Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Let’s Focus on What We can Do, and Leave the Rest to Jesus

Pastor Sherry’s message for November 16, 2025

Scriptures: Isa 65:17-25; Isa 12; 2 Thess 3:6-13; Lk 21:5-19

The story is told of a city pastor driving his son to school at 7:15 one morning. He was stuck in rush hour traffic and entertained himself by reading the bumper stickers of the cars just ahead of him. He read several, including the following: 

My driving scares me too! 

I had a life, but my job ate it. 

Don’t even think of dating my daughter! 

Wife and dog still missing…reward for dog. 

 I don’t know how to act my age…I’ve never been this old before. 

And my personal favorite, a picture of Jesus peeking around a wall, and saying, “I saw that!” 

The pastor was amused until he read, Forget world peace; visualize using your turn signal. “There you go,” he said to himself. “Forget the big stuff, like world peace. That’s too much, and too hard, and too unlikely to contemplate. But I can visualize (and actualize) using my turn signal; just do the little things that make life a little easier for everybody. Who knows, maybe if everybody [in Wellborn; Suwannee County, and Florida] and in the South and in the USA, etc., would use their turn signals properly, it might be a start toward world peace.”

(J. Fairless & D.Chilton, The Lectionary Lab, Year C, 2015, p.338.)

It kinda makes sense, doesn’t it? Do what it is possible for you to do, then leave the big, seemingly impossible things to Jesus. If we could live this way, we could avoid so much stress and worry, so much disappointment, and even some despair.

Our first two readings today provide us with reassurance and the final two, some practical advice about how to respond to the big things of life:

A. Our Old Testament lesson is from the prophet Isaiah (65:17-25). It’s the next to the last chapter of Isaiah’s prophesies. The Lord wants us to be encouraged, because Great Days are coming! (Verse 17) : The Lord is going to create a new heaven and a new earth at the end of the Millennial Reign of Christ. Satan and all the forces of evil will have been destroyed in the Lake of Fire. Scholars say the old earth (this present one) will have also been destroyed by fire (nuclear holocaust? The sun coming too near?). But Jesus will present a new Jerusalem which will be a place of joy (v.18)! There will be no weeping or crying there. There will be (v.) no need for assisted living facilities or nursing homes or Hospice care, as everyone will enjoy long life (like the patriarchs) and great health. In that time, we will all also enjoy prosperity, permanence, and stability (vv.21-23). The Law of the Jungle will have been replaced by the peaceful Rule of God’s Kingdom. Yippee ki-yi-yea! It’ll be great to be there!

B. Isaiah 12 has been termed a praise psalm for the worship of the Lord during Christ’s reign. We will be thrilled and fulfilled because God’s Kingdom will be established on earth and the Lord Jesus will be King over all. The suffering of the Great Tribulation will have ended. J. Vernon McGee writes, “The night of sin will be over and the day of salvation will have come.” (McGee, Through the Bible Commentary of Isaiah, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.114.) All who believe in and love Jesus will be saved. And instead of crying at the Wailing Wall, Israel will be rejoicing at the feet of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We will be engaged in joy-filled worship, praising God for His creation and re-creation, and for our redemption and salvation. This is all very reassuring for us.

C. In our Gospel passage (Luke 21:5-19), Jesus is operating in His prophetic role: The disciples are in Jerusalem and have commented on the beauty and majesty of the Temple. They seem to be implying that such a grand structure would last forever. Herod the Great had begun rebuilding and refurbishing the one rebuilt in the time of Nehemiah, Ezra, and Haggai, in 20BC. This project continued until 63 or 64 AD (80 years). It was considered one of the most notable structures around the Roman Empire. Not quite as grand as Solomon’s Temple, it was nevertheless ornamented with gifts of gold and jewels from a number of nations. The ancient historian, Josephus, described it as a “snow clad mountain looming over the city.”

