Sermon Video: God responds to the foolish choice of Abram and Sarai - Genesis 16

 

Abraham and Sarah are heroes of the faith, but they made plenty of mistakes along the way.  One of the most serious of them was the decision by Sarai to offer her slave Hagar to her husband Abram as a 2nd wife in the hopes that a son born to Abram and Hagar could be considered her son by adoption.  This way an effort to "assist" the fulfillment of God's promise.  Here's the thing: God doesn't need immoral help to accomplish his will.

In the end, the plan works in that Hagar bears Ishmael, but is a disaster in all other respects because it spawns a bitterness between Sarai and Hagar.  In the end, God intervenes to protect Hagar and her son, preventing Abram and Sarai's mistake from going further off the rails.

Sermon Video: The LORD and Abraham "cut" a covenant - Genesis 15:7-21

As a sign to offer reassurance about the future to Abraham, the LORD utilizes an Ancient Near Eastern custom involving the cutting-in-two of animals to symbolize the seriousness of the covenant should anyone break it.

In addition, God explains the upcoming 400 years of sojourning in Egypt that Abraham's descendants will endure in part because his wrath against the Canaanites is not yet ready because theirs sins have not yet reached the "full measure."  This has implications for how we understand God's judgment against sin and evil here in this life.

Sermon Video: God credits Abram's faith as righteousness - Genesis 15:1-6

Does faith exclude anxiety and fear?  As it turns out, it does not.  Abraham, the "father of faith" had them.  Abram's promise from God of a son and heir was a LONG time in the fulfilling.  Abram's expressed his frustration with this to God, and rather than getting angry, God offered him reassurance that his promise still stood.  It is Abram's acceptance of this promise, after expressing his anxiety/fear, that God credited to him as righteousness.

Sermon Video: Abram and Lot go their own ways - Genesis 13

After his failure to trust God while sojourning in Egypt, how will Abram react the next time he needs to live by faith in God's promises?  Genesis 13 offers the answer, in it Abram passes the test with flying colors.  When a conflict arises between his shepherds and those of Lot over the available grazing land, Abram offers Lot the first choice of the land so they can part in peace.  This incredibly generous offer from Abram highlights his faith in God, as the chapter unfolds God speaks to Abram reiterating his promises and once more proclaiming that the future of this land belongs to his offspring.

* Apologies that I stepped out of the frame a bit this time, I was trying to tighten up the zoom a bit, but I guess I don't stand still enough for that to work.

Sermon Video: The Promised Land, Genesis 12:4-9

 

God's promise to Abram about the land of Canaan is the foundation for a conversation about the challenging history and complicated present of this land and its people that leads to two resolutions: (1) The Jewish people have a right to live in this land, (2) everyone else who lives in this land deserves basic human rights and freedoms.

Sermon Video: God's Grace in Action: The Call of Abram, Genesis 11:10-12:3

Following the Tower of Babel incident, when God dispersed a human effort to establish his presence among humanity, the narrative of Genesis turns toward the family line that leads to Abram, the man whom God will choose to begin his relationship with one particular people, and through them bless the world.

God asks a lot of Abram, to leave his homeland and trust that God will make him into a great nation despite the lack of children in his marriage with Sarai.  But God also promises amazing things to Abram, going far beyond what any connection to a God in the Ancient Near East would expect to be by proposing to Abram an enduring relationship.  With God it wouldn't be a mutually beneficially bargain, instead it would be an outpouring of grace.

Sermon Video: The sign of God's covenant with Noah, Genesis 9:1-17

Symbols can be powerful, they can evoke love or hate, assurance or fear.  They can be put to righteous purposes, or evil ones.  In Genesis 9 God chooses to make a covenant with Noah and promises that no other cataclysmic flood like the one that had just ended will occur in the future.  In doing so, God begins a pattern of making covenant with humanity, offering promises to help us navigate this life in connection with him.  God also offers a sign of the covenant, the rainbow, a fitting reminder that one can only see a rainbow when the sun is shining in the midst of a storm.

