God’s obedient children. That is why, as we listen to the word of God more and more, we find ourselves leaving our old lives behind, our lives of dishonesty, drunkenness, promiscuity, violence, anger. We begin to realize that these things are in our pasts and were washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Recently I heard a story from a woman working in the entertainment industry. She had been a talented singer at one point, but her lifestyle eventually caught up with her and the hope of a promising career turned into a night of darkness and desperation. She contemplated suicide as the only solution to her problems. But then she looked at the calendar and saw that it was Christmas Eve. She did not know Jesus, but he seemed like the only alternative for someone in her situation. So she prayed that Jesus would send his spirit to help her. And that night she received new life in Jesus Christ. I can’t say that a story as dramatic as this one will happen to everyone who accepts Christ in their lives. But I can say the Christ is offering new lives to anyone who comes to him.

Shortly you will have the opportunity to ask Christ for new life. We have been hearing the word of God read and proclaimed so Christ’s work of transformation has already begun. As we gather around this table we will be sitting at the family table of God with Christ at the right hand seat of honor. We will be eating with the Creator, the transcendent God of the Universe and Supreme Judge. This should terrify us and scare us to death. Approaching God in this way should fill us with fear, awe, reverence and wonder. We should we amazed at what is happening. Coming into the presence of God can’t help but be transforming, and a new life can’t help but be terrifying to someone who is comfortable in his old life. But if the word of God is faithfully preached and this sacrament is properly administered then we will come into the presence of God and our lives will never be the same again.

When this happens and we find ourselves with new lives we just can’t stop giving glory to God for all she has done for us, for our news lives, for the forgiveness of our sins, and for the promise of eternal life. Coming into the presence of God has the effect of purifying our lives. We become holy just as God is holy. And this allows us to do what God really wants us to do. God gives us new lives so that we will love each other, genuinely, truly, love one another. This is an intense, fervent concern for the well being of the people in the church, in our community and around the world. We are to love each other as much as God loved his own son. And this love will burn in us forever because it is indivisible from the new life we have in Christ.

There is an old story about a man named about a man named William Beeterwolf. Dr. Beeterwolf lived around a hundred years ago. One day while working on a scaffold three stories above the ground Dr. Beeterwolf tripped and plunged to the ground for what appeared to be certain death. But a workman below saw Dr. Beeterwolf falling to the ground directly above him so he braced himself breaking Dr. Beeterwolf’s fall and saving his life. But as a result of breaking Dr. Beeterwolf’s fall nearly every bone in his body was broken. The crippled man was asked how Dr. Beeterwolf had treated him since the fall. He replied saying, “Well he gave me half of everything he owns. I also have a share in his business. He never lets me want for a thing. He is constantly concerned about me and hardly a day passes that I don't receive from him some little token of remembrance.”[1]

This is a wonderful story of gratitude and love. Remember that Jesus died for you so that you could live a new life. Like Dr Beeterwolf we should be grateful to Jesus for giving us new life. And our response to Christ’s sacrifice for us should be to love one another as much as God loves us.

So, the word of God is what God uses to transform our lives into people who love one another. That is why it is so important to immerse yourselves regularly in the Bible. Every day as you read from God’s holy word you take on a new life and become more holy, hopeful and loving.

Lord Jesus transform us into the children of God so that we can love others as fully as you love us. Continue to speak to us your transformative word through the Bible and my preaching. We pray this in your glorious name, Amen.

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[1] John Macarthur, http://www.gty.org/Resources/Transcripts/60-14

Sermon – 1 Peter 1:3-9 - Rejoice in the Midst of Suffering

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – 1 Peter 1:3-9

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

March 30, 2008

This morning I am beginning as series of sermons on the implications of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. As we saw last week Jesus’ resurrection was an historical event which gives us a glimpse of a glorious future reality when all of God people will be resurrected into God’s recreation of the world. Today we will look at one of the implications of the resurrection for the followers of Jesus, now that we have new life in Christ.

Will you pray with me? Lord Jesus, we know that you now sit on the right hand of God ready to rule this earth. We come to you as your people and pray that you will transform us into God’s children. Mold us into the lives that you would have us live. And we pray this in your strong name, amen.

1 Peter 1:3-9 ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, ⁷ so that the genuineness of your faith-- being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire-- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Although I grew up going to church with my parents I stopped almost as soon as I went to college. This is common as many people find this transition difficult. There are many people in their 20s and 30s who have stopped going to church. Many of these will return when life events occur: a parent dies, a marriage starts, a child is born. I went back to church after my mother died because I needed something that was old and familiar. Church seemed like the right thing. And I assumed that if I went back to church many of my problems would be solved. My business would grow. I would have more friends and find a wife. I would be happier. Although I came closer to God as I attended worship the problems I had experienced continued. Christianity, I found was not something that solves all your problems like a good luck charm. And when we find that our problems remain we are tempted to conclude that church is worthless and it is time to leave. It was to a group of people in a similar situation, who believed in Christ but their problems continued, to whom Peter wrote his letter.

