Pastor Sherry’s message for November 12, 2023

Scriptures: Amos 5:18-24; Ps 78:1-7; 1 Thess 4:13-18; Matt 25:1-13

Someone on the Internet has come up with a list of 263 ways to say a person is not too bright. We probably all know, “The light’s on but no one’s home,” or “dumb as a box of rocks,” but have you heard the following:

1. A few screws short of a hardware store.

2. A few fries short of a Happy Meal.

3. The gates are down and the lights are flashing, but the train isn’t coming.

4. The elevator goes all the way to the top floor, but the doors don’t open.

5. Would lose a debate with a doorknob.

6. If this person had another brain, it would be lonely.

7. If you gave them a penny for their thoughts, you’d get change.

8. Has a mind like a steel trap: rusty and illegal in 37 states.

9. If their nose was on upside down they’d drown in the rain.

10. Their dog teaches them new tricks.

(Borrowed from https://dan.hersam.com/lists/not_bright.html)

My adult son offered a new one as we watched our favorite football team compete yesterday. They were playing at their opponents’ stadium and we noticed a big “3” painted on their field. The TV announcers never explained what the number three meant. My son suggested it stood for the number of their football players whose IQ was greater than that of Forrest Gump’s.

Both the list and my son’s comment may all be pretty funny, but none is kind. I don’t advise applying them to someone—remember, Jesus said not to call anyone “an idiot” (Matthew 5:22). However, in today’s Gospel, He does encourage us all to be wise instead of foolish.

I’ve titled today’s sermon, “Wise Up!” because our scripture readings point to the difference between wise and foolish behavior; i.e., we don’t want to be “eating soup with a fork.”

A. In Amos 5:18-24, our Old Testament reading, the prophet Amos is certainly telling the folks in the Northern Kingdom of Israel to wise up! We might say they go through the motions of attending church—they act like they love God—but their behaviors the rest of the week reveal their hypocrisy. Even worse, they actually worship idols, false gods. They have turned their backs on our One True Lord. They have broken the 10 Commandments; they are behaving immorally; they have corrupted justice; they have trampled on the poor; they have oppressed the righteous; they have taken bribes. Doesn’t this sound a lot like our culture today?

And the Lord has about had it with them. God cannot be fooled. We might try to hide things from Him, but He knows everything! He knows they have betrayed and abandoned their faith in Him (and for our nation, our faith in Christ Jesus). God, through Amos, gives them one last chance to repent, to change their ways. He warns them that terrible punishment is coming to them. Amos calls it the Day of the Lord and it will indeed be horrifying for those who have rejected God. He uses two arresting metaphors: (1) They might run to escape a lion or cougar, but will then encounter a bear. (2) They might think they have reached the safety of their home, only to be bitten there by a poisonous snake. In other words, there will be no escape for evil-doers, no matter how fast or how far they run.

In God’s mercy, they could have averted this terrible punishment if they had (v.24)—> …let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! But, they were unwilling to change, so their end came shortly after Amos’ prophesies. In 722BC, God used the dreaded, blood-thirsty, Hamas-like Assyrians to overrun them, defeat them, and carry any survivors off to Ninevah (Iraq) as slaves. They were stubborn. They didn’t wise up. God, after dozens and dozens of warnings, finally let them have it.

This is why we pray for our nation weekly. America is now a post-Christian nation. We were founded as a Christian society and meant to be an example for the world. Now, we too have rejected and rebelled against God. We too have had dozens of chances. We hope that the Lord will help our nation return to Him, rather than bring on an Assyrian-like punishment.

B. In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Paul is warning Christians there (and us now) to be prepared for the end of time. He states in v.2 that—> …you know very well that the day of the Lord [same expression used by Amos] will come like a thief in the night. “The day of the Lord” is a synonym for God’s judgment. It will come when folks least expect it. Nevertheless, true believers need not be afraid of it. Paul equates nonbelievers with those living in nighttime darkness. But we who believe in Jesus Christ are all…sons [and daughters] of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep but let us be alert and self-controlled (vv.5-6). We who love Jesus have nothing to fear because we will have been raptured up to heaven before the Great Tribulation takes place. God’s judgment will fall on nonbelievers and evil-doers. Meanwhile, the dead who waited on Christ, or who believed in Christ, will rise first. Then those of us believers who are still living will be lifted up/beamed up (raptured) to meet Christ in the air.

