These messages are presented by Rev. Mark Hendrickson and Rev. Stefanie Hendrickson. For the full manuscript of these sermons go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “sermons.”
Illusions are perspectives and actions that trick the mind into
believing one thing is really something entirely different. Illusions are
misleading and give us a false sense or belief about something. It is impossible
to see the full scope of this passage without reading the verses before and
after—15:1-9 and 15:21-28. The Pharisees and scribes are again trying
to corner Jesus by attempting to expose His “heretical” beliefs
about God. How could a teacher dare to suggest that the rules and organization
of our beliefs, our religion be missing the point? But Jesus challenges the
Pharisee’s choices—their religious lifestyle is an illusion of
a life changed by the grace and holiness of God. God desires that our hearts
be changed, not just the motions we go through each Sunday.
The passage following the sermon text illustrates Jesus’
call to purity of heart lived out. The Canaanite woman’s heart reveals
a “great faith” despite not living a “clean” Jewish
life. In spite of her non-churched status, the Canaanite woman “got
it”—her heart leaned wholly on God for the very life of her daughter.
God is calling us to align who we are with what we do. Simply
following the rules doesn’t guarantee or prove a life lived with holiness
of heart and mind. It means you can follow the rules—if not the spirit
of the rules. Jesus turns to the crowd in verse 10 and tells them to “understand”
or to “put it together”—you can’t be a follower of
God if your heart is filled with impurities. A contaminated heart can’t
truly worship or follow God; it can only spew forth pollution.
This passage, and the two before and after it, are heavy with
sermon possibilities. A great holiness sermon—living your entire life
to God—could come from Jesus’ call to turn our whole life (including
our hearts) to Him. The life of the Church could also be addressed. Do we
church attendees slip into the routine of “doing church” and forget
to nurture the heart of our relationship with God (loving God and loving our
neighbors)? Whichever approach you take, know that God calls us to offer Him
everything, even the heart of our lives.
To be in possession of a city’s gate meant you had conquered
that city. What are the possibilities in our life if what Jesus is saying
here is true? What if the gates of Hades can’t prevail against us? What
does it look like to know that Jesus has already conquered the “city”
of Hades—that the gates are being held in-check—and we don’t
have to wonder when the next attack is. Our house—the Church—can’t
be blown down by the big bad wolf. Satan can huff and puff and try to blow
it down—but it’s not coming down.
Do your people (including you) live like that is reality? Or
do we live like God and Satan possess equal amounts of power? It’s an
easy deception to believe—that God is the good power of the universe
and Satan is the bad power of the universe—they are equal powers battling
each other. Our immediate response is “No, of course I don’t believe
that!” But what does our day-to-day life reveal? The power of God has
already won the battle. We aren’t promised a life without struggles
or hardships (Jesus is clear that we will face troubles). However, we have
the promise that God will go with us. We have the confidence in knowing that
God, the One who travels with us in good and bad times, has already defeated
Satan and the gates of Hades.
The Old Testament lectionary passages for the next few weeks
cover some of the main events of the Exodus. In the course of the Old Testament,
Exodus can be seen as the “main thing.” Nearly everything preceding
the crossing of the Red Sea can be seen as pointing toward that event while
what follows can be seen pointing back to it. This is the place where the
descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob become a nation. In the centuries
that follow, Yahweh continually refers to himself as “the God who brought
you out of Egypt.” Since Exodus truly is a focal point of Old Testament
theology and narrative, it is important that our people hear about it beyond
Charlton Heston reruns.
This week’s passage recounts two major events: the call
and response of Moses, and the revelation of God’s name. It is important
to notice Moses’ journey back to Egypt, God’s call and Moses’
response, and the transformation of Moses’ life. Moses fits the mold
of the classic Old Testament prophet: he resides in the wilderness, he’s
poor, he receives an epiphany from the Lord, and he brings God’s message
of redemption to the people.
However, many times we preachers focus so much on Moses in this
passage that we miss the magnitude of God’s revelation that is also
occurring. The revelation of the divine name in verses 14-15 carries massive
importance for the entire Old Testament.
As we preach this “burning bush” passage, remember
the big picture of God’s redemptive work among His people. Our goal
is to provoke similar moments among our people; moments when they hear God’s
call and respond with “Here I am,” knowing that the Lord “will
be” with us.
This week’s passage tells the story of the first Passover.
In the course of the Exodus narrative, this passage occurs immediately before
the 10th and final plague: the plague of the firstborn. God is in the midst
of revealing His power to both the Israelites and the Egyptians, making it
clear to everyone that Yahweh alone is God. He has remembered the suffering
of His people and is bringing them out of captivity.