Sermon Video: Jesus: Fulfilling God's promises to the Jews, showing mercy to the Gentiles - Romans 15:7-13

In his conclusion to the section that began in chapter 14 about the need for Christians to accept each other, Paul offers us a telling analogy: "just as Christ accepted you."  This prompts Paul to a brief explanation as to how Jesus both fulfilled the promises to Abraham, and brought God's mercy to the Gentiles.  Thus our task becomes clear, to be bearers of hope, by overflowing with hope and peace, to both Jew and Gentile alike.

Sermon Video: Why the Church cannot replace Israel: God's plan includes them, Romans 11:25-32

There is a simple and excellent reason why the creation of the Church and the instituting of the New Covenant, both at the direction of Jesus Christ, is not a replacement of Israel: God's promises are irrevocable.  What God has promised cannot be undone.  God promised Abraham that he would bless his descendants, always, and so that promise will remain in effect until the end of time.

That doesn't mean God can't change the way in which his blesses Israel, hence the culmination of the Mosaic Law which Jesus fulfilled, and the bringing of God's new covenant people, Jew and Gentile alike, into one family by faith through grace.

Sermon Video: Why God made Israel jealous - Romans 11:7-15

When the majority of the Israelite people in Paul's generation rejected Jesus as Messiah, did God give up on them?  Absolutely not.  God continued to work with the faithful remnant (see previous sermon in this series) and remained faithful to his promise to Abraham by reserving a future time of restoration.

But what did God do in the meantime?  The era in which we now live is known as the Church Age, is was proceeded by the era of the Mosaic Covenant, and will last until the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom.  During this era God's work with the Gentiles, aside from its straightforward purpose of leading countless people to salvation, is also a method of using the jealously of God's covenant people (i.e. the descendants of Abraham, that is, Jews) to draw them toward faith in Jesus.  Why?  Because God's love for them, as a people called to his purpose, remains.

Sermon Video: "being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised." - Romans 4:13-22

Why was Abraham able to wait, without losing his faith in God and hope in God's promises, for YEARS as both he and Sarah grew older and older with the arrival of the son they desired so much?  Abraham knew two truths: (1) God had the power to do what he had promised, and (2) having a child at this point would take a miracle.  In the end, Abraham's faith held firm because he knew God, had a relationship with him.  This is not something exclusive to Abraham but a blessing available to all who put their hope in Jesus Christ.

Sermon Video: The Messiah: David's son and Lord, Mark 12:35-37

While in the Temple courts, Jesus takes the opportunity to set forth a riddle concerning the Messiah, one that his own Virgin Birth is the answer to. In Psalm 110, David calls his son "Lord". Jesus asks how a son can be the superior of a father (or ancestor), a mystery culturally in the Ancient World. We know the answer. Jesus is David's son genealogically, but also his superior because he is the Son of God in addition to being the Son of Man. While David was a hero (flawed yes, but still a hero), Jesus is far more: a sinless savior.

Sermon Video: "Don't be afraid, just believe." - Mark 5:21-43

 On the way to heal Jairus' sick daughter, Jesus is interrupted by a desperate woman who has suffered from a painful malady for twelve years. This woman only touches Jesus cloak, but is still healed. Stopping, Jesus seeks out the woman, and when she falls trembling at his feet, he does not scold her for her impudence, but says to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." Meanwhile, Jairus' daughter has died, prompting Jesus' bold words, "Don't be afraid, just believe." How can this be? Faith is not meant to be irrational or absurd, so how can Jesus say such a thing? Simple. In the last 24 hours Jesus has demonstrated lordship over Nature (calming the storm) and the spiritual realm (driving out the Legion of demons), now he will demonstrate his lordship over Death as well. God is the giver of Life, all life, God can bring life back to the dead as well. Jesus then proves that faith placed in God's promises (Word) are well placed, as he precedes to bring the young girl back to life.