The Apostle Peter wrote what we now call First Peter from Rome near the end of his long and important career. Originally he was known as Cephas, a fisherman on the Lake of Galilee. He lived in Capernaum, a city on the shore of the lake and on the main highway leading from Egypt to Damascus. So he grew up meeting people from different ethnic groups, cultures and languages. One day he was asked by a rabbi from Nazareth to follow him as a disciple, which he did. And his life was never the same after that.

Cephas knew better that anyone else what it means to follow Jesus. He knew that it is not easy. He knew that following Jesus might not turn out as you expected. But he also knew of Jesus’ love, grace and forgiveness. Jesus knew that Cephas, though not perfect, was stable and strong so he renamed him “Petros” or Peter, which means “rock”. Jesus used Peter as the bedrock upon which he would build his church.

In the first thirty years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead the church experienced spectacular growth. Peter was partially responsible as an evangelist who went out from the Jerusalem to other communities. His activities are not as well known as Paul’s because they are not covered as well in the Book of Acts and the only writings we have from Peter are two short letters in the New Testament.

In the Book of 1Peter we have a circular letter that was sent to a group of churches in Asia Minor. A messenger would arrive at one church, read the letter to the congregation and then move on to the next church. The people in these churches were experiencing the cost of following Jesus and needed encouragement. So Peter was encouraging them to maintain their faith even in the midst of their hardships.

The Christians in these churches had experienced difficulty in their lives. Many of them, before accepting Christ, participated in the debauchery of the popular culture. They would get drunk; have sex outside of marriage and so forth. But once they encountered Jesus they stopped drinking and were faithful to their spouses. This strained the relationships they had with friends who continued in their old type of behavior. Christians were considered asocial.

These Christians also had problems politically. By following Christ they would necessarily stop worshiping the pagan god of their city. Now the city leaders had no problem with Christians worshiping their own god because in pagan culture there were many gods to worship. But by not worshiping the god or goddess of the city they were risking the displeasure of that god. And if misfortune happened to the city, then the Christians would be blamed. Christians who did not worship the god of the city were called atheists. Another problem was that by calling Jesus Christ “Lord” Christians were denying the lordship of Caesar thus opening themselves up to charges of treason. So Christians were considered asocial, atheistic, and treasonous and thus were ostracized by their culture.

In this letter Peter begins by assuring them that the new life they have experienced in Jesus Christ is not their choice but an act of God. Just as God raised Jesus from the dead to new life so too does God raise us, through the waters of baptism, into our new lives. In our new lives we have a new way of looking at our problems. The world we live in suggests that we despair over these problems. But Peter wants us to focus not on the problems of today but on our present new lives in Christ and our future hope of resurrection through faith in Jesus Christ. Just as the Israelites were promised land by God centuries ago so too does God promise us an inheritance of forgiveness of sin and eternal life. And God also promises protection in this life though our faith and the promised salvation.

Peter points out that Christian faith is not permanent. He should know. When Jesus needed him most Peter denied ever knowing him. Three times Peter denied him as Jesus was on trial for his life. This memory must have haunted Peter his entire life. And it was a story the church new well. Peter eventually realized that the faith he now has is far stronger because of this experience, just as gold is refined in a fire so too was his faith refined by sin and suffering. So Peter is urging the congregation to persevere in the faith even in the midst of their suffering because the faith that survives suffering is much stronger.

So if you are wondering where the money will come from to make your next mortgage payment, or if you worrying if it is time to go into a retirement home, or if you are having trouble finding a job, or if a loved one is suffering with a disease remember to maintain your faith in Jesus Christ and God will sustain you and comfort you. And in the end your faith will be even stronger than it is now.

Of course it is difficult keeping faith when troubles befall us. When the world looks bleak it is hard to see Jesus at work. When a loved one dies, or a home is lost to foreclosure, it is tempting to wonder where Jesus is. But if we keep faith through these times the promise of scripture is that Jesus will be revealed to us. When we see Jesus in the midst of our pain, our response turns from gloom to joy, praise, glory, and honor because we experience the great love of Jesus in our lives. And this allows us to love Jesus even though we have never seen him in person.

So rejoice in the Lord because of all the benefits you have received. Rejoice for the steadfast love that God has given you. Rejoice for the salvation of your life from sin and death. Rejoice for your hope in a future resurrection. And rejoice in the new life that has been given to you through your faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Father in heaven, we thank you for the wonderful gifts of salvation and eternal life that you have provided us. Help us to deal with the difficulties of our lives. And help us to keep our faith by revealing to us Jesus Christ in the world around us. In this we rejoice and offer praise, glory and honor to you, amen.

Sermon – Matthew 28:1-10 – Life after Death

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

Sermon – Matthew 28:1-10 – Life after Death[1]

March 23, 2008 – Easter

Section 1 – Ways people deal with death today

An elderly Buddhist Monk in rural China is making his way up a mountain to a small stream where he has sat many times before to meditate. There he watches the water playfully dance over the rocks. For him this is the most peaceful place on earth. He imagines that one day he will be a tiny drop of water gliding over these stones and then melting into the stream to exist no more.