The command to observe the Passover throughout the generations
(v. 14) is not accidental. The people are to remember the night when God brought
them out of Egypt and made them a nation. So important is this event that
the people are to reset their calendars according to its date (v. 1). The
Passover is to bring in the new year for the people of Israel.
This passage can be seen as the fulfillment of God’s promises
to Abraham, in which Yahweh tells Abraham that he will become a great nation
with its own land. Through the miracle of Passover, the tribes of Israel will
not die as slaves in Egypt. They will be free and come into the land of milk
and honey. As such, God’s people are people of promise. The promise
continues through the New Testament to the present day. It was no mistake
Jesus chose Passover to celebrate the Last Supper with His disciples. They,
too, were to live as people of promise, as are we.
Preaching this passage is an opportunity for our people, who
live in a world full of broken promises, to experience the God who keeps His
promises. We too have the opportunity to live as people of hope in the midst
of despair and oppression.
The Red Sea crossing narrative is the defining story of the
Old Testament. In this event, God’s people are transformed from an enslaved,
hopeless, scared collection of tribes into the free, united people of God
who are journeying toward the Promised Land.
Yahweh’s purposes in this passage are twofold: He is revealing
himself and He is redeeming His people. Through the events of the Exodus,
God reveals himself to Israelites and Egyptians alike, so that they “shall
know that I am the Lord” (14:4). He is teaching the world what will
become Commandment One: You shall have no other gods before Me. The parting
of the Red Sea is a demonstration of God’s power.
An interesting textual clue is found in verse 21: “The
Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night . . .” The Hebrew
word for “wind” is the word “Ru¯ach” which is
elsewhere translated as “spirit.” It is helpful to think God parted
the sea through the power of the Spirit.
God’s revelation has a purpose. All of this occurs so
that God’s people might be redeemed from captivity. The God who demonstrates
His power over the Egyptians and the elements is a redeeming God. One of the
major themes of the Scriptures is the Divine-human relationship is redemptive
in nature. God gets involved in creation in order to redeem, restore, and
transform it.
In preaching this passage, we have the opportunity to help our people connect
with the fact the same God who so powerfully redeems Israel wants to redeem
us as well. This is not the cuddly, teddy-bear God we read about in Christian
bookstores. This is God unleashed, and this is the God we ask to come live
inside us. Mr. Beaver states toward the end of C.S. Lewis’ book, The
Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, “He’s wild, you know. Not like
a tame lion.”
This week’s passage is the first of many instances during
which the people of Israel complain against the Lord. It’s as if the
people have terrible short-term memories: they seem to forget the incredible
display of God’s power and faithfulness at the Red Sea. Instead, they
tend to live almost totally in the moment, concerned only for their present
needs. Faced with growling stomachs, they go as far as to reject God’s
redemption. “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land
of Egypt” they say (16:3, nrsv). At this point, their momentary hunger
completely overwhelms thoughts of the Promised Land and freedom. They would
rather die as slaves, as long as they have full bellies.
The Lord, however, has something more important to teach them.
By feeding the people through daily quantities of manna and quail, God calls
His people to utter dependence upon Him. Living “in the moment”
is not such a bad thing, so long as each moment depends on the grace of God.
They must trust Him now just as much as they trusted Him during the Passover
and the Exodus. The life God gives is new every morning.
In his book, Plain Account of Christian Perfection, John Wesley
describes the holy life in similar terms. Speaking of those who had experienced
entire sanctification, he says, “None feel their need for Christ like
these; none so entirely depend on Him.”1 Like the life of Israel, the
life of holiness relies on the grace of God each day, understanding how utterly
lost we are without it. Preaching this passage is an opportunity to call our
people to such a life.
In this week’s passage we discover the people of Israel
again complaining against God and forgetting about God’s faithfulness.
And again, God proves His faithfulness to and provision for His people. This
becomes the pattern between God and Israel, and is one of the major themes
of the Old Testament. The people forget the Lord and fall into sin and doubt.
The Lord sends a prophet (in this case Moses) to call the people to repentance
and faith in God. The people trust the Lord and He provides a solution. Eventually
the people forget again and the cycle repeats itself.
The water-from-a-rock passage expands the theme of dependence
upon God from last week’s sermon. Humans cannot survive for long without
water. God didn’t direct them to an oasis, have them dig a well, or
guide them to a river. In this instance, God provides what they need to survive,
and He does it in such a way that no one can deny the water—and their
life—came from Him alone.
Our culture is infatuated with the idea of “do-it-yourself.”
From remodeling our kitchens to changing our sparkplugs to constructing the
perfect scrapbook, we love doing it ourselves. Preaching this week’s
passage is an opportunity to remind our people (and ourselves) that our life
in God is not a D.I.Y. project. As Israel was reminded by the rock that day,
God is the source of our life.