Now I used to wonder if the rapture came before, during, or after the Great Tribulation. However, Paul makes it clear in verse 9—> For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is pretty clear, isn’t it? The Church of true believers will not suffer on the day of the Lord. We will be removed from the earth before the time of terrible trial begins.

While we wait on this time of judgment or the rapture, however, Paul urges us to…(v.8)—> be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. He wants us to demonstrate faith, love, and hope to others and especially as a witness to unbelievers. He also wants us to encourage and build one another up (v.11).

C. Finally, we have Jesus’ parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. The bride (who is not mentioned) is the Church; the bridegroom is Jesus. But who are the 10 wise and foolish bridesmaids?

Interestingly, all ten fall asleep while waiting on the bridegroom whose arrival is delayed. The story then asks us to consider which we would rather be, prepared or unprepared, for when Jesus returns. The prepared ones go in with and enjoy the wedding supper of Jesus, the Messiah. Those unprepared ones, however, miss out. We might say they…”Couldn’t hit the floor if they fell on it,” or that “Wisdom is chasing them but they’re always faster.” They are Christ-followers who are not ready to meet Jesus. In fact, Jesus says to these unprepared ones (at His 2nd Coming), I tell you the truth, I don’t know you. How are they unprepared? They have never cultivated a personal relationship with Jesus.

His final advice to us all is to Be Wise! Be ready! When we Floridians know a hurricane is coming we stock up, don’t we? We make sure we have stock-piled clean water in jugs. We have candles and matches, as well as a battery operated radio, in case we lose electricity. We gather food we can eat without cooking, etc. What would we need to have on hand if we are to be wise about Jesus’ return?

(1) We should intensify our relationship with the Lord;

(2) We might read and meditate more on Scripture;

(3) We could ask for forgiveness of our sins, keeping short accounts with the Lord. Back when I provided mental health in nursing homes (prior to going to seminary in the mid-1990’s), I noticed folks in the final stage of Alzheimers, comatose and vegetative, being fed with a tube in their stomach and hydrated through an IV. Sometimes their relatives asked me why the Lord was keeping their loved one alive in this helpless state. I told them I didn’t really know but I advised them to pray for this person—to pray specifically that God would forgive them for any unconfessed sin.

One family told me they were sure their dear mother had no unconfessed sins. I then told them I was sure their mother was a lovely person, but I wondered how any of us could ever be sure she didn’t have some hidden, long ago sin. I recalled that both of my dying, comatose parents each slipped away about a half hour after I prayed that Jesus would forgive them their sins. This family later reported to me that their mother died during the night after they had prayed this way for her.

(4) Obviously, it is wise to be prayed up, in frequent communication with the Lord. You might ask, “How do I know I am hearing from the Lord?” I recommend you ask the Holy Spirit to guard your prayers from any interference from Satan or his minions, and then pay attention to the thoughts that drop immediately into your head. If they do not contradict the Bible, you can be assured you are hearing from the Lord. Often I find the Lord does not speak to me as I am used to hearing others speak. He uses vocabulary or expressions that differ a bit from what I am used to hearing or saying. This helps me recognize His “voice.”

I believe our lessons today are telling us to pray for our nation to wise up! According to news sources, 76% of Americans today believe our country is clearly moving in the wrong/the unwise direction.

I believe we should also pray that each of us will have the faith to trust that God will protect us as things worsen toward the end. We cannot trust in our own goodness or our intelligence to save us. Those who do will be left behind to suffer God’s wrath. We must, instead, live out a life that tells others we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Finally, I believe we must pray that we will each be prepared– like the 5 wise bridesmaids–at any moment to meet the Lord. None of us knows how long he or she has to live. And none of us knows when the day of the Lord will occur. Let’s all wise up and be ready!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams