Sermon Psalm 121:1-2 “Does God Care About Me?”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
New Covenant Presbyterian Church
Sermon Psalm 121:1-2 “Does God Care About Me?”
September 16, 2018

Listen to this sermon.

Last week we began Believe the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus in our Christian education classes and in worship.   We asked the question, “Who is God?”.   We worship the creator God who is one being in the community of three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   This God created us in his image to live in community with each other in families, neighborhoods, and churches.   God creates communities in his image of grace, love, and fellowship.

Today we will ask the next logical question, “Does this God of the Bible care about me?”.  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)

There are three questions we will be asking today:  First, “Is God Good?”.  Second, “Does God care about me?”.  And Third, “Does God have a plan for my life?”.   Let’s look at each of these.

Is God good?  Let me tell you a story.   God had promised children to Abram and Sarai.  Their descendants would number more than all the grains of sand in the sea.  But as they grew older with no children they became impatient and decided to take matters into their own hands.   Abram and Sarai conspired to have Abram get a slave, Hagar, pregnant so that he would have his child.  Hagar conceived and bore  Abram a son, Ishmael.   As you might expect Sarai regretted her decision and was very jealous of Hagar and her son.

Years later Sarai had her own son.   She laughed so hard when she knew she would have a baby in her old age she named her son with the Hebrew word for laugh, Isaac.  Once Isaac was born there was no longer any need for Hagar and Ishmael in the family.   So they were sent out.   And you would expect that this would be the end of their story.  The biblical focus will be on Isaac and his family.   But we have this curious story from Genesis

 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”
11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation also because he is your offspring.”

14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she[c] began to sob.

17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

So what do you think?   Is God good?  I think so.   He took this boy, born in the sin of adultery, and blessed him richly.   And God blesses us too.  So I think we have to conclude that God truly is good.

Now, let’s turn to the next question.   Does God care about me?  Consider these words of the psalmist from the familiar King James Version.

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

God blesses us with many things.  He has given us a world where we have plenty to eat and drink.   It is filled with beauty in streams and forests and beaches and mountains and everything else.  God has forgiven our sin and restored our relationship with him.  God gently guides us with his word.   God protects us from evil.  God blesses us with families, neighborhoods, and churches.  And God promises us eternal life.   So what do you think?   Does God care about us?  Of course, God cares for all of us.

So far we have found that God is good and God cares about us.   That leaves us with one more question.   Does our good God who cares for us have a plan for our lives?  Listen to this story from the first chapter of Jeremiah.

4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,  5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.  I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” 

6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.

God chose Jeremiah to be a prophet before he was even born.   God revealed this plan to Jeremiah when he was still a child.   And God promised to give Jeremiah the gifts he needed to do what God wanted him to do.  So God had a plan for Jeremiah’s life.

God has certainly had a plan for me.   I spent a great deal of time trying to implement my own plan.   I wanted a successful business and a family.   But time after time something came up to block me.   It seemed like I was always going uphill.  But then one day I realized that God wanted me to serve his church.   I was ordained a deacon and became a Bethel teacher.   Then I went to seminary and began the process to become a pastor.   Since then God has blessed me with a wonderful wife and ministries where I can serve his kingdom.  I know now that God had a plan for my life all along.   And I am certain that God has a plan for all of your lives as well.

So what have we learned today?  We know that the God of the Bible is good.  God cares for you and me.   And God has a plan for our lives.
Listen to these wonderful words from the 121st Psalm.

Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.
 
Let’s pray.  Father in heaven we praise you for your goodness.   We thank you for caring about us and blessing us with a plan for our lives.   Bless us each day as we live out your plan assured that you will always care for us.   This we pray filled with your spirit and in your Son’s name.  Amen.

Sermon 2 Corinthians 13:14 - “Who is God?”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
New Covenant Presbyterian Church
Sermon 2 Corinthians 13:14 - “Who is God?”
September 9, 2018

Listen to this sermon.

This morning I am beginning a series of sermons drawn from Believe, Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus.  This is part of a combined effort of both the Christian Education and Worship Committees.   Each week the same topic with be the subject of my weekly sermon and Bible Study classes for adults, students, and children.  So there will be one topic each week that we all hear in worship and can talk about in small groups at all age levels.   And our hope is that the entire church will begin “living the story of the Bible to become like Jesus.  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)

According to a recent Gallup poll, 89% of Americans believe in God, https://news.gallup.com/poll/193271/americans-believe-god.aspx.  This should not be surprising.   As we look around our world we see many created things.   This building, the chair you sit in, the windows you look out and the sound system I am using are all designed by humans.  And we can see the sky, sun, moon, stars, soybean fields, and grass lawns which are also created, but not by humans.  We know that the creator is God.   Psalm 19:1 puts it this way, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”   So just by looking at the world, we live in we know that there is a God.

We also know that there is a God because of our minds.   Aristotle asked people to consider the following.   Suppose you take a bottle of cold water from your refrigerator and put it on the kitchen counter.   Suddenly your phone rings and you leave the kitchen to answer it.   You forget about the bottle of water until you return later that afternoon.   Now, is the water still cold?  No, it is now room temperature.  Why?  Because the kitchen is warm.  Why is the kitchen warm?  Because it is a hot summer day.   Why is it a hot summer day?   Because the sun is high in the sky and has been warming the air all day.   Why is the sun high in the sky?   We could keep asking these questions again and again until we get to something that causes everything else, a first cause.  And this we call God.   God started everything going.   God is here today keeping everything going.  And since cause and effect is an intelligible process God must know what is happening and his will is causing it to happen.

So we know that God exists from both our experience and intellect. The Bible assumes all of this.   We read this in Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”   Anyone who opens their eyes and engages in thought will realize that God exists.

The real question we have,  the one the Bible deals with is, “Who is God?”.   We must select the God we will serve.  We read this in Joshua 24:15 “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

So according to Joshua, we are to worship and serve Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel.   This is the creator God who made the world and made you and me.   And this is the only God we believe in and worship.  We read this in Deuteronomy 6:4

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” 

So we believe the one true God, the creator, and we are to pass this belief on generation to generation.

But in the New Testament, we see something a little different.   In 2 Corinthians 13:14 we read,

“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 here we seem to have three gods: the Lord Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit.   There seems to be a math problem here.   The Old Testament told us that we have one God.   But here we seem to have three Gods.   So what is going on?  Are Christians still worshiping the one creator God?

The answer is yes we are worshiping the same God.  Theologians have come up with a fancy term, “Trinity”,  to describe this.  They tell us that the God we worship has one being, the Lord God of Israel, but has been revealed to us as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   God has one essence.  But our God is not a God of individualism.  Rather our God is a God of community, a community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

America is a land that values individualism.   We want to believe that we can do it ourselves.   We don’t really need community.   We can go it alone if we want.  We don’t have to worship as part of a church we can worship alone and develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.   But there is a problem with this because our God is a God of community who created us to be in community too.  Listen to this from Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  27 So God created mankind in his own image in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Notice what God said as he was creating us.   God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.”  “Our”!  It was our Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who created us.   God exists in community.   God gave us his image by placing us in community.   Men and women are created to be in fellowship with others in family, neighborhoods, and churches.   So the church is created in the very image of our triune God.  We are a community that worships the God who exists in community.

So what should a community, created in the image of God’s community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be like?  What would be the characteristics of that kind of community?    Remember our scripture for this week, 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.”   God’s community is filled with grace, love, and fellowship.   The church was created in the image of this community.   So church must also be a community of grace, love, and fellowship.   We must treat each other with kindness, be forgiving, offer friendship to others, and care for those in need.

As I said before America is a land that values individualism over community.   We believe in God and think we can act out our belief alone without community.  In my generation, many of us have no real friends.  Our best friend is for many of us the television.   Today there is a new generation whose best friend is a cell phone.  People are with their phones all the time.   They constantly talk to their phones by text messages.   The closest thing they have to community is a group chat or social network.   So as a result of cell phone technology, we are becoming a nation of radical individualists unable to form true communities.

Once people leave school there are few places where they can find real fellowship.   Sometimes they can find fellowship at work if social interaction goes on among people.   Maybe they find community in a bar with people drinking with each other.   Community could be found across the fence in your backyard with your neighbor, but most people are afraid of their neighbors.   So where can you go to meet people, make friends and be a part of a community?  I think the best place for that to happen is right here in church because church was created as a community in the image of our loving, gracious, and communal God. 

So people right here in Middletown are living isolated lives with few if any real friends.  They go to work.  Then they come home to their computer check messages and maybe stream something on youtube.   They are truly lonely because God created them to be in community.   What would be the loving and gracious thing that we could do for them?   I think the most loving thing we could do is to invite them to church where they can find the community they crave.  So the best thing you could do is invite people you meet to come here to a loving and gracious fellowship of believers and be part of a genuine community.
 
So we worship the one true God, our creator.   This God exists in community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   This community is characterized by grace, love, and fellowship.  The church is created as a community in the image of God.   So church is also characterized by grace, love, and fellowship.   And we can offer this community to a world that is desperately looking for it.  People crave community because they were created to be in community in the image of our communal God.   So let’s love our neighbor by inviting him or her to be a part of our divine community here at New Covenant Church. Let’s pray.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit create for us a community filled with grace, love, and fellowship.   The help us to invite people to be a part of this community satisfying their deepest desires to be in community with others.   This we pray in your glorious name.   Amen.

Sermon Song of Solomon 2:8-17 “Loved By God”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
New Covenant Presbyterian Church
Sermon Song of Solomon 2:8-17  “Loved By God”
September 2, 2018

This morning we are going to look at something a little different.  The Song of Solomon or the Song of Songs or Canticles is an Old Testament Book.  It contains poetry about the love between a man and a woman.  This is a topic people have been writing about since writing was invented.  And some of the most beautiful poetry ever written is about the love a man has for his wife and the love a wife has for her husband.  We will hear today some of the most beautiful poetry about love the world has ever heard.  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)

Song of Solomon 2:1-7
I am a rose of Sharon a lily of the valleys.
He
2 Like a lily among thorns
    is my darling among the young women.
She
3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest
    is my beloved among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
    and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 Let him lead me to the banquet hall,
    and let his banner over me be love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins,
    refresh me with apples,
    for I am faint with love.
6 His left arm is under my head,
    and his right arm embraces me.
7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.

The Song of Solomon is unquestionably beautiful.  But a question about it has been raised by faithful believers for centuries.  They have wondered, should the Song of Solomon be in the Bible?  Yes, it is beautiful love poetry.  But does it tell us anything about God?  God is not even mentioned in the book.

A debate raged in the first century among Hebrew scholars.  Some argued for its removal from the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament because it did not contain any of the names of God.  But Rabbi Akiva argued that it should remain.  He said that we should read it allegorically, as a metaphor.  He said to read the Song of Solomon as if it is talking about God's love for Israel.  Rabbi Akiva's interpretation was accepted by the rabbis and this is the way Jews read this book today.  In modern Judaism, the Song of Solomon is used for personal meditations during the season of Passover.  Jews are encouraged to see in it God's great love for his people.

Christians have also had their problems with this book as well.  The second-century Christian scholar Origen wrote ten commentaries on the Song of Solomon.  In them, he agreed with Rabbi Akiva that the book should be read allegorically.  But Origen said that the groom is understood to be Christ.  And the bride is his church.  Origen's allegorical interpretation guided the church throughout the Middle Ages.  And during this time more books were written about the Song of Solomon than any other biblical work.

But by the time of the Protestant reformation allegorical interpretations had gone out of favor.  We wanted to read scripture more literally.  And so we had big problems with the love poetry of the Song of Solomon.  Calvin never wrote a commentary on it.  And the Song of Solomon is assigned by the revised common lectionary to be read on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend when most preachers are on vacation and can avoid it.  As far as I know, none of my preacher friends have ever preached on it.

But I think it would be a shame to miss out on the beautiful love poetry of the Song of Solomon.  And I think this is how we should interpret it.   Jesus told us to love God will all our heart, soul, and strength and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  The Song of Solomon is a celebration of this love.  God loves us and we love God and we love one another.  And so in this spirit, I offer to you the Song of Solomon chapter 2.

8 Listen! My beloved!
    Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.

God loves us so much he is constantly searching for us.  For those of us who have never heard his name, he will search for us over hills and in the valleys until he finds us.  For believers, he looks for in daily prayer and Sunday worship hoping that we will be there.  And in his search for us God will never ever grow old, never get tired and never give up.  God loves us so much, just as a man loves a woman.  And his passionate pursuit lasts forever.  Let's get back to the song.

    Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
    peering through the lattice.
10 My beloved spoke and said to me,
    “Arise, my darling,
    my beautiful one, come with me.

God loves us so much he is constantly here with us.  He is looking at us through these windows.  He is listening to us as we sing his praises and he speaks to us in scripture.  Our hearts beat faster and faster as our beloved God approaches.  And we faint with excitement as God tells us that he loves us and wants us to come away with him.  Let's return to the song.

11 See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;
    the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me.”

God has invited us to return with him to the Garden of Eden.  The sin, of our parents Adam and Eve, has been forgiven.  Our love affair with God is back on.  And we can enjoy being with him for eternity.  God loves us even more than a bride loves her husband.  God wants us to be with him even more than a groom wants to be with his new wife.

But there is a problem.  God wants us so much, but we seem to be missing.  Since the time of Adam and Eve, we have been hiding from God.  So God is searching for us.  Let's go back to the song and hear God's voice.

14 My dove in the clefts of the rock,
    in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
    let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
    and your face is lovely.

And so God is searching for us.  He loves us and misses us.  He wants to see our beautiful faces in worship.  He wants to hear our sweet voices in prayer and singing.  God grieves when we miss worship.  God celebrates when we are here. And God will find us wherever we are hiding.  Back to the song.

15 Catch for us the foxes,
    the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,
    our vineyards that are in bloom.

God has placed us in a beautiful garden with blue sky and green fields.  He has given us ample food and everything we need for a good life.  All he asks is that we be with him in worship, speak to him in song and prayer, and listen to his voice in scripture and sermon.  God loves us so much.  And so how are we to respond to this wonderful offer of love from our God?  Do we spurn him?  Do we run away?  Or do we embrace him as a young woman embraces a man who wants to marry her?    Here is our response to God:

16 My beloved is mine and I am his;
    he browses among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved,
    and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag
    on the rugged hills.

The relationship God wants with us is like that of man and woman on their honeymoon night.  God loves us so much he wants to hug us and kiss us and hold our hands and whisper poetry in our ears.  God wants to live with us, as our companion, in paradise.  And so God wants to hear from us in prayer and speak to us through scripture every day.

And so we are richly loved by God as a man deeply loves a woman or a woman deeply loves a man.  God wants to be with us in worship.  God wants to hear our voices in prayer and singing.  God loves us so much he sent his son Jesus Christ to be with us.  God has wiped away our sin, forgiven us so that his relationship with us is restored.  Rest in the arms of the God who loves you more than anything.

Song of Solomon 3:1-5
All night long on my bed
    I looked for the one my heart loves;
    I looked for him but did not find him.
2 I will get up now and go about the city,
    through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.
    So I looked for him but did not find him.
3 The watchmen found me
    as they made their rounds in the city.
    “Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
4 Scarcely had I passed them
    when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
    till I had brought him to my mother’s house,
    to the room of the one who conceived me.
5 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.

Let's pray.  O God we love you.  We love to hear your voice in scripture.  We love to be with you in prayer and worship.  We love your Son and love your Spirit.  We love you.  Amen.

Sermon Joshua 24 "Choose the God You Will Serve"

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – Joshua 24 – Choose the God You Will Serve
New Covenant Presbyterian Church
August  26, 2018

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

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

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

Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy Heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen. (John Calvin)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Is there any authority we deem more important that Jesus?  Why would we do this given all the blessings we have received from the Lord God of Israel?  No authority can forgive our sins besides Jesus.  No authority can grant us eternal life besides Jesus.  No authority will reign in the Kingdom of God besides Jesus.  So why would you worship and serve any other authority ahead of Jesus?
Here is how the people of Joshua’s day answered the question of which god they would serve:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sermon Psalm 34 – The Fear of the Lord

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Psalm 34 – The Fear of the Lord
New Covenant Presbyterian Church
August 19, 2018

The is Gospel Sunday and we are singing some of the oldies but goodies.   I love to sings these songs, but there is an underlying theme to them which I would like to point out.   Consider these words from Softly and Tenderly, “Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing, passing from you and from me; shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming, coming for you and for me”.  Listen to these words from Sweet Hour of Prayer, “In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief, and oft escaped the tempter's snare by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!”  Or what about these words from It is Well With My Soul, “Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control: that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and has shed his own blood for my soul”?  There seems to be a lot of fear:  fear of dying, fear of distress, fear of temptation.   Fear is something we experience.   The gospel songs teach us the when we fear, Jesus rescues.

We all have things that we fear.  Maybe we fear to be high up in the mountains.  Maybe we fear being enclosed in an airplane.  Maybe we fear the loss of our health or the loss of a job.  There are many things that we fear.  We come to church to find sanctuary from our fears in the arms of a loving God.  So why does the Bible tell us to fear God too?  Before we look at this 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)

In March of 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the American people in his first inaugural address.  He said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  Roosevelt was talking about cowardice that was preventing the country from doing what needed to be done to get out of the Great Depression.  Today we have different fears.  We fear economic depression or maybe inflation, we fear terrorists, and we fear the loss of our health.   Fear sometimes can paralyze us into inaction or sometimes spur us on to action.