A mother drives to isolated section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. She stops her car and gets out. She looks around at the curve where her son died in a traffic accident a week before. She places his picture, an old teddy bear, some flowers, and a white cross on the side of the road as a memorial to her son. Then she gets back in her car and drives home in tears.

A disabled Hindu man is being cared for by some Christian mission workers in New Deli. He is desperately poor and without their assistance he would surely die. He thinks, “What could I have done in my past lives to deserve this terrible fate?” He is encouraged when the missionaries tell him that in Jesus there will be new life. So he thinks “I must try harder in this life so that my next life will be better.”

A woman in Korea prays silently before dawn. She has a small altar in her living room. On it stands a picture of her dead father. She prays to him daily fully believing that these prayers will protect her family. Some Christians told her that Jesus prayed to his father. “This is good”, she thinks, and continues her prayers.

In Gaza a Muslim father is outraged when his older son is killed by the Israelis in an air attack on his car. His son had been a member of Hamas and did good things for the elderly and the widows of Gaza. So he told his younger son to go into Israel as a suicide bomber confident that the spirits of both sons would go immediately to paradise as martyrs.

A group of friends in ten cars proceed slowly toward the edge of town. They stop at a seedy building and go inside. They say their final goodbyes to an old friend. One places a golf ball in the casket. They hear supermarket music from an old organ. A button is pushed and their friend is cremated. Then they all go out for lunch.

People deal with death in many different ways. Our beliefs and practices come to us from our families, traditions and cultures. We watch how our parents deal with death and what they say about it. This shapes our beliefs. Religious teachings may have some influence. What we all want to know is, “What happens after we die?”

Section 2 – Interpretations of life after death in biblical times

In ancient times people had their beliefs about life after death. The pagans mostly believed that at death one becomes a disembodied spirit. Many thought that these spirits hung around the earth looking for new bodies to inhabit. They were ghosts. Others believed that these disembodied spirits go somewhere much better that here. Plato taught that the world we live in is inferior and incomplete. It is a mere shadow of a perfect world that exists someplace else. Plato said that our bodies decay to dust in this world while our spirits ascend to the perfect world above.

The ancient Hebrews did not accept pagan teaching on death. They believe that the world we live in is not inferior or imperfect. Our world was created by God and was created good. The Hebrews thought that men and women, through sin, had corrupted the world, but one day God would restore the world to what it was supposed to be. So when we die our bodies return to the dust of the earth, and our souls, our personalities, thoughts, and feelings are preserved by God. Then one day the bodies of God’s people will be resurrected from the dead and reunited with their souls to live forever in the presence of God in this world as they were created to live.

Section 3 – Historical Support for the First Easter

Although these ancient ways of thinking about life after death are well known, there was not much written about the topic before the 1^st century. Authors realized that they just did not know very much about what happens after we die so there was not much to write about. Then all of that changed and suddenly there was an enormous amount of literature from many sources all about life after death. What happened to cause this great proliferation of literature about an obscure subject? Historians would ask: “what historical event occurred to cause all of these writers to begin writing about life after death?”

And that brings us to a very strange story we find in Gospel of Matthew. Let me read it to you.

Matthew 28:1-10 ^NRS Matthew 28:1 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ² And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴ For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. ⁵ But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." ⁸ So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

This story is strange for several reasons. First, there is no pronouncement by Matthew that this is to fulfill some prophecy. Usually Matthew tells us with great fanfare that something Jesus did was to fulfill the words of the prophet who said … But in this story there is no prophecy quoted. The prophets knew that one day all of God’s people would be resurrected from the dead, but they never envisioned the resurrection of one person before everyone else. This story is also strange because the witnesses are all women. Women were considered unreliable and could not testify in court in that culture. So why would Matthew write a story where the only witnesses were women? It appears that this story was not written by Matthew at all. Rather it seems to be an eyewitness account from someone who saw what actually happened.

In this story we have an empty tomb. There could be many reasons for an empty tomb. Maybe the women were confused and went to the wrong one. Or maybe Jesus’ body had been stolen by grave robbers. If an empty tomb is all we have then we can’t say much about life after death. But in addition to the empty tomb we also have an appearance by Jesus. Of course Jesus could have been a ghost, a disembodied spirit. But the appearance of Jesus combined with the empty tomb indicates that it was an embodied Jesus who came out of that tomb and appeared to the women.

The only rational explanation for all of this is that Jesus truly and historically was resurrected from the dead. Jesus did not disappear like a drop of water into a stream. Jesus was not reincarnated into another person. Jesus was not a disembodied spirit or a ghost. Jesus did not stick around to help his descendants. Jesus’ spirit did not go to heaven leaving his dead body behind. Rather Jesus’ body was raised from death to life proving, by his example, that the Hebrew idea of a future resurrection of all of God’s people was true.

Section 4: Life after Death

When we die our bodies will decay, but God will preserve our souls, our identity, intellect, personality, memories and feelings. And one day in the future we can expect that God will resurrect us, just as he resurrected Jesus, with renewed bodies for our preserved souls.