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Sermon Video: God will preserve his people, increasing his glory - Jude 24-25

Having just instructed the Church to show mercy to those who doubt, Jude now encourages all believers by assuring us that God is capable of keeping us from stumbling (whether through our own failures or any outside attack), and thus present us before his throne, WITHOUT FAULT! This is the culmination of the Christian hope: To stand in the presence of God, not only free from accusation, but clothed in the righteousness of Christ. This promise that God will finish what he has begun in each of us offers to us great comfort when things are difficult, and motivation to be self-sacrificial toward the mission of the Kingdom of God. Lastly, Jude ends by speaking of the timeless nature of God's glory, majesty, power, and authority, all of which existed before God became the Creator, and all of which will only increase and more and more people are brought into the family of God by faith in Him.

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Sermon Video: The Promise to Abraham fulfilled by Jesus - Luke 1:39-56

Following her incredible encounter with Gabriel, Mary journeys to visit her older cousin Elizabeth, who herself is in the midst of a miraculous, although natural, pregnancy.  When Mary arrives, the Spirit moves both Elizabeth, and John in her womb, to acknowledge the magnitude of what the will of God is beginning to accomplish through the child Mary is bearing.
After Elizabeth's blessing, Mary responds with a humble speech, full of references to the Scriptures and modeled after that of Hannah, which extols the glory and righteousness of God, and ends with an acknowledgement that God is indeed remembering the promise that he made to Abraham to bless all nations through his descendants.  Within one generation of Mary's words, the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be preached even beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, establishing a Church that would grow to encompass more of humanity than any other creed.

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Sermon Video: Israel crosses the Jordan River - Joshua 3

The crossing of the Jordan River by the people of Israel as they entered at last into the Promised Land need not have required a miracle.  The people could have entered into the land using a variety of means, but were directed to cross the Jordan, while it was at flood stage, for a very specific reason: God wanted to demonstrate his power to his people once more, and at the same time, to show that Joshua was his chosen leader.

For God, the performing of miracles is not a burden, nor a challenge, the focus then in scripture when we encounter God working miracles is the question: How do the people respond to seeing God at work?  In this case, the response required of the people by God was simple, they need only watch the priests enter the river carrying the Ark and then cross the river once its flow had been interrupted.

What then do we glean from reading about the crossing of the Jordan by Israel?  As the Church, we too know that when God chooses to act that the availability of power will not be an issue.  Like Israel who had God among them, the blessing of having God in our midst (via the Holy Spirit indwelling believers) assures us that amazing things are entirely possible when we obey his Word.

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Sermon Video: Be Strong and Courageous - Joshua 1

** Note, we are utilizing new sound equipment for recording the sermons; hopefully you will notice considerable improvement.**

As Joshua prepares to take over the leadership role of Israel following the death of Moses, the LORD encourages Joshua with specific and powerful promises that he will be with Joshua as he was with Moses and that "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  In light of his word, the LORD tells Joshua to "Be strong and courageous" as he leads the people across the Jordan into the land that God has promised to give to the people of Israel.  The encouragement to be strong and courageous is repeated three times in the chapter, and the emphasis that God will give the land to Israel is repeated five times. 

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Sermon Video: "resting on the hope of eternal life" - Titus 1:1-4

In this introductory message for an ongoing series that will cover the Apostle Paul's letter to his protege Titus, the background information concerning this book of the Bible is briefly explored prior to focusing on the greeting of Paul to Titus which speaks of Paul's role as a servant of Jesus Christ for the sake of the faith, knowledge, truth, and godliness of God's elect which is predicated upon the hope of eternal life.  The certainty that Christian's can have, regarding life after death, is not based upon experience or logic, but rather rest wholly, and yet completely soundly, upon the character of God.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ proved the power of God to overcome death, but it is the faithfulness of God which gives us hope that his promises to us will certainly come true.  Christ walked the road from death to new life, we can trust his word that if we place our hope in him, we will follow in due time.  The implications of this truth are profound and varied for Christians, offering us perspective for life now and taking away the universal and ancient fear of death and replacing it with hope in the word of God.