But Jesus prophesies its coming destruction : (v.6) : Not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down : the devastation will be complete. In 70 AD, the Roman General Titus laid siege to the city. First, he starved the city into submission. It is reported that people inside the walls ate their children. Josephus claimed that 1 million Jews were killed and their bodies were thrown over the city walls.  Another 100,000 were captured as slaves. Then Titus tore down the Temple: He burned the marble and he had his troops plow up the Temple grounds.

Jesus adds in V.24 : Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. This is exactly what has happened. Currently, the Moslem Mosque of Omar sits on the former Temple site. All of this entails God’s judgment on the city for be returned as a place to honor God until the Gentiles have had an opportunity rejecting His Christ. Jesus then prophesied that the Temple mount will not to come to know Christ and until Jesus comes again.

Jesus next warns them they will be persecuted because they love Him: First by the Jews–they killed the deacon, Stephen, then beheaded the Apostle James– then by the Gentiles (The crazed emperor Nero began a persecution in Rome in 54AD). Despite this bad news, He then encourages them not to be afraid when/if they are arrested and tried: (vv.14-15) : But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. He tells them they will be betrayed to the authorities by family members, neighbors, and acquaintances. They will be hated because of Him, but no one can take eternal life away from them!

D. Paul essentially supports and expounds upon what Jesus says by writing in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, in 51 or 52 AD from Corinth. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, he stated : For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up [rapturo : raptured], together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so will be with the Lord forever. 1st those who have died loving Jesus will be called home. We who remain on earth will then rise up to meet with them. Thus, it appears that the Church will be removed from the earth prior to Jesus’ Second Coming. The Great Tribulation will follow, consisting of 7 years of intense, worldwide suffering. The restraining hand of the Holy Spirit will have been removed, so Satan will be free to do his worst. He will encourage sin and depravity. He will compel people to worship his henchman, the Antichrist (also known as the man of sin, the son of perdition, or the lawless one). This will be a time for the Jews to come to Christ. The Antichrist will present himself first as a man of peace, uniting warring nations. Next, he will secure the peace of Jerusalem : He will appear to solve the problems of the Middle East (his Peace Treaty will mark the beginning of the 7 years). He will begin to rebuild the Temple. Three and a half years later, he will break the peace, demanding that he be worshipped in the Temple (He will set himself up as God). This is what Jesus called, the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15; also noted by the Old Testament prophet, Daniel in 9:27). He will perform signs and wonders, using Satan’s power. Then he will begin a program of persecution.  He will attempt to destroy Israel through genocide. He will require the “Mark of the beast” (on wrists or foreheads, or on our phones?) for people to obtain jobs or exchange money for all goods and services. Nevertheless, despite all this persecution, 144,000 Jews will come to Christ, as well as additional Gentiles from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Finally, at end of 7 years, King Jesus will come again! He will defeat the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon. And He will judge Satan, the antichrist, and his false prophet/fake religious leader, and throw them all into the lake of fire.

Both Jesus and Paul provide reassurance and practical advice in these passages. Jesus does not want us to put our trust in buildings, or even in human leaders. We are to put our full trust in Him and in what He predicts. We need not be afraid! We know how it all turns out! The forces of evil are ultimately overcome by the forces of good! So what are we to do until this occurs? Paul says we are to live each day, believing and practicing the Truth we have in Christ! We are not to just sit around waiting, expecting the Church—or the government–to care for us. Additionally, Paul would have us make use of every opportunity to tell others about Jesus Christ.

In light of all of this, let us consider a new bumper sticker: Relax, God’s Got This!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

We Gotta Have Faith!

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 10, 2025

Scriptures: Isa 1:1, 19-31; Ps 50:1-13, 22-23; Heb 11:1-16; Lk 12:32-40

School starts here in Suwannee County tomorrow.  That means that football season is only weeks away.  You know I love college football, especially the Gators.  I even fly a U.F. Gator flag from my front porch.  I love the game and I also love the human interest stories the commentators share about the athletes, and am often amazed at how many athletes are Christians.  One such story concerns Nick Foles (a pro, and a former college player), the Super Bowl MVP in 2017, 8 years ago, but perhaps some of you remember:

“Nick Foles didn’t set out to be a Super Bowl MVP. In fact, at one point, he almost walked away from football altogether. He’d been traded. Benched.  Injured. Forgotten [a back up only].