In the scripture that we heard earlier, David was very much afraid.  King Saul was after him.  He was alone with no army, no equipment, and no supplies.  David was hungry and approached the priest of Nob for sanctuary.  David needed a place where his fears of Saul could be replaced with a deep reverence for God.  The priest of Nob gave David the holy bread which strengthened him, removed his fears and set him right with God.  David then approached the King of Gath for protection from Saul.  But fearing that the King of Gath might tell Saul where David was hiding, David pretended to be mad hoping the King would ignore him.  Then David sat down and wrote a psalm about his experiences with fear, Psalm 34.

Psalm 34
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me;
    let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers them.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
    for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Whoever of you loves life
    and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to blot out their name from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
    but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
    not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will slay the wicked;
    the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue his servants;
    no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Psalm 34 tells us that God knows of our fears through our prayers and will deliver us.  We walk into church with all of our fears intact and we walk out filled with confidence and trust.  Our fear is replaced by faith.  That’s why the angels tell to not be afraid.  So if through God our fears are removed why would Psalm 34 also tell us to fear God?  What is “the Fear of the Lord” all about?

One clue to this is that ancient Hebrew has two different words which are both translated in English as “fear”, and these have subtle differences in meaning.  Let me explain. 

One Hebrew word for fear is pahhad.  Pahhad literally means that all of your bones begin to shake, you tremble. Pahhad could also be translated as “dread”.  We experience pahhad whenever we expect disaster to fall.  Stress overwhelms us, our muscles tighten up, and we begin to shake in anticipation that something really bad is about to happen.

It is clear from scripture that God brings pahhad on Israel’s enemies and this accounts for much of their military successes.  The Book of Chronicles says, “The pahhad of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel” (2 Chronicles 20:29).  This fear of God was often enough to prevent war as Israel’s enemies trembled with terror at the prospect of war with their God. 

Pahhad also affects individuals, and most often the wicked.   It comes in the form of sudden panic as a storm from God strikes the wicked.   Pahhad is a good thing if it motivates the wicked to change, and repent of their evil ways before calamity strikes.  The prophets of Israel told their people that when they experience fear, pahhad, they should turn toward God in prayer with the promise that God would deliver them from those fears.

So pahhad is the fear we have of God when we sin.  This fear causes our bones to shake and we tremble in dread that God will punish us.  But if we turn to God pahhad is removed and we are delivered from this type of fear.

Pahhad is not the only Hebrew word translated as fear.  Another is the word yarah. Yarah literally means “to flow”.  The idea is that when you come into the presence of a person with great authority, or if you see an awesome sight you then respond with reverence and wonder, and bow down to authority.  Yarah describes the relationship we have with God.  We approach God with awe and reverence flowing out of us.  It is through yarah that we know God.  Yarah removes our pride and gives us a spirit of humility as we give all glory and honor to God.  Yarah gives us the proper perspective in relationship with God so that we may learn wisdom from God and avoid evil.  And it is through the yarah of God, the fear of God, where we find our delight in the spirit of God that comes upon us.

So pahhad means that we fear impending calamity and our bones tremble in dread.  But yarah means that we fear the glory and majesty we cannot understand with awe, reverence, respect and humility flowing from us to God.  Psalm 34 teaches us that God is here to remove our fear, pahhad, but we are expected to fear, yarah, the awesomeness, greatness and majesty of the Lord.

We all have fears, our fears about declining health, our fears about our jobs, our fears about our families.  These fears keep us up at night.  We tremble with dread.  We worry about what will happen tomorrow.  We can’t get to sleep, so we take sleeping pills or drink alcohol until we pass out.  But when we wake up the fears are still there.  They just won’t go away.  And when one problem is finally over there is always another one that comes along to worry about.  All of this fear causes stress which harms our health and relationships with our family and coworkers.  Our bones shake, we tremble.

The only solution for this is God who will redeem you from your fears and fill you with faith, confidence and strength.  But God will only help you when you first fear the only thing that you really should be afraid of, and that is God.  We fear God because God is our creator, the creator of the universe, who loves us and wants the best for us.  So we fear the greatness, the awesomeness of God, who has the power we cannot even imagine.   Reverence and honor flow from us to God.

And this is why worship is so important.  We bring all of our fears with us to church.  Even as we enter the sanctuary our fears are still with us.  We tremble with our anxieties.  We worry about everything.  And we sit here hoping that God will do something about these fears.  Then worship begins when we confess our fears and ask God to remove them.  The God who loves us removes our fears and fills us with confidence and faith.  Then we realize that we have come into contact with God, our creator.  We are filled with fear and reverence.  Humility flows from us.  We dare to approach God in reverent fear and love.  And God responds with the gift of life without fear.

David’s fear of Saul was removed when he entered the sanctuary and ate the holy bread.  But while he pretended to be crazy he realized the great gift he had received in the privilege of fearing God.  So he gave us the great gift of Psalm 34.

President Roosevelt was wrong in 1933 when he said that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  No.  The only thing we have to fear is God.  We fear God because of his majesty and might and power and glory.  When we fear God our humility flows out of us to honor God.  And God faithfully removes our fears from us.  Thanks be to God.  Let’s pray.

Lord God, remove our fears from us today.  Purge them from our minds by filling us with your love.  Then give us the appropriate fear of you so that we always approach you in a spirit of humility and reverence.  This we pray with your Son and Spirit. Amen.

Sermon 2 Samuel 4:4 “Broken Ankle”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon 2 Samuel 4:4 “Broken Ankle”
New Covenant Church
August 12, 2018

I will begin this morning by thanking Paul Wilbanks for filling this pulpit for the last two weeks.   Two weeks ago I was on vacation and Paul had several weeks to prepare.   Last week he found out that I had broken my ankle and stepped in on real short notice.   So, thank you, Paul.  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)

On the first day of August, I was preparing to come back to work after a short vacation.   I had accompanied Grace to New York City.   While Grace attended a conference, I engaged in some urban hiking.   I visited the grand churches of 5th avenue.   And I spent some quality time in Central Park.   But now I had to get back to work because there was so much to do.   I had to pastor this church and with all the people in and out of hospitals and recovering from surgery I had a lot of visits and calls to make.   I had to continue to develop my sermon series on Ephesians.   I had to support the Pastor Search Committee as they loaded our Ministry Information Form on Church Leadership Connections.   I had to support the Sanctuary Committee as we approach the Ignite Committee of New Castle Presbytery for a grant.  I had to support the Education Committee launch youth activities.  And I had to prepare for September when we will launch Believe, Living the Story of the Bible to become like Jesus and coordinate what we do in worship with what we do in Christian Education for all ages.   So as you can see my plate was full.

So on Wednesday morning, August 1, I was rushing around getting ready to come to church.   I fixed my regular bowl of cereal and some coffee and when out on the patio to eat breakfast.   Then I remembered that I had left my phone next to my recliner.   So I went back into the kitchen to fetch it.   When I stepped up onto the kitchen floor my right foot slipped and I fell.  I couldn’t get up so I called for Grace.   And then made my way, painfully to the living room couch.

Later that afternoon I was scheduled for an appointment with my doctor for an ordinary check-up.   I went to the doctor in a wheelchair.   And after looking at some x rays he said that I had broken my ankle.   Thankfully it was a simple fracture that requires no surgery.   But I have to keep weight off the leg, keep it elevated, and keep ice on it.   The orthopedic surgeon gave me a boot and said that ankle should heal in six to eight weeks.

So, for that last 12 days, I have had plenty of time to think about what God is up to.  I remembered Psalm 121, “(the Lord) will not let your foot slip.   And for all my life God has protected me from serious falls.  But last week God let my foot slip.  Why?  And I was confident that Jesus will heal my ankle.  In Mark 2 he healed a paralytic instantly.   But in my case, his healing will take 6-8 weeks.  Why?

Then I remembered the date of my fall, August 1.   August 1 was the eleventh anniversary of my beginning pastoral ministry.  Four months before my ordination in 2007 I became the Student Pastor of Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles on August 1.   So the first of August was a significant date, in my life.

August 1 is also important because as a pastor I usually take some time off in August.  And I had planned to take some time off in August this year to, but I was just too busy.   Not only did I have to pastor this church, but I also had to moderate New Castle Presbytery through a time of transition with a Pastor Retreat coming up next month and new Tech Committee I am trying to form.   And Grace needs my help with her new ministry in Delaware City.  So I was too busy to take time off this month.

But God had other plans.  God wanted me to rest.   A Sabbath rest is not optional.  It is the way the world was created.   So God gave me a rest whether I wanted it or not.   God gave me 6-8 weeks of Sabbath rest with a broken ankle.   And so I have actually been richly blessed.

Let’s turn now to the scripture I have for you this day.

2 Samuel 4:4 (Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

Mephibosheth was born in the lap of luxury and power.    His grandfather was the great King Saul of Israel.  And one day Mephibosheth was destined to serve as king.    But his grandfather and father were killed in battle.  And with the death of Saul, Mephibosheth’s destiny changed.   He was just five years old.  His nanny picked him to flee the palace, but in the confusion that followed the nanny dropped him and he broke both of his ankles.   Sadly, Mephibosheth’s ankles never healed right and he was lame for life.