Most of us believe that our spirits go to heaven when we die. In reality the opposite is true. Heaven comes to us. The promise of scripture is that the resurrection of God’s people is part of God’s recreation of the world. When Jesus in his flesh and blood resurrected body ascended to heaven he began the work with God of creating a new world for us. Our existing world will not be destroyed. Rather it will be transformed and renewed. Not only all of us, but all of creation, will be resurrected by God into a new creation. And it is in this new creation where we will live in our resurrected bodies with Christ for eternity. This is why the resurrection of Jesus Christ was so important. It gave us a glimpse of a glorious future reality. We now know what the future hold for us. And this gives us great hope.

So to the Buddhist monk sitting beside the stream, you will never become a drop dissolving into the water. But if you accept Jesus Christ you will be resurrected in the new creation and will enjoy this beautiful stream forever.

To the mother in Pennsylvania, do not be afraid for the day will come when you will be reunited with your resurrected son in a glorious new creation through your faith in Jesus Christ.

To the disabled Hindu man, you will not be reincarnated over and over again always hoping to enjoy a better life. But if you believe in Jesus Christ you will be resurrected in a new, glorified, and healthy body to life forever in a glorious new earth.

To the woman in Korea, your father has no ability to protect your family. Instead you should direct your morning prayers to Jesus Christ. Jesus will protect your family. And one day you can expect to be resurrected with all those in your family who accept Jesus Christ as Lord.

To the father in Gaza, your son’s spirit does not fly off to paradise. Rather his body will simply be blown apart by the bomb. But if you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord then you can pray for peace in your land with the confidence that you will be one day reunited with you dead son in a glorious and peaceful future resurrection.

And to the group of friends who just cremated their old friend, if you accept Jesus Christ in your lives the Holy Spirit will be there to comfort you in your loss with the assurance that God will gather up your friend’s dust and breathe new life into his resurrected body, so that your group will be reunited in the resurrection.

Conclusion

Today we celebrate the day when an historical event proved that our bodies will one day be resurrected from the dead and we will live in the presence of God forever. The historical event which happened that day was a foretaste of our future resurrection. And what happen that day? What happened was the central tenant of our faith, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the Lord is Risen!

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[1] Adapted from, N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope – Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (New York: Harper One 2008)

Meditation on “I am thirsty”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Meditation on “I am thirsty”

Service of the Seven Last Words of Christ, San Francisco Theological Seminary, Southern Campus at Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

Good Friday, March 21, 2008

Jesus is thirsty, really thirsty. He is on a cross baking in the hot dry Judean sun. His ancestors knew something about thirst. After following Moses into the wilderness that too experienced thirst under this same sun. Moses prayed for water and God quenched the thirst of his people from a rock. Where is God now?

Jesus is thirsty, really thirsty. For forty days he wandered in the wilderness without food and water. Jesus was sustained by the Holy Spirit. Where is the Holy Spirit now?

Jesus is thirsty, really thirsty. Jesus told a woman in Samaria that he could give her living water. This water would quench her thirst forever. This was the water of eternal life. Where is the water of eternal life now?

Jesus is thirsty, really thirsty. Jesus proclaimed in the temple that out of the believer’s hearts flow streams of living water. Where are the believers now?

Jesus is thirsty, really thirsty. Jesus said “all who believe in me will never be thirsty.” Where is Jesus now? Jesus is on a cross with his side pierced by a spear and the living waters spilling on the ground. The source of the living water that leads to eternal life is dying and thirsty.

If Jesus had held onto the living water then it would not be available for us. Jesus was like a seed. A seed must fall to the ground and die for new life to sprout from it in abundance. In the same way Jesus had to give up the living water by dying. So that, like a seed, the living water sprouts, springs up, in us giving us eternal life.

So if we die to our old lives and our reborn in the Spirit believing in Christ we will receive this gift of water that was poured out for us by Jesus on the cross. This is the gift of the living water of eternal life. Jesus was thirsty, really thirsty on the cross because he had given away the living waters of eternal life to us. If we drink these waters and believe in Christ we will never be thirsty again.

Sermon Matthew 21:1-11 – The Humble King

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon Matthew 21:1-11 – The Humble King

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

March 16, 2008

A great crowd has assembled on the Mount of Olives. People from Galilee who had been healed, freed from demons, and fed when hungry followed Jesus as disciples. Others had witnessed the signs during the journey, the healings of blind men and the teachings of a great rabbi. The crowd grew larger and larger as it approached Jerusalem. Something big was about to happen.

In Jerusalem another crowd had assembled. It was the great feast of Passover. Pilgrims had come from all over to worship God as they and their ancestors had done for thousands of years. They gathered to remember the defining events of their nation when Moses parted the Red Sea, freed them from slavery in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land. Something big was about to happen.

The Roman Legions, stationed just outside of town, were also worried that something big was about to happen.

Jesus sent two of his disciples to a nearby village to find and bring back a donkey and its colt. Jesus had decided that his hour had come. There was no long any need to hide who he really was and what he had come to do. By sitting on the donkey Jesus proclaimed to the crowd the he was the Messiah, the Christ. The prophecy of Zechariah was fulfilled. Something big was about to happen.