“In 2016, he nearly quit the NFL and considered becoming a pastor. But God wasn’t finished with his story.  Foles stayed. And in 2017, he was backup quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Then their starting QB, Carson Wentz, went down with a [knee]  injury. Foles stepped in.

“Everyone wrote the Eagles off. But game by game, Foles led them to the Super Bowl—and not just any Super Bowl, but one against Tom Brady and the Patriots.  And then… the unthinkable happened. Foles played the game of his life. He threw for three touchdowns. Caught one himself in a play forever known as the “Philly Special.” The Eagles won their first championship [their second one was this past year].

“In the post-game interview, Foles didn’t boast. He said:  ‘All glory to God.’ He talked about how he had leaned on his faith, how failure and setbacks had shaped him, and how he wanted his story to inspire others to keep trusting God.

His journey wasn’t about football—it was about faith through the ups and downs. Believing that God writes bigger stories than we can imagine.

“Sometimes, mountain-moving faith doesn’t take you to the pulpit. Sometimes, it takes you to the huddle—and reminds you that wherever you are, you can glorify God.”  

(Borrowed from www.NewstartDiscipleship.com, 8/7/2025)

Praise God that Nick Foles hung in there!   He credits his wife with having convinced him not to quit in 2016, but he also truly must have believed in the verse from Hebrews11:1 (NIV)—Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  The New Living Translation put it this way—Faith shows the reality of what we hope for.  It is the evidence of things we cannot see.

It’s like believing in the words of Isaiah the prophet, when he proclaims God’s warning to Judea (Isaiah 1:19-31).  Isaiah said the Lord was calling the world to come to court to hear Him testify against His Chosen people.  They were disobedient and rebellious and He was on His last nerve with them.  They even had the sad example of the Northern Kingdom’s  capitulation to the Assyrians for the same offenses, but they had not changed their ways.  Nevertheless. God was giving them yet another chance to repent and return to Him.

It’s like believing Asaph, the psalmist (Psalm 50), who claims that God does not need our offerings.  Verses 9-12 state—But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens.  For all the animals of the forest are Mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.  I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are Mine.  If I were hungry, I would not tell you for all the world is Mine and everything in it.  We don’t give the Lord offerings because He needs them.  And we don’t give Him tithes to sweeten Him up towards us—that would be manipulative and we cannot manipulate God.  We give to Him as a way of expressing our gratitude to Him for His goodness, grace and mercy.

It’s like believing Jesus when He tells us that the Kingdom of God is “a kingdom of servants; people whose purpose in life is serving each other and the world.”  God’s Kingdom is not a place or a location; it’s a heart attitude we carry within us.

(Fairless and Chilton, The Lectionary Lab Commentary, Year C, 2015, p.263.)

It’s like believing that God created the entire universe…(Hebrews 1:2)—…at [His] command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.  When we create something, we use raw materials, wood, yarn, veggies, meat.  When God creates, He creates from nothing, or what is called ex nihilo, speaking things into existence

This morning, I want to focus our attention on “the Biblical Greats” who serve as examples to us of people who not only believed in God but also demonstrated great faith in Him by their actions (Hebrews 1:1-16):

A.  Abel, the younger of Adam and Eve’s first two sons, was a faithful believer in the Lord.  We can only assume that Adam—who had disobeyed God–must have intentionally taught his sons how to please God. God forgave him and Eve by shedding the blood of two sheep and using the fleeces to cover them as they were exiled from the Garden.  He would have told them that it takes a blood sacrifice—an animal must give up its life—to cleanse a person from their sin.

Abel, a shepherd, brought the Lord a spotless lamb from his flock. While Cain, the elder son, brought the Lord veggies and fruits he had grown.

Fruit, vegetables, grain are all gifts that represent thanksgiving to God; but such an offering would not cleanse Cain from his sin.  He should have taken some of his produce to his brother to buy from him a lamb suitable for a sin sacrifice.  But, he was too arrogant, too prideful to submit to his father’s teaching and to the Lord’s will.