King Saul was succeeded by King David.   And after consolidating his power David asked to speak with Ziba, King Saul primary servant.   He asked Ziba if there were any of the children or grandchildren of Saul left alive.   Ordinarily, in ancient times, a new king would kill everyone from the previous dynasty.   But not David.   He showed kindness toward the children of Saul.   So Mephibosheth, with his broken ankles,  was summoned to Jerusalem.   His ancestral land was returned to him.   Ziba became his chief steward.   But highest honor Mephibosheth received was to eat at the same table every day with King David. 

David could have killed Mephibosheth.   But he didn’t.  Rather David returned Mephibosheth’s wealth and honor.   Why did do this?   It was an act of grace born out of love.

This is how our God treats us.   God could kill us for what we have done.   But God forgives us and restores to us our status as his children.

Years later David’s son Absalom launched a civil war.  David left Jerusalem with his army to fight Absalom in the wilderness.  Ziba, Mephibosheth’s steward, came to David with donkeys full of provisions for the army.  But there was no Mephibosheth.  Ziba told David that Mephibosheth had remained in Jerusalem to try to re-establish his grandfather’s kingdom.   David was so angry he gave all of Mephibosheth’s land to Ziba.

But when the battle was over and the victorious King David was returning to Jerusalem he was greeted by Mephibosheth.   Mephibosheth had not cared for his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes.   And David asked him why he had stayed behind.  He replied that he had asked Ziba to prepare a donkey for him, but Ziba betrayed him and left him behind.   Now David was angry at Ziba for lying, but Mephibosheth asked David to forgive him and let him keep the property.   All Mephibosheth wanted was to continue eating at David’s table.

What do we learn from all this?   When God shows grace, forgiveness, love, and compassion to someone that person becomes gracious, forgiving, loving and compassionate people.   So too with us.   God has been gracious and compassionate toward us, forgiving and loving.   And now we become a people who graciously and compassionately love and forgive others.

Years later there was a great famine in Israel.   David asked the Lord about this.   And God told David that the famine was punishment for a massacre of Gibeonites at the hand of King Saul.  So David approached the Gibeonites to ask what should be done.   They wanted to avenge the massacre by killing all of the descendants of King Saul that remained.   The only exception was Mephibosheth.   David insisted that his life be spared because of the promise David had made to Mephibosheth’s father Jonathan.    And so Mephibosheth’s life was spared.

God loves us and forgives us.   God wants us to love and forgive other just as he loves and forgives us.  And when we do all this, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, God promises us eternal life.  God used a man with two broken ankles to show us the power of gracious and compassionate love and forgiveness.

And God showed me that a broken ankle was the consequence of being too busy.   So God has given me rest for the month of August.   I plan to be here on Sundays because being in church will help the healing.   But I won’t have office hours and I won’t be visiting you.   I will be praying and I ask you for your continued prayers.  Let’s pray.

Sermon Ephesians 1:3–14 “Spiritual Blessings”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Ephesians 1:3–14 “Spiritual Blessings”
New Covenant Church
July 15, 2018

I am beginning today a summer sermon series on the Book of Ephesians.    This wonderful book was written toward the end of the first century and sent to a whole group of churches.   It was either written by Paul near the end of his life or by his followers who wanted to encapsulate his thoughts into a single book for the church.   It was not written to a specific church.   We call it “Ephesians”  because they were one of the churches who received it and they put their copy in the New Testament.  So we have a summary of Paul’s thinking about church written for all churches.   And therefore it was written for us.   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)

(NRSV) Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14 this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

What I have just read to you is a single sentence in the original Greek.   Everything in this sentence points to God.  The foundation of the church is God.  God’s spiritual blessings have been poured down on us, the church.   What are these spiritual blessings?   Let’s take a closer look.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

The church is blessed in that Christ is in us.   As we do our work as church here in Middletown remember the Christ is always in our midst.   Christ is with us in everything we do.   So as we look for a new pastor, Christ is with us.   As we think about how to use our property as a blessing for our community, Christ is with us.   As we prepare for children to arrive this week for VBS, Christ is with us.   Christ is in our church and we are richly blessed.

Our response to having Christ in our church is to bless God.   So how do we bless God?   The proper way for the church to bless God is to praise God.   That’s why we worship.   We come to worship to sing praises to God.   We praise God by reading scripture and praying.   We praise God with our gifts, tithes, and offerings.   We praise God with our attendance at church every Sunday.   By praising God we bless God in gratitude for the blessings we receive in Christ.  Let’s return to Ephesians and learn a little more about the spiritual blessing received by the church.

4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

We are spiritually blessed because God chose us.   God’s election of us came before time began, before the creation of the world.   Before everything else, God chose us.   And what did God choose us for?   To be more and more like Christ.  We were chosen by God to be holy, a people set apart for God’s purposes.   We were chosen by God to be blameless, free from sin in our lives.   And why did God chose us, of all people, for this?  Because God loves us.   Election is an amazing blessing from our loving God, but there is more.

5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

We were predestined, before the world began, to be adopted as Christ’s very own children.   Why did God adopt us as children of Christ?  Because having us as children is a great pleasure for God.   Just as a proud grandparent loves being with his grandchildren so too does God love being with us.  What did we do to earn this blessing?  Nothing.   There is nothing we could do to make God want to adopt us as children.   God adopted us as an act of grace according to God’s will.  And so God wanted us as his children before God even created the world.  These blessings are getting even more amazing.   But there is more.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us.

Christ has redeemed us.   Redeemed us from what?   Ordinarily, people are redeemed from slavery.   If a Hebrew became a slave as a result or war or economic conditions then his brother could redeem him from slavery by paying the price of redemption.    Christ has redeemed us from slavery, slavery to sin.   Since the days of our first ancestors, we have been infected by sin.   Sin is a curse upon everyone.  But Christ has redeemed us from this curse.  He paid the price by shedding his own blood on the cross.   As a result, the sin that had stained us has been washed away.  We still have some of the linger effects.   We still have our sins with us.   But the curse is gone and we have an opportunity to be more and more holy, more like Christ.   So we are elected, predestined and redeemed, wonderful spiritual blessings from our creator.   But believe it or not, there is even more.  Let’s go back to Ephesians.

With all wisdom and insight 9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

So God has blessed us with knowledge of the “mystery of his will”.  It would be a wonderful blessing to know God’s will for us.  God could tell us what to do, how to live our lives.   And God has already done this.  So what did God do to reveal the mystery of his will to us?  God gave us the Bible. 
 The Bible tells us how to live our lives.   The Bible shows us God’s plan for the world unfolding over thousands of years.  The Bible reveals to us the Redeemer, sent by God to fulfill God’s plan, Jesus Christ.   And so the Bible blesses us with knowledge of God and instructions for being God’s faithful people.   Elected, predestined, adopted, we are knowledgeable of who God is, what God does, and how we should respond.    Let’s return to Ephesians.

11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

As the adopted children of Christ, we have an inheritance.   What might this inheritance be?  First of all, an inheritance is not something you earn.  It is something given to you.  In this case, the Last Will and Testament of Christ were drawn up before the world began.   And according to its terms, we inherit the gift of hope in our futures and live our present lives filled with joy and praise.  That’s why we are here today in worship.  We are filled with the hope of eternal life.   And we have come here to celebrate that hope with joyful worship and praise.

It’s hard to keep track of all the spiritual blessing we have received.   Here is the short list:  chosen to be more like Christ, predestined as Christ’s own adopted children,  given knowledge of God’s plan and will in the Bible, and inheritors of joyful lives of praise and the hope of eternal life.   Quite a list!  But there is one more spiritual blessing that we have received.   Let’s return to Ephesians.

13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14 this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

We come to Jesus by hearing the stories about him in our Bible.   We believe that he is our Lord and Savior.   We believe that he was resurrected from the dead.   And when we publicly declare this belief in our baptisms the spiritual blessing of the Holy Spirit comes upon us.    The Spirit comes in us to mark us as adopted children of Christ and seals upon us the promise of all these spiritual blessings from God the Father.

So, New Covenant Church, what spiritual blessings have we received?   Christ is here with us in receiving our praises and listening to our prayers.  We have been chosen to receive the Holy Spirit and become more and more like Christ.   We have been predestined as adopted children of Christ to receive the promise of a joyful life today and eternal life forever.   We have been redeemed from slavery to sin, freed to live lives pleasing to God.  We have been given the Bible so we know how to live our lives in accordance with God’s will and plan for creation.   And all of these promises were sealed upon us by the Holy Spirit in our baptisms.   We are truly blessed.  Let’s pray. 
      
We thank you, Heavenly Father, for all the spiritual blessings you have poured down on us.   We thank you for choosing us as a people who sing your praises.   We thank you for revealing yourself to us in scripture.   We thank you for Jesus’ presence in the church and for all the blessings sealed upon us by your Spirit.  We thank you for loving us as your children.   And so we praise you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.   Amen.