This week’s passage is one of the more famous passages
in the Bible. The Ten Commandments are posted in our buildings, found in our
artwork, and learned by our children in Bible school. Legal battles are waged
over displaying them in public buildings and schools.
Notice how many times the words “I am” appear in
Exodus 20. The covenant-commands God gives to His people are a direct reminder
of revelation to Moses at the burning bush: His very name means “I am
who I am” or “I will be who I will be.” In this light, commandment
one takes on a whole new significance: “I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall
have no other gods before Me” (20:2-3). The Ten Commandments are not
merely a set of God-given rules. They are rooted in the very identity of God
and His promises to His people. Each of the following commandments are derived
from number one: if the people truly worshipped Yahweh as first in everything,
murder, adultery, covetousness and the like will cease. The problem is God’s
people, including those living in the present-day, repeatedly fail at commandment
number one.
As we preach this passage, we must go deeper than the court
cases and school board meetings. Simply displaying the Ten Commandments will
not change our world. God’s people must live by them. Instead of using
the commandments as a club with which to brow-beat “sinners,”
how would our lives (and our churches) change if we lived-out the first commandment?
What would happen if we lived every moment with no other gods but the Lord?
To me, that sounds like holiness of heart and life.
Patience is a virtue for a reason—it’s not easy
to patiently wait for something. In our world of instant rebates, fast food,
and immediate rewards we have trained ourselves to not wait—and impatiently
so. The flip side of our impatient lifestyle is procrastination—putting
off until tomorrow what we could and probably should do today. We can’t
be bothered, bogged down, or face the inevitable—we just table it until
later.
Procrastination, however, can come back to haunt us in the future.
What we so readily pushed to the back of our minds and schedules quickly reappears—and
with vengeance. The same is true in the kingdom of God—procrastination
can be the difference between entering the kingdom or sitting outside. When
faced with God’s invitation to His kingdom we must make a decision.
If we choose to say yes, we must waste no time to “be prepared”
always, waiting patiently for the wedding feast to begin.
Jesus’ parable, also found in Luke 14, asks us directly—will
to choose to be ready and waiting or will you choose to procrastinate? Our
congregation, and those we are reaching out to, are invited join God’s
kingdom now.
Their words were overly sweet—dripping with comments they
did not really mean. The disguise of mock flattery did not cover their true
intentions—to trap Jesus. If they could just corner Him into saying
“yes” or “no” to their question, someone was sure
to take notice and take action. Saying yes ensured that the Zealots (they
didn’t believe God’s people should be subject to pagan Gentiles)
and other Jewish groups would be against His teaching and ministry. Saying
no would draw attention from Roman authorities prohibiting rebellions against
the State.
Through all this, Jesus points out the error in the Pharisees’
and Herodians’ question: God gives us everything. Indeed, give to Caesar
what is Caesar’s but don’t forget that it is God who gives you
everything you have. Therefore, it is God whom we owe everything—not
just our 10 percent tithe, but our whole being. Instead of asking God which
parts He wants, we are called to give over everything we have and are to Him.
Our life of holiness does not allow us to pick and choose what
we want to give to God. Holiness is a lifestyle that recognizes we can not
divide our lives into compartments—slices of a pie to be hoarded or
shared at will. God wants us to give back to Him that which He gave us—everything.
It is said that rabbis believed that the world hangs on three
things: Torah, Temple service, and deeds of loving-kindness. These three things
were the hinges that kept everything together and moving. As the list of how
these “hinges” were to work and look in the lives of everyday
people grew (eventually the Pharisees observed 613), people became bogged
down in the details. Living a godly life became keeping track of each detail
of the numerous laws, being careful to not skip a beat.
The Pharisees saw an opportunity—Jesus had silenced the
Sadducees—and they wanted to test Him. Can you choose the best, most
important of all the laws? Which is the most perfect, all-encompassing, descriptive
of who we are? Jesus confounds their efforts, pointing these religious teachers,
interpreters, and observers to the very marrow of the law: love God, love
neighbor. It is impossible to fulfill the details of the law without loving
God and loving your neighbor. You can run through the motions, but you will
fail to embrace the meaning and journey of God’s redemptive actions
in your lives.
Do you have congregation members (or perhaps yourself) who are
swamped with “church” things to be done? Do people in your congregation
find themselves busy doing God’s work and missing the life that God
has called them to? Allow God to call you to love.
Jesus, echoing the words of God to the prophet Micah, points
out to the disciples the inconsistencies of the religious people around them.
It’s a classic example of “do as I say, not as I do.” The
Pharisees and scribes knew the right words and the right teaching, but failed
to follow those words and teachings themselves. Jesus’ warning, “do
whatever they teach you . . . but do not do as they do,” brings reality
into sharp focus (v. 3, nrsv). Despite the correctness in their words, the
Pharisees didn’t follow their own teachings. They make a nice “religious”
show to watch, but their priorities are a bit out of place.