We are told in verse 4 (NLT)—It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did.  Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed His approval of his gifts.  Faith is demonstrated by our obedience to God.  Faith is humble—it says, I will do what God wants, even if I might think I know a better way.

B.  We don’t know much about Enoch…except that he pleased God. Apparently he was a descendant of Seth, Adam and Eve’s 3rd son.  Enoch’s clan consisted of loyal followers of God.  Enoch lived for 365 years and walked with God.  This means he was a man of faith.  This means he was obedient to the Lord.  God was so pleased with Enoch’s faith that he took him up into heaven directly (like Elijah), so that he never experienced death.

C.  The next hero of the faith listed was Noah.  He was a 10th generation descendant from Adam, and was 500YO+ when his sons were born.  He lived a righteous, blameless life and was obedient to God, despite the widespread sin and degradation in the culture surrounding him.  Verse 5  tells us (NLT)—It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood.  He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before.   He was told to save his family and 1 pair of every known animal.  It took him and his 3 sons 100 years to build the ark.  It measured 450 feet by 75 feet by 45 feet and was made of gopher wood (perhaps cypress).  By today’s standards, it is estimated that 1300 standard shipping containers could have been fit within it.

Imagine the ridicule he endured, as scholars tell us it had never rained prior to the flood.  Irrigation rose up from beneath the ground.  Water also existed in rivers and streams.  But Noah believed God when told it would rain.  His neighbors probably brought tours by at all hours to view “Noah’s folly” (but they weren’t laughing when the flood waters appeared).

D. Abraham was so faithful to God that he underwent 7 separations to please Him:  (1) He left his home country, Ur of the Chaldees; (2) He left his father in Haran; (3) He left his extended family, all except his nephew Lot, when he departed for Canaan; (4) He allowed Lot to leave him and take the best land for grazing sheep and goats; (5) He banished Ishmael and Hagar in order to protect his younger Son of Promise, Isaac; (6) Believing God could raise Isaac from the dead, He obeyed God by preparing an altar on which to sacrifice him; and (7) Finally, he was separated from his beloved Sarah at her death.

(Shared with me by Dustin Bell, a Pentecostal pastor, student of the Bible, and friend)

How many of us would have submitted to God through all of those losses?  No wonder God (Genesis 15:6)—…credited it to him as righteousness.

E. Sarah, too, is included as a person of faith.  Even though she despaired of waiting on God and talked Abraham into impregnating her Egyptian slave, Hagar, to produce Ishmael, (By the way, this was a common practice for the barren wives of wealthy men in that time, but not something approved of by God.)  Even despite this, she saw God open her womb at 90YO to give birth to Isaac.  I think it took marvelous faith to believe she could raise him up, as well!

God credits them with being the patriarch and matriarch of Israel (v.12, NLT)—…a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.  

These are our heroes of the faith.  They were not perfect, but they believed in God and were obedient to him.  They persevered through tough times and held on to their faith.  They were obedient to God and He rewarded them.

I want to conclude this morning with a story about a special type of Chinese bamboo tree:

“When you plant the seed, nothing happens. No sprout. No shoot. No sign of life. One year goes by—still nothing. Two years—still nothing. Three. Four. Five years—nothing.

“Then, in the fifth year, something miraculous happens. The bamboo tree suddenly shoots up—up to 90 feet in just six weeks. But here’s the truth: it wasn’t doing nothing all those years. Beneath the soil, it was growing an incredible root system—a foundation strong enough to support its sudden, towering growth. 

“That’s how faith works. You pray. You serve. You obey. And for a long time… it seems like nothing’s happening.  But deep below the surface, God is preparing something far bigger than you can see. He’s growing roots. Strengthening character. Building the foundation for what’s coming. And when the time is right—breakthrough comes fast. Faith is showing up, watering the soil, and believing the harvest is coming—even when the ground looks empty.” (www.NewstartDiscipleship.com, 8/7/2025)

May this be true of each of us.  Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Alleluia, alleluia!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Connected to Christ

Pastor Sherry’s message for March 16, 2025

Scriptures: Gen 15:1-18; Ps 27; Phil 3:17-4:1; Lk 13:31-35

Last week, I preached about how to avoid temptation.  I hope a number of you were able to follow Jesus’ example and thwart the evil one as he tried to lead you astray.  This week, I would like us to focus on keeping our eyes on Jesus—and remaining connected to Christ.

Emily Compagno, of Fox News, has written a book called Under His Wings: How Faith on the Front Lines has Protected American Troops (Fox Books, 2023).  Her 1st story is of an Army Colonel she met in Iraq, in 2009, while on a USO tour as an NFL cheerleader.  Col. Tim Karcher was responsible for hosting and protecting Emily and her team as they visited our troops in the war zone to bring greetings from home and to boost morale.  She learned he was a committed Christian who led Bible studies in his home when stateside.  He was also the proud father of 3 girls, and the devoted husband to Alesia, a woman he believed God had given him 20 years earlier.  Emily met him his 3rd duty tour in Iraq.

Three days after Emily had returned to the US, he was in an army vehicle, stopped at a corner in an Iraqi town, when an IED exploded.  He checked to see if everyone else in the vehicle was OK and told his crew both his legs were broken.  The truth was both his legs had been blown off just above his knees!  He died once as they worked on him in the field, and again, several times, as they medivacked him to an Army trauma hospital in Germany, then on home to Walter Reed Army Hospital in DC.  He later wrote to Emily,

“I died there as well.  I remember as it was happening that I was really, really sad.  Not scared, because I knew where I was going.  I was sad to leave my wife, my daughters behind.  I was going to miss out on walking my daughters down the aisle, that kind of stuff.  But I also knew this:  hundreds and hundreds of people were praying for me.  And it was a rough, rough time.  I had all kinds of infections, a fever of 105,” (p.19).

Col. Karcher leaving hospital

He survived yet again to spend 2 years in military rehab in San Antonio, Texas, learning to walk with 2 prosthetic legs.  His last Army assignment, prior to retiring in 2015, was to serve as Director of the Army’s Wounded Warrior Program at Ft. Belvoir in Virginia.  St. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:4 We comfort [others] with the comfort by which we have been comforted.  As a double-amputee, he was the perfect person to encourage other soldiers who had lost their limbs.  (I have included slides of him leaving Walter Reed and also of him walking 100 miles in a fund-raiser to benefit our wounded warriors.)

Col. Karcher’s 100 mile walk.

Col. Karcher is clearly a heroic and a determined guy who credits his faith—His connection to Christ–his family, and the prayers of hundreds with pulling him through.  

II. Body▶️Let’s see what our Scripture passages have to say today about having the faith to pull through tough times.

A. In Genesis 15:1-19—in His 4th appearance to him— God tells Abram, who is still awaiting the Child of Promise that He, the Lord, is Abram’s shield and greatest treasure.  In other words, God is Abram’s king or sovereign (shield) Who protects him (as He does us).  The Lord, too, is the best reward Abram, or us, could ever receive—greater even than the Child of Promise.  And, because the Lord keeps His promises, an heir, Isaac, is coming, as are many, many other descendants (v.3)▶️…look up at the heavens and count the stars—indeed if you can count them…So shall your offspring be.  All who believe in Christ Jesus are descendants of Abram, grated in to the line of Jewish believers.  And so also is the gift of property coming to this wandering Aramean, land stretching from the borders of Egypt to the Euphrates River.

In today’s passage, Abram has not yet seen either of these come true, but he believes God.  Verse 6 says▶️Abram believed the Lord, and He [God] credited it to him as righteousness.  Jesus had not yet come to earth to save us, yet God saved Abram due to his faith. Will we see Abraham in heaven?  YES! 

Notice one other point: God reiterates His promises to Abram by literally “cutting a covenant” with him.  In the Ancient Near East at that time, when you made a binding agreement with someone, you literally cut animal sacrifices in two and walked between them.  You were saying that, in effect, if I break this agreement, may I die as have these animals.  God was swearing an oath to Abram on His own life.  Remarkable!  Also, the forms He used to represent Himself (God is Spirit) are symbolic of the coming Christ:

The smoking firepot represents the judgments Jesus will make at His 2nd Coming; the burning lamp signifies Jesus as the light of the world.

We could say, then, that God as the Pre-incarnate Jesus, swore an oath with Abram.

Much later, Abram died a wealthy man with an heir from his own elderly body, Isaac, and a huge amount of property.  Good things come to those of us who trust in the Lord.  Like Col. Karcher, we may not move through our lives without pain and suffering, but Jesus holds our lives in His able hands and blesses us.

B.  King David wrote Psalm 27.  In the first 6 verses, David notes how God provides confidence and encouragement for those of us who love Him.  In verses 7-12, he then goes on to pray for deliverance from treacherous enemies.  Interestingly, these enemies have leveled false charges against King David.  This is so like what we witness today, where we observe people on social media and in politics so ready to fabricate lies aimed at discrediting/running down others.

But in verse 4, David articulates his primary desire:  One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:  that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple. King David desires full-on access to God:  He’s got wealth and political power—his throne; he’s got either a land at peace, or military victories; he’s got wives and concubines and a bunch of children; but more than these usual things people yearn for, before anything else, David desires intimate communication/connection with the Lord.  This fervent desire to seek God’s face and to develop a deep relationship with Him is what carries us through hard times and helps us overcome our tough circumstances.

C. Our New Testament passage today is from Philippians 3:17-4:1.  Just prior to today’s reading, in verses 13-14, Paul asserts▶️…but one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  What goal is he talking about?  Intimate connection with Jesus.  He wants to be as close to Jesus as possible because (v.20)▶️Our citizenship is in heaven.  This earth is not our final home.  All that goes on here is a testing, a proving ground for rewards given us later in heaven.  Those who don’t pass the tests are what Paul calls (vv.18-19)▶️…enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach [meaning satisfying their physical or their emotional needs], and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

Paul exhorts us not to be like these kinds of folks.  He wants us to keep our focus on The things of God; And to remain closely connected to Jesus.

D.  And if we were not clear on this, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, in Luke 13:31-35.  Jesus is praying as He overlooks the city from some height.  He is grieved because he knows what is to come–His betrayal, the trumped up accusations, the fraudulent trials, the beatings, and His crucifixion.  The city He has come to die for will soon reject Him.

He is grieved because he knows that Jerusalem, the capital city of God’s chosen people, was not desperate enough to seek His face.  They preferred to protect their idea of God while rejecting and discarding the One Who was God. 

Jesus has since gone on to glory, while His enemies in Jerusalem and Judea have no doubt met a far worse end.  We know He loves us and died for our sakes.  We know He has hidden us in the shelter of His wings.

On this, the 2nd Sunday of Lent, as we continue our spiritual house-cleaning, we should be asking ourselves, “Are we deeply connected to Jesus?”  The truth is that we need Him.  Consider this poem:

At my lowest, God is my hope.
At my darkest, God is my light.
At my weakest, God is my strength.
At my saddest, God is my comforter.”

Author Unknown

(Kathy Keller, “Stay Close to God,” www.sermonillustrations.com, 12/18/ 23).

This week, let’s focus on getting and remaining connected to Christ.  AMEN!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Live Like a Tree beside Water

Pastor Sherry’s message for February 16, 2025

Scriptures: Jer 17:5-10; Ps 1; 1 Cor 15:12-20; Lk 6:17-26

For several weeks, I have been preaching about what God wants from us, behavior-wise:  He wants us to love others abundantly and to remain humble.  Today I want to focus on trusting in Him.

Consider this true story:

“There is no situation I can get into that God cannot get me out. Some years ago when I was learning to fly, my instructor told me to put the plane into a steep and extended dive. I was totally unprepared for what was about to happen. After a brief time the engine stalled, and the plane began to plunge out-of-control. It soon became evident that the instructor was not going to help me at all. After a few seconds, which seemed like eternity, my mind began to function again. I quickly corrected the situation.

