Sermon November 17,
2013 For I am About to Create a New Heaven and a New Earth
Old Testament – Isaiah 65: 17:25
Today’s passage is a reminder that Change happens
constantly. Sometimes we are ready for it and most of the time we are not. We get comfortable in the
way things are. Our story from Isaiah is about God Speaking to a people who
once had a way of life that is now lost, and like all of us we sometimes think
about the way things were in the past.
Life had been good for the Israelites ( or so it seemed) right up to the time
Babylonians came to town, killed many of their family and friends, carried off
the youngest and the best into a foreign land, occupied their homes and ate
heartily from gardens that they, the people of Judah, had cultivated so
carefully.
In many ways, the Christian churches today are like
the Jews who dream of the past. So many
people remember the glory of the 1950’s and 60’s when the mainline churches
were full and active, and the people gathered each Sunday for Sunday school and
worship, and a picnic on the grounds. But like the Jews we are struggling to
let go and move forward. And with some
of the changes in front of us we are screaming NO…….
Wesley believed God had raised the “People called
Methodist…to reform the nation, particularly the church, and to spread
scriptural holiness over the land” (The Works of John Wesley, 1998).
In our Church Charge conference Sunday night it was
alluded to that to move forward maybe we should go back to our roots and review
how we became the fastest growing denomination for a long time. The problem is holiness and Sin do not
mix. We all struggle that what we used
to consider Sin is now being flaunted in our face to accept. That’s like mixing oil and water.
But the hope that God gives us all is in these
words:
Look! I’m creating a new heaven and a new earth.
Psalms Psalm 118 :14-29
The Lord is my strength and my power; the Lord has
become my salvation. V.14
Without God we are nothing and can do nothing. He
empowers us to go great and mighty things in his name. He has commissioned us
to go and spread the gospel and to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So often we find when we try to do something and do
not rely on Him it seems to fall apart. Once we accept The Light our path
becomes clearer. God gives us success.
We are to give thanks and Praise His Holy name. v. 29 O give thanks to the Lord, who is good;
for God’s steadfast love endures for ever!
Epistle 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Two directives are the focus of this passage: avoid
people who are not followers of Paul and his group, and avoid unruliness. Paul is critical of their idle actions and
encourages them to do what is right.
The command seems harsh but Paul is admonishing the
believers to be mature and not just mooch off the body. During this
thanksgiving and Christmas are hearts are conditioned to be kind and loving and
to help the poor. But this should be our motive all through the year and not
just at certain times of the year. What
is the example that we set before the world?
We should be seen as love in action every day. We
should do the right things at all times. Unfortunately we don’t and there are
those in the Christian church that have brought a bad name to our faith walk.
It must have been very obvious in this church in Thessalonian for Paul to make
such a command.
The ideal is that we should be living like Jesus may
come at anytime and surely we want to be busy about the Lord’s work when he
returns and not hiding our talents in the sand. Each of us needs to take
responsibility for our own life – our physical life and our spiritual life.
Each of us need to that personal relationship with God and to accept that
guidance which will keep us on the straight and narrow path.
Gospel Luke 21:5-19
Every generation, at some time in its history, has
thought its time was the end time.
After Jesus spoke of the end times and the disciples
questioned him Jesus describes three things that will happen in the future
(v.8-11). Imposters will come and try to trick the faithful; war and conflict
will rage on; and natural disasters will be prevalent.
He assured them that all of these events would not
happen all at once. Then he said a
peculiar thing in verse 13: This will
give you an opportunity to testify. We
all can testify of the great things God has done in our lives. But what kind of
testimony does one give in the face of great suffering and great hatred?
Suffering always means pain, disruption, separation,
and incompletenesss. It can render us powerless and mute, push us to the
borders of hopelessness and despair. So the opportunity to testify during times
like this causes us to muster courage in
the face of fear, the boldness to speak in the face of suffering.
The writer of the song “Precious Lord” wrote that
song out of such a situation. Thomas
Dorsey played piano for churches, clubs and theaters. One night he left his pregnant wife to go
play piano for a big revival in St. Louis. On the first night of the revival he
got a telegram that his wife had died. When he arrive home he leared she died
during childbirth and the next day his son died as well.
Mr. Dorsey withdrew into sorrow and agony from
family and friends. He refused to compose or play any music for quite some
time. In the midst of this despair he was sitting at the piano one day and a
feeling of peace washed over him. He heard a melody and started playing it.
That night he recorded his this testimony while in
the midst of suffering.
Precious Lord take my
hand, Lead me on, Let me stand; I am tired, I am weak, I am worn; Through the
storm, through the night lead me on to the light; take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home. (UMH 474).
In times such as we live with threats of destruction
all around. Cries of financial ruin.
Wars and rumors of wars. Imposters in
ministry perverting the Gospel. The time
has come for us to Look up for our redemption draweth nigh.
We comfort one another with these words from the
Lord:
For I am About to Create a New
Heaven and a New Earth ….Amen
