18th Sunday after Pentecost 10/16/11 New Every Morning sermon 5 of 5
18th Sunday after Pentecost
10/16/11
Text: Lamentations 3:22-24
Title: New Every Morning; 30 Days of Spiritual Renewal sermon 5 of 5
This is the last part of our sermon series that is based upon Lamentations 3:22–24: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
Every Sunday we gather to receive the Gospel of God’s incredible love through his Word and Supper. We learn through his Word that he gave His Son to die on the cross that we might have eternal life. We receive in his Supper forgiveness, salvation and the promise of eternal life.
Thus supported, strengthened, and renewed, we respond to all that God has done for us. The Scriptures say that God’s mercies are continually renewed for us every morning. Our commitment to God then should also be renewed each morning.
Just as there are things in a marriage that can help you grow closer to the one you love there are things that you can do that will drive you further apart. Your relationship with God is no different, for there are specific things that you can do to help you grow closer to God, as well as things that you can do that will drive you further away from him.
And just as I hope you are working daily to do things that draw you closer together to your spouse, I pray that you are also doing things that will draw you closer to God every day.
Our study began five weeks ago and has posed several questions for us to consider concerning our relationship with God. I first asked what would happen if we begin every day in God’s Word? What if we begin every day in prayer? What if we agreed to speak positively in every situation? What if we seek the face of God first in all things? And now the final question: What would happen if every member of this congregation opened themselves up to the abundance of God every day?
This is what I mean by opening yourself up to the abundance of God every day. The Bible tells us in Ephesians that God can do much more than we can ever think or imagine. And I want to remind you, in case that you might have forgotten, that we serve a God of abundance. As our nation finds itself deep in a recession, we do not hear the word abundance too often. As Christians we often fall into trap of hearing the word abundance and thinking immediately of material blessings. We do this because we are material people living in a material world. I would remind you that according to God’s Word material things, as important as they are to us, are the least of all of God’s blessings to us.
Surprised? You really should not be for God’s Word clearly tells us that his first blessing of abundance is in our spiritual life. Listen to God speak to us in Romans 5:17: “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”
In this passage we very clearly see the extent of God’s abundance through a contrast. We see how death reigned in the trespass of one man as Adam and Eve disobeyed God and brought sin and death into this world. But that death is contrasted with abundant life. Scripture calls Christ the Second Adam, and just as death reigned through one man, through his trespass, now life is going to reign, and reign abundantly through the sacrifice of the one man; the Son of God.
Remember, when we are born, just by our being human, we became enemies of God, sinful and hostile toward him. And yet through Christ we are made alive. It is a resurrection that takes place inside of us that physically we are not aware of, but spiritually we know to be true, because that is what the Word of God proclaims to you and me.
And it is that abundance that is found God’s greatest gift to us. For we are told in God’s Word to us that if a person has every material possession in the world but yet his or her soul is dead, is that abundance? Would you trade your abundance of spiritual life for any material gain? I would pray not.
One of my favorite Scripture stories is when Jesus heals a paralytic man. Jesus was preaching, and there was a paralyzed man whose friends wanted to bring him before Jesus. But try as they might, the crowd surrounding the house where Jesus was preaching was just too large. So they took him up on the roof, knocked a hole in the roof, and lowered the paralyzed man down.
There he is, paralyzed and lying on a mat, being lowered through the roof of a house by his friends. And the first thing that Jesus says to him is not, “Get up, pick up your mat and go!” something we would think of being of the utmost importance, but “My son, your sins are forgiven.”
But, surprise, surprise Jesus did not first heal his body and then talk to him about his soul. Jesus gave the crippled man the best gift Jesus could give him; abundant life; that is the forgiveness of sins, the salvation of his soul and body in the resurrection. That was the best gift Jesus could give him and we need to remember that regardless of whatever physical circumstance we may find ourselves in that our receiving the gift of life in our baptism we have received life that is so abundant that it will last for eternity.
The second blessing of abundance that we receive from God is when we are obedient to His Word. These are the blessings of obedience. We read in Deuteronomy 30:16: “If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in His ways, and by keeping His commandments and His statutes and His rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you.”