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Sermon Video - "The battle is not yours, but God's" 2 Chronicles 20

                After barely escaping his disastrous alliance with Ahab, King Jehoshaphat returns to Jerusalem where he faces rebuke from God’s prophet.  Jehoshaphat proves his character by taking the criticism, and returning to the work he should have been doing, the administration of justice and support of God’s Law for his people.  In the midst of this renewed effort to be the type of king the people of God need, calamity strikes without warning: Jehoshaphat is informed of a league of three kingdoms to the east that have joined to invade Judah, and they’re already on this side of the Jordan River.

                In the midst of a crisis that could end his kingdom and destroy his people if not thwarted, Jehoshaphat turns not to his palace to meet with his generals, but to the temple to lead the assembled people of God in prayer.  With the invading army only a day away, Jehoshaphat prays before the people, recalling God’s seat upon the throne of heaven, his promise to Abraham, and ending by recalling that his ancestors had shown mercy to the Edomites who are now amongst those invading Judah, which leads to a call for God to show justice.

                The response to Jehoshaphat’s powerful prayer is impressive: God speaks through a Levite in attendance at this assembly in the temple courtyard to assure his people that they need not be afraid even of an approaching army, for “the battle is not yours, but God’s”.  This is the key truth for Jehoshaphat and for us today.  The true battle between Good and Evil was never ours to win or lose, it was always the responsibility of God, and the outcome of victory was never in doubt.  The champion of the cause of right is the Lamb of God, who is indeed worthy.

                The battle is God’s, but his people still need to put on their armor and take the field.  Jehoshaphat leads the army out of Jerusalem with a choir of men in front praising God, “Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever.”  As the people praise, God throws the enemy army into confusion and they turn upon each other and destroy themselves.  What was the key to victory?  The power of God fulfilling his Word.  And how was that power accessed?  By the fervent prayer of his people, gathered together, and their subsequent steps of obedience in faithful trust. 

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Sermon Video: "Where is your faith?", Luke 8:22-25

Today is a good day, things are fine, but there’s no guarantee it will end that way.  Life is like that, one moment you’re floating across a calm sea on a sunny day, the next you’re being battered by the winds and the waves and just hoping to live to see tomorrow.  For the disciples, that scenario literally played out as they went across the Sea of Galilee with Jesus as their boat was in danger of being swamped by a sudden storm.  The disciples, certain that death was imminent, awaken Jesus who rebukes the wind and the waves and saves their lives. 

As the storm subsides, Jesus asks them, “Where is your faith?”  Most preachers or commentators would then talk about how the disciples needed to have more faith, needed to ignore the danger and trust God.  While that is true, it doesn’t answer the difficult questions about our doubts and fears, nor does it tell us what to do while we wait for God to calm our particular storm, or what we should do if God chooses to let us endure through our trial, even if it costs us our life.

We know that God is capable of calming any storm, Jesus’ power over nature is only a glimpse at what God can do, but we also know that God chooses, from our perspective at least, to intervene only a minority of the time.  The explanation that we’ve been given for this discrepancy by Paul’s words in Romans 8:28-29 may partially explain some of the difficulties that we go through in life, (that they’re part of refining our character and helping us become Christ-like) but still leaves us with many unanswered questions.  Ultimately, the only answer that we can obtain in this life is the answer that God gave to Job, in essence, you’re not capable of understanding the answer to your question, you need to trust me.

What is the purpose of faith?  It isn’t to get my own way and protect me from all harm, nor is it to keep us from having to go through hardships and suffering.  The purpose of faith is to allow us to continue to trust in the love of God through the dark times so that we can hold on to the hope that God has promised those who love him.

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