The crowd saw what Jesus had done. He was sitting on donkey. The King, the son of David, had come and was entering triumphantly into Jerusalem. So they broke branches off the olive trees and placed them on the ground in front of Jesus. Others covered the branches with their cloaks and prepared the way for the King to enter his city. And they cried out: “Hosanna”, Save Us, to the son of David.

Jesus had come as the savior. Something big was about to happen. The blessed one was coming the name of the Lord. O Save Us! Hosanna.

As the great crowd with Jesus approach Jerusalem the whole city was shaken. The confusion, the excitement, the fear, the turmoil registered 7.0 on the Richter scale. Something really big was happening. They asked who is this? And the crowd responded this is a prophet like Moses with his miraculous signs, and a king like David who will throw off the oppressors. The Messiah of God had arrived, Jesus of Nazareth.

But within a few days all of the excitement had faded as the Messiah, the son of David, the great prophet like Moses was arrested, tried and executed on a cross like a common criminal. Something big had happened, but what was it?

Today is Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of Holy Week. Today a great prophet and king has come into Jerusalem. By the end of this week our savior will be nailed to a cross to die. So this week is one of contrasts, a tragedy starting with a coronation and ending with humiliation and death. How do we make sense of all of this? What is the meaning of the cross?

Will you pray with me? Father in Heaven we come to church today with great hope. Although we may be disappointed with the events of this keep in us faith that will sustain us through whatever happens. We pray this in the name of our crucified Lord, Amen.

During our Lenten Vespers we have been looking at different perspectives on the meaning of the cross. A variety of voices have been heard attempting make sense of the cross and death of Jesus. We have read from an early Christian hymn that Jesus died as an example for us so that we who are powerful will humble ourselves, as Jesus did, to serve the powerless. We have seen that the death of Jesus was a ransom paid to redeem us from slavery to sin. And we have seen that Jesus was sacrificed on a cross in payment for our sins. All of these things are true. But there is another way of thinking about the meaning of the cross. Listen to these words of Paul in the book of Romans?

Romans 5:10-11 ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. ¹¹ But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The reason Jesus went to the cross was to reconcile us to God. We now have a new relationship with God. No longer are we enemies, but through Christ we now enjoy fellowship with God. Our new relationship with God is central to our understanding of what Jesus has done for us.

The death of Jesus on the cross was the cost to God of repairing his relationship with us. It requires from us a response. Jesus’ death is of no value to us unless we respond in faith. Our anger, stubbornness and disobedience must stop for us to receive the benefits of God who desires to be reconciled with us.

Through this self-giving act Jesus did away with anything that would limit our ability to do God’s will in this world. Guilt cannot any long bar us from participating in God. We are no longer bound by sin. The devil no longer has any authority over us. Not even the consequences of fear and death separate from the love of God. The pain of broken relationships is born on Christ’s body. Through Christ’s death we are guided to a new way of life. We become friends with God and friends with each other.

But, on the cross, Jesus did far more than just renewing our relationship with God. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in the book of Colossians.

Colossians 1:19-20 ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Jesus’ death on the cross results not only with our reconciliation with God but also our reconciliation with each other. The reason God desires reconciliation with us and desires for us to be reconciled with each other is that God wants us to be in a community of believers. Just as God forms a holy community of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so too are the faithful to be formed by Jesus into churches. The cross symbolizes that God wants our participation in communities of faith. This participation is to be sacrificial. We are to give our lives for the fullness of our communities. So the meaning of the cross is that Jesus by dying was instituting a sacrificial community of the faithful called church.

The church is called by the cross to be a ministry of reconciliation. We are sent into the world to heal the enmities that separate people from each other and from God. Our ministry is to work for the end suffering and need and the well being of all people. The suffering of Jesus makes us sensitive to the sufferings of women and men all over the world. The cross is a symbol of God’s judgment our complicity in the violence and injustice which humanity inflicts on each other. So we are guided by the Spirit and humbled by our sin to discern God’s will for our own lives and for our community and church. God wants us to reconcile humanity by working to break down the walls of race and ethnicity and work for reconciliation in employment, housing, education, family, community and church. God wants us to be grounded in the peace, justice and freedom of Jesus Christ. We are to be a people of forgiveness searching for peaceful ways to settle our differences. God wants us to work for the end of enslaving poverty around the world. Jesus himself identified with the needy and exploited. The cause of the world’s poor is the Church’s cause as well. And God wants the church work to end the anarchy in relationships by promoting marriage, commitment and good parenting.

So the meaning of the cross is that through the death of Jesus Christ we are reconciled with God and with each other. The church is called to be reconciling community with a mission to reconcile all of humanity with God and with each other in the name of the Prince of Peace.