As modern day Christians, it’s easy for us to look to
the Bible and see the inconsistencies of the Pharisees and “religious”
folks. They are actually rubbing elbows with God and yet can’t see Him
for who He is. They’d rather have Him killed than deal with the life-changing
message He brought. They proclaimed holiness but offered empty, meaningless
worship to God (it might have looked impressive, but lacked substance according
to Jesus). They decreed God’s mercy as steadfast and yet failed to share
compassion with the outsiders, unwanted, dirty, and unpopular amongst them.
It’s unbelievable they had the gull to say one thing and do another!
What would Jesus have to say about us today? Do we have inconsistencies
in our talk and walk? We proclaim holiness of heart and life, but do we embrace
it and live it? We have to stop and take stock of our life. As followers of
Christ we must not get to the place where the outward signs and actions are
the main point of our faith. Yes, they are important, but they must be consistent
with what God calls us to—holiness.
My father earned the rank of Eagle Scout. I remember seeing
the newspaper clipping with his picture announcing the achievement. From a
young age I heard about various requirements, experiences, and knowledge my
father learned from the scouting program. One thing I remember vividly is
the Boy Scouts of America’s motto: Be prepared.
There is a story surrounding the motto and the founder of scouting,
Baden-Powell. Once asked what we needed to be prepared for, Baden-Powell replied,
“Why, for any old thing.”2 Besides the obvious situations—first
aid, life-saving practices, and so on—the founder wanted scouts to prepare
to be productive citizen and give happiness to others. Preparation is for
the entire scope of the scouts’ life—not just for situation-by-situation
moments in life.
Christ, in His parable of the ten bridesmaids, is calling the
Church to “be prepared.” It’s not enough to know of the
invitation to the wedding. Nor is it enough to know what you need to bring,
once the wedding starts. As followers of Christ, we are called to be prepare
at all times for the chapel doors to be thrown open and the wedding march
to begin. Christianity is not a lackadaisical practice, but a calling to discipline
that shapes our lives and hones our relationship with God and neighbor.
You have undoubtedly heard this parable many times. Some of
you may have experienced this parable in a church settings—perhaps a
challenge to use your talents for God. It’s easy to wrap up and pack
away those things we’ve heard over and over—thinking we’ve
heard it all before. The challenge is to allow God to show you a new light
of His truth.
Despite the various amounts of talents given to the servants,
how many talents isn’t the issue in this parable. Jesus notes that each
servant was given “to his ability” (v. 15, nrsv). God will not
overload us or under-stock us when it comes to abilities and graces. That
is good news to share with our people—God gives each of us abilities
and graces according to who we are. The bad news is that neglecting our talents
leads to judgment. It’s not enough to say, “I’ve kept those
talents you gave me sitting on my shelf, away from danger.” You have
to engage the talents God gives you.
Have you noticed the fear of the third servant? He doesn’t
invest or use his talent because he’s lazy or stupid. He fears the risk
he will have to take in order to use that talent. Have you faced a time when
God was calling you to something and your immediate response was fear? What
if that person rejects me? What if the church fails to grow? What about my
family? How can all of this work out with these circumstances? In moments
like these we forget that God is God. We forget that His grace goes before
us (we do believe in prevenient grace) and He gives to us talents according
to our abilities. Take that first step.
Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats portrays a harsh
reality. How we treat the poor, sick, and imprisoned—the “outcasts”
of our society—has a direct bearing on our relationship with God and
our future. Jesus’ parable sets it out clearly. Those who responded
to others with the love of God (remember the greatest commandment—love
God, love neighbor) were ushered into the kingdom. And those who did not share
God’s love with those around them were to depart from God “into
the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (v. 41, nrsv).
Harsh. There is no second chance to perform great deeds. No hearing will be
scheduled to explain why you just didn’t have the time amongst all the
church activities. You either have lived the compassion of God or you haven’t.
What a harsh picture reality Jesus paints for us.
What if He really means the lesson in this parable? What if
Jesus is being completely serious when He tells those around Him that just
being a good boy or girl doesn’t guarantee entrance into the kingdom
of God. The seriousness of the repercussions of our actions demands that we
take action now. Are we earnest in our relationship with God? If so we can’t
ignore His directive to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the
naked, take care of the sick, and visit the imprisoned. Much like the servant
with the one talent we must decide that fear can not stop us from following
the lead of God.
John Wesley, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection. Kansas City: Beacon
Hill Press. 1966, 53.
Be Prepared. http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsmotto.asp (accessed February
18, 2008).