Simply put, when we are obedient to God’s Word, we are blessed by God in this world. Now I have no idea what form those blessings are going to take, but I know they will be good, for you will receive his abundant blessings.
Sadly too many of us have taken another path, the path of not following God’s commands where we make choices that are not in obedience to His will or contradict what he wants. I don’t care how good or right something may feel. If you are not following God’s will you are denying yourself God’s blessings. We do not receive the blessing of obedience through disobedience. You can read account after account of God’s people not following God’s commandments in God’s Word and see clearly that you do not receive his abundant blessings by not following his commandments.
There are texts after texts in God’s Word that show us that when we follow God’s commands we are abundantly blessed. In Malachi 3:10 which is usually read on stewardship Sunday we read, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”
While this verse is often used to encourage sacrificial giving toward the support of the congregation’s mission, it is really not about that, but God challenging each one of us to test him, so that we can be blessed abundantly. Why then don’t we test God as he tells us to do? I don’t have the answer for that, but I think it is that we really don’t believe what he is telling us which leads to be deprived of God’s abundant blessings.
Obedience to God is hard. It is hard to love your neighbor as yourself. It is hard to love your enemies. It is hard to meditate on God’s Word every day. It is hard to sacrifice your valuable time for prayer and for worship. It is hard to sacrificially give of your resources. Yes, it is hard.
But it is also worth it because it is obedience of God’s Word that opens us up to the blessings. And I have yet to find anyone who has come to me and said that the blessings were not worth the effort.
God’s Word is truth, and God’s Word reminds us and tells us again and again about the character of our God. God loves us and He wants to give us good things. Listen to Psalm 36:7–9 where the psalmist tells us about God and blessings,
“How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light.”
Do you want God to abundantly bless you? I hope so. If you are not presently doing a daily Bible devotion or if you are already are doing a daily Bible devotion I have printed out for each of you a 30 day Bible study based on this sermon series I have just finished, “New Every Morning.”
There is a big stack on the table in the narthex’; enough for each family. If we run out, I will print more. Please take one, for you will learn, as you do the daily devotions much about God and his wonderful love and abundant blessings, for they are new every morning. Amen.
10/16/11
Text: Lamentations 3:22-24
Title: New Every Morning; 30 Days of Spiritual Renewal sermon 5 of 5
This is the last part of our sermon series that is based upon Lamentations 3:22–24: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
Every Sunday we gather to receive the Gospel of God’s incredible love through his Word and Supper. We learn through his Word that he gave His Son to die on the cross that we might have eternal life. We receive in his Supper forgiveness, salvation and the promise of eternal life.
Thus supported, strengthened, and renewed, we respond to all that God has done for us. The Scriptures say that God’s mercies are continually renewed for us every morning. Our commitment to God then should also be renewed each morning.
Just as there are things in a marriage that can help you grow closer to the one you love there are things that you can do that will drive you further apart. Your relationship with God is no different, for there are specific things that you can do to help you grow closer to God, as well as things that you can do that will drive you further away from him.
And just as I hope you are working daily to do things that draw you closer together to your spouse, I pray that you are also doing things that will draw you closer to God every day.
Our study began five weeks ago and has posed several questions for us to consider concerning our relationship with God. I first asked what would happen if we begin every day in God’s Word? What if we begin every day in prayer? What if we agreed to speak positively in every situation? What if we seek the face of God first in all things? And now the final question: What would happen if every member of this congregation opened themselves up to the abundance of God every day?
This is what I mean by opening yourself up to the abundance of God every day. The Bible tells us in Ephesians that God can do much more than we can ever think or imagine. And I want to remind you, in case that you might have forgotten, that we serve a God of abundance. As our nation finds itself deep in a recession, we do not hear the word abundance too often. As Christians we often fall into trap of hearing the word abundance and thinking immediately of material blessings. We do this because we are material people living in a material world. I would remind you that according to God’s Word material things, as important as they are to us, are the least of all of God’s blessings to us.
Surprised? You really should not be for God’s Word clearly tells us that his first blessing of abundance is in our spiritual life. Listen to God speak to us in Romans 5:17: “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”
In this passage we very clearly see the extent of God’s abundance through a contrast. We see how death reigned in the trespass of one man as Adam and Eve disobeyed God and brought sin and death into this world. But that death is contrasted with abundant life. Scripture calls Christ the Second Adam, and just as death reigned through one man, through his trespass, now life is going to reign, and reign abundantly through the sacrifice of the one man; the Son of God.
Remember, when we are born, just by our being human, we became enemies of God, sinful and hostile toward him. And yet through Christ we are made alive. It is a resurrection that takes place inside of us that physically we are not aware of, but spiritually we know to be true, because that is what the Word of God proclaims to you and me.
And it is that abundance that is found God’s greatest gift to us. For we are told in God’s Word to us that if a person has every material possession in the world but yet his or her soul is dead, is that abundance? Would you trade your abundance of spiritual life for any material gain? I would pray not.
One of my favorite Scripture stories is when Jesus heals a paralytic man. Jesus was preaching, and there was a paralyzed man whose friends wanted to bring him before Jesus. But try as they might, the crowd surrounding the house where Jesus was preaching was just too large. So they took him up on the roof, knocked a hole in the roof, and lowered the paralyzed man down.
There he is, paralyzed and lying on a mat, being lowered through the roof of a house by his friends. And the first thing that Jesus says to him is not, “Get up, pick up your mat and go!” something we would think of being of the utmost importance, but “My son, your sins are forgiven.”
But, surprise, surprise Jesus did not first heal his body and then talk to him about his soul. Jesus gave the crippled man the best gift Jesus could give him; abundant life; that is the forgiveness of sins, the salvation of his soul and body in the resurrection. That was the best gift Jesus could give him and we need to remember that regardless of whatever physical circumstance we may find ourselves in that our receiving the gift of life in our baptism we have received life that is so abundant that it will last for eternity.
The second blessing of abundance that we receive from God is when we are obedient to His Word. These are the blessings of obedience. We read in Deuteronomy 30:16: “If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in His ways, and by keeping His commandments and His statutes and His rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you.”
Simply put, when we are obedient to God’s Word, we are blessed by God in this world. Now I have no idea what form those blessings are going to take, but I know they will be good, for you will receive his abundant blessings.
Sadly too many of us have taken another path, the path of not following God’s commands where we make choices that are not in obedience to His will or contradict what he wants. I don’t care how good or right something may feel. If you are not following God’s will you are denying yourself God’s blessings. We do not receive the blessing of obedience through disobedience. You can read account after account of God’s people not following God’s commandments in God’s Word and see clearly that you do not receive his abundant blessings by not following his commandments.
There are texts after texts in God’s Word that show us that when we follow God’s commands we are abundantly blessed. In Malachi 3:10 which is usually read on stewardship Sunday we read, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”
While this verse is often used to encourage sacrificial giving toward the support of the congregation’s mission, it is really not about that, but God challenging each one of us to test him, so that we can be blessed abundantly. Why then don’t we test God as he tells us to do? I don’t have the answer for that, but I think it is that we really don’t believe what he is telling us which leads to be deprived of God’s abundant blessings.
Obedience to God is hard. It is hard to love your neighbor as yourself. It is hard to love your enemies. It is hard to meditate on God’s Word every day. It is hard to sacrifice your valuable time for prayer and for worship. It is hard to sacrificially give of your resources. Yes, it is hard.
But it is also worth it because it is obedience of God’s Word that opens us up to the blessings. And I have yet to find anyone who has come to me and said that the blessings were not worth the effort.
God’s Word is truth, and God’s Word reminds us and tells us again and again about the character of our God. God loves us and He wants to give us good things. Listen to Psalm 36:7–9 where the psalmist tells us about God and blessings,
“How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light.”
Do you want God to abundantly bless you? I hope so. If you are not presently doing a daily Bible devotion or if you are already are doing a daily Bible devotion I have printed out for each of you a 30 day Bible study based on this sermon series I have just finished, “New Every Morning.”
There is a big stack on the table in the narthex’; enough for each family. If we run out, I will print more. Please take one, for you will learn, as you do the daily devotions much about God and his wonderful love and abundant blessings, for they are new every morning. Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 12:05 PM
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