We will from time to time be discouraged from fulfilling the mission God has given us. It will seem from time to time that we are all alone and that God has forsaken us. We may experience persecution or even death as we do our work of reconciling the world to God. All of our hopes may be buried in a tomb. We may wander away saddened by the way things turned out. If all we had was Christ’s death then the church and its mission of reconciliation would have ended a long time ago. But no matter the depth of our pain we must remember that we are not a crucified people. We are not a people of death. Rather we are a people of life and because we are filled by the Spirit with an Easter hope of new life.

The disciples of Jesus watched his suffering and death not knowing what was happening. Their fear caused them to abandon Jesus when Jesus needed them most. All of Jesus’ teachings, trying to prepare them for the events of this week, were forgotten in the midst of their grief and sorrow. As we approach this final week of Jesus’ life we are blessed with the sure knowledge and hope in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. So be sustained in that hope as we gather together Thursday evening to participate with Jesus in his passions and Friday evening as we join with many churches to listen to the last seven words Jesus said from the cross. And next Sunday, everyone who has experience a broken relationship with God and broken relationships with other may come right here to experience reconciliation hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Lord Jesus, we will be with you in the coming week. We will be with you that last night as you broke the bread and poured the wine. We will be with you when you are arrested and tried. And we will be there at the foot of the cross. We will never abandon you in you time of need because of our gratitude for your gift of forgiveness and eternal life, Amen

Sermon - Romans 8:1-11, Sanctified by the Holy Spirit

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon - Romans 8:1-11, Sanctified by the Holy Spirit

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

March 2, 2008

On this fourth Sunday of Lent we finally come to see the impact that salvation has on our lives. We have already seen the great act of God who gave forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life to all who have faith in Jesus Christ. We have also seen that through the work of Jesus Christ we now have a renewed relationship with God as God’s adopted children, filled with God’s love. Today we will see the implications of these acts of God in our own lives as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, makes us holy and into what we were created to be.

Will you pray with me? Holy Spirit come amongst us today and fill our hearts with God’s love. Speak to us through the Word of God as read and proclaimed. Work in us the gift of sanctification so that we may be enabled to love God and each other and to approach the throne of grace in our final glorification, Amen.

Romans 8:1-11 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³ For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. ⁶ To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot, ⁸ and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

There is a new reality show on television called “Moment of Truth” A group of contestants are asked before the show starts a series of personal questions and their truthfulness is tested by lie detector. Then they appear on television and can win $500,000 if they answer each question truthfully. These are very personal questions and the answers sometimes reveal deep dark secrets that have harmful effects on family members. This week a young woman, Lauren Cleri, appeared on the program hoping to win the money. She had to respond truthfully. So she admitted to having slept around with other men and wanted to marry someone else for fame and fortune. This admission devastated and humiliated her husband, a New York City police officer, before 8 million people on network TV. She was then about to pocket $200,000 when she lied on the next question and lost everything. The next question was if she thought she was a good person. She said “yes” and that lie cost her everything. Her sin resulted in pain, guilt and shame, and has threatened to destroy the love her husband had for her.[1] This show clearly illustrates both the reality of sin in the world and the way the requirements of the law cause guilt and shame. There has to be another way to deal with sin and guilt. And thankfully there is.

At the crucifixion, Jesus paid for all of our sins so that all who believe in him no longer have any debt to pay or guilt to worry about. This puts us in a new relationship with God. Our sins are forgiven. Our debt is paid. We enter new life. This, no doubt, will have profound effects on us. We begin to think in a new way, have a new mindset, a new worldview. Our old worldview was based on blessings if we did what was right and curses if we did what was wrong. The Law of Moses was the measuring rod for determining whether blessings or curses were deserved. But in Jesus Christ we have a new way of thinking, one that is based not our actions but on God’s love which has been graciously poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

The requirements of the law can now be met with this new way of thinking. If we are always concerned about getting punished if we do something wrong then fear and guilt overwhelm us and we are unable to act. But if we acknowledge the love of God that is in our hearts then we are free to obey the law confidently, knowing that God will help us. We can joyously and thankfully fulfill the requirements of the Ten Commandments. This allows us to live lives of love and peace rather than fear and death. With God’s love in our hearts we can respond to God as adopted children, loving God with our whole hearts and our loving our neighbors as ourselves.

All of this is made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was an experienced reality of the early church. The Pentecost experience continued to enliven and inspire the church. The church was an instrument of the Spirit’s activity on earth and a depository of the Spirit’s gifts. By the fourth century the church realized from its experience that the Holy Spirit was truly God and belonged with the Father and the Son in the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit was understood as God’s love which is poured into our hearts and is the bond holding together the church.

This Holy Spirit comes into our hearts to give us new life. We know this because the Holy Spirit was the new life given to Jesus Christ as Jesus was raised from the dead. This gives us the hope that the Holy Spirit who resides in our hearts today will one day animate our dead bodies and raise us to eternal life. The work of the Holy Spirit in us is called sanctification. Sanctification is the process whereby we are recreated into the image of God. We are made holy and set aside for God’s purposes. Our lives are increasing characterized by morality. Our attitudes and actions increasingly meet God’s expectations. Both our character and our conduct are transformed.

The Holy Spirit makes this transformation happen, but requires our cooperation. While we are being transformed sin continues to have a harmful effect on us. Sin no longer dominates our lives, but it remains in remission waiting for an opportunity to return. From time to time we may fall back into sin and believe that the Holy Spirit has gone away from us. But sin no longer has full control over our lives. By cooperating with the Holy Spirit, we are transformed gradually, throughout our lifetimes, until we reach the full measure and stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:14).

The Holy Spirit transforms us by speaking to us through the Word of God. It was the Holy Spirit that inspired the writers of the Bible to record what God wanted written down. It is the Holy Spirit that opens your minds today so that you will hear through the scripture what God wants you to hear. It is the Holy Spirit that is working through me today as I proclaim God’s word to you. And it is the Holy Spirit that brings you into communion with God and with each other through the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Spirit will carry our prayers to heaven and bring God’s answer back to us. And the Holy Spirit is God’s presence with us when we need to be healed and comforted. Worship brings us into relationship with God through our faith in Jesus Christ and our cooperation with the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. This is made possible by the Holy Spirit who enables us to declare that Jesus Christ is our Lord allowing us to enter in the communion of other believers. The Holy Spirit provides the church with a prophetic voice that enables it to grow. Through the Holy Spirit God is present with the church.

The Holy Spirit is working though the Presbyterian Church USA through a program called Self-Development of People. In this program people living below the poverty line are encouraged to improve their own communities. They are helped to form their own organizations and receive funding from us to make their lives better. For example, the Women’s Information Network, of Cottage Grove, Ore., was given $30,000 to enable women who have been abused to purchase a residence. The residence will enable the women to continue their personal recovery and advocacy work. Another example is the Low-Income Tenant Union of the Kalamazoo Homeless Action Network in Kalamazoo, Mich., which was given $20,000 to empower a group of homeless people moving into private apartments to organize against housing discrimination, advocate for fair rental agreements and fight unfair evictions. There are many groups of poor people fighting for a better life that Presbyterian Church is helping through Self-Development of People. What makes all of this possible is the community of the faithful that has been assembled by the Holy Spirit into Presbyterian churches. This includes you because you will have the opportunity to support Self-Development of People through One Great Hour of Sharing, our Palm Sunday special offering.

Wherever there is great passion for life we know the Holy Spirit is at work liberating the oppressed and bringing God’s justice to the world. The Holy Spirit is the link between the world we live in and heavenly world of God. So we experience the Holy Spirit through both the inspired Word of God and the created world of God. The Holy Spirit allows us grow and mature. And we work for the protection of God’s creation.

So brothers and sisters, those of you have faith in Jesus Christ I can assure you that you sins have been forgiven and you are now offered a new relationship with God. To fully participate in this new relationship you have to grow and mature into what God has created you to be. Sin has defaced the image of God which was part of you at creation. Now is the time to recover the image of God and become more and more like Jesus Christ. We can’t do this alone. We need help. And help has arrived in the Holy Spirit which has come to make you holy. Your cooperation in now required to accept this gift. And with this gift we all have a glorious future.

Holy Spirit, come down upon us. Forgive our sins. Heal our diseases. Comfort us during difficult times. Speak to hearts of all the people in our Eagle Rock community and prepare us as a church to bring our neighbors to Jesus. We pray for the growth of the church and your glorious presence with us. In the strong name of Jesus, amen.

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[1] http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,332969,00.html

Sermon – Romans 5:1-11, Adopted as the Children of God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Romans 5:1-11, Adopted as the Children of God

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

February 24, 2008

Today is the third Sunday of Lent. Lent is a season of 40 days, excluding Sundays, when we focus on our faith and relationship with God. Two weeks ago we reflected on the reality of sin and how we choose to decide for oursleves right from wrong and we set the bar lower and lower thus deluding ourselves into thinking that sin no longer exists. Last week we saw the great act of God, who freely forgave our sins and granted eternal life to all who believe in Jesus Christ. Today we will see what it means to be adopted as God’s children.

Will you pray with me? Father in heaven we come to you today as your forgiven children. We thank you for this gift and ask that you allow us to enter into a relationship with you. We ask that through Jesus Christ, who reigns with you in heaven, that your anger and justified wrath against us be pardoned. And we ask that though the Holy Spirit your love be poured down upon us. We ask these things so that as your children we may be shaped into your image as you created us, and be filled with your glory, Amen.

Romans 5:1-11 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. ⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person-- though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. ⁸ But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. ¹¹ But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

God has freely granted to all the faithful the forgiveness of all sin and assurance of everlasting life. This is a wonderful gift from a loving God. Jesus’ death on the cross made all of this possible because his death paid for our sins and made our deaths unnecessary. So even though we are mortal and will one day die we can be assured that one day we will rise from the dead, just as Jesus did, to live forever in the presence of God. But since all of this takes place either far in the future or far away in heaven we can legitimately ask if there are any gifts that God gives us now while we are still alive.

The Israelites following Moses certainly had this question in mind. They had already received the wonderful gift of freedom from slavery in Egypt. They had watched as the waters of the Red Sea had been parted. They had followed a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire at night. They knew that God loved them very much. But when their problems multiplied and they were facing a lack of water they forgot all about all those things God had done for them and focused only on their pressing needs. And God, as a loving mother, blessed them and provided for them with water coming out of a rock.

God invites us to be in a relationship with him as his children. Of course we have in one sense always been in a relationship with God. That relationship was characterized by our rebellion. We turned our back of God and hid. But now God is offering a new kind of relationship, one based on peace and the health and well being for our bodies and our souls. As with any relationship our relationship with God need frequent attention. I have always had a hard time with relationships. That is probably why I did not marry until I was nearly 50. But now, with Grace, I see the importance of meeting people regularly and calling people more often on the telephone. To form a relationship with God we need to meet with God and talk with her on a regular basis. That is why we need to pray, worship, and read scripture regularly. A daily practice of Bible reading and prayer is essential in developing the kind of relationship that God is offering us. This relationship is made possible because God chose to come to us as the incarnate Jesus Christ to meet us where we are and experience what we experience. So through Jesus Christ we can have a wholesome relationship with our creator.

We see from this that Christianity is at it root relational. We have a relationship with God and with each other. The American church has often stressed the individual nature of faith and has told us that we can have a personal relationship with Christ. This is true, but we should not forget that our faith is also based on our relationship with each other and with all of God’s people. We worship God not in isolation but as part of a church. And our particular church worships God not alone but with all the other churches on the planet. Our faith is relational; we are all bound together by God’s love.

As we develop a relationship with God through Jesus Christ amazing things begin to happen. We begin to change; we are transformed. This happens gradually. Ever time you come to worship, every time you meditate on scripture, every time you pray a stitch is made in the fabric of you life. You mature, over the years, into what you were created to be. You see God created us in his image and likeness. So as we mature as Christians we become more and more like God. The apostle Paul called this “sharing in the glory of God.” Usually Paul tells us to be humble. But as we form a relationship with God and become more like God Paul wants us to boast and to proclaim to the entire world all that God has done for us.

This all sounds really great. God not only forgives us but helps us to become more like God. But we experience all of the trials and tribulations of life. Our health fails and we wind up in the hospital. Our parents become old and frail and need our care. We find it difficult to pay our mortgages and all the bills that come due each month. Our children live in another part of the world and we can’t see them as often as we would like. We have to adjust to living in a new land, learning a new language and culture. In a world beset with difficulties how does a relationship with God help us? By nurturing a relationship with God with prayer and worship we are able to endure these hardships and withstand the problems that befall us because we know that God is there with us. And God will use our trials to refine us, improve us and make us into what we were created to be, shining examples of the glory of God.

The way God transforms us into her image is through the Holy Spirit, who enters into our hearts and fills us with God’s empowering love. We experience this love in worship as the Holy Spirit comes upon us, as it did to the apostles on the Day of Pentecost, to fill us with God’s Spirit empowering us for the work God wants us to do. We know through the Holy Spirit that our prayers will reach God and that God will answer us in our prayers, worship and meditation on scripture.

So how do we know that God loves us and cares for us? What other explanation would you have for God having his own son die for us so that our sins are forgiven and we are assured of eternal life? God, most certainly, is motivated by his love for us. We certainly do not deserve this love, but God loves us anyway. And this love is the basis and power for the transformative relationship which we have been offered.

This week I had the pleasure of meeting one of our elders as she was recuperating from surgery in the hospital. Lois Shilts was in good spirits when I arrived and was resting comfortably. What I noticed, most of all, was the enormous amount of love in the room. Lois’s daughter had come to care for her mother. And I realized that this care modeled the love God has for all of us and God’s desire to care for us in our times of need and assure us with a hope in a glorious future.

But we also get an even greater gift. Death could not hold Jesus Christ in its grip. Jesus was resurrected from the dead and now sits at the right hand of God interceding for us. Satan approaches God and accuses us by telling God all we have done, all of our sins, and recommending that God give us what we really deserve. With such a formidable opponent we have little hope of escaping God’s wrath. But with Jesus Christ, our defender before God in heaven, we will not be punished. We escape from God’s wrath, saved by our savior.

But there is even a greater gift from God than even her love and forgiveness. We are given the right to boast, to tell others the glorious things God has done for us. We can declare to the world that Jesus Christ is our Lord and through him we have been reconciled with our creator and blessed with God’s love. We can boast because our new relationship with God is not of our own doing, but we have a restored relationship with God because of God’s gift of Jesus Christ.

So we have been adopted as God’s children. We are invited to have a wholesome relationship with our creator though his son, Jesus Christ. God’s love is poured into us through the Holy Spirit shaping us into God’s very image and glory. The risen Jesus Christ intercedes on our behalf saving us from the wrath of God. And we can shout to world about all the great things God has done for us.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for all your gifts: for the gift of the Holy Spirits who brings to us God’s love, for the gift of a restore relationship with the Father, and for your intersession on our behalf before the throne of God saving us from God wrath. We thank you and bless you and glorify you, our Lord and Savior, Amen.