“Immediately I turned to the instructor and began to vent my fearful frustrations on him. He very calmly said to me, “There is no position you can get this airplane into that I cannot get you out of. If you want to learn to fly, go up there and do it again.” At that moment God seemed to be saying to me, “Remember this. As you serve Me, there is no situation you can get yourself into that I cannot get you out of. If you trust me, you will be all right.”  That lesson has been proven true in my ministry many times over the years.” 

(Pastor James Brown, Evangeline Baptist Church, Wildsville, LA, in Discoveries, Fall, 1991, Vol. 2, No. 4.)

Many of us have learned this over the years, but we need to be reminded of the fact occasionally, don’t we?  We say we trust God with our finances until we discover we owe IRS a bundle with no foreseeable way to pay it.  We say we trust God with our health, until we get the cancer or heart disease diagnosis.  We say we trust God with our relationships until a spouse cheats on us or dies. We seem to trust God as long as He is arranging our lives the way we want them.  It’s when life throws us a curved ball that our faith is stretched and strained. But the wise person trusts in God no matter what comes!

Our Scripture passages today all encourage us to keep trusting in God, no matter the scares we face in life:

A.  The portion of Jeremiah we read today is from chapter 17,verses 5-10. Remember that Jeremiah is the “weeping prophet”, called to pronounce God’s judgment on His disobedient people.  God had warned him ahead of time that no one would listen to him and that no one would heed his words. He was called to a mission of failure–by worldly standards–yet he persevered.

Perhaps he did so because he knew these verses.  God sets out curses and blessings in verses 5-8:  Curses if you put your trust in what human beings say is right; but blessings if you trust in what God says is right.

Jeremiah says those who trust in the Lord are like (v.8, NLT)…trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.  Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.  What an amazing promise!  Like Jeremiah, we might not experience our blessings this side of heaven, but we can trust in God’s word that if we have been faithful, these blessings are coming.  We want to trust in God, not in news casters, weathermen, climate consultants, economic prognosticators, political analysts, pollsters, etc.  They are only human and can get things wrong.  But God (vv.9-10): search[es] all hearts and examine[s] secret motives.  He knows that the human heart (the Hebrews thought the heart was where we made our decisions, rather than our brains) can be the most deceitful of all things.  We humans can justify to ourselves whatever dishonest or immoral thing we decide to do.  The Lord sees when humans are tripped up by their own dishonorable motives or flawed thinking.  Rev. Dr. J. Vernon McGee puts it this way: “Unfortunately we all have heart trouble …”(Through the Bible Commentary on Jeremiah, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.81).  In other words, only God sees and knows the Truth all the time.  We need look no further for an example of this than the corruption, fraud, and waste of taxes, recently uncovered by DOGE, and perpetrated by unelected bureaucrats.  These unknown persons dishonorably diverted our tax payer dollars into favorite causes of their own—some even contrary to US interests! Cheating the government is not new. The Israelites at the time of Jeremiah were doing the same or similar things

This passage reminds me of Proverbs 3:5 (NLT): Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

B. Given the remarkable coherency of Scripture, Psalm 1 says essentially the same thing:  Joy comes to those who (v.1): do not follow the advice of the wicked or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  These are all folks who proudly assert they are correct.

They don’t trust in God or God’s judgment.  Righteous people, on the other hand—those who love the Lord and try to follow His ways–(v.2):  are like trees planted along a river bank bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither and they prosper in all they do.

Again, we are reminded in Proverbs 1:7: Fear [awe, reverence] of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and discipline.  And in Proverbs 3:6: Seek His [God’s] will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.  Human wisdom is limited but God’s wisdom is eternal and infinite.  We would all do well to consult with the Lord prior to making an important decision.

C. St. Paul is still arguing for the truth of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:12-20.  He is asserting that because over 512 eye witnesses saw and interacted with the Risen Jesus, we can trust that Jesus was raised from the dead.  Reports of this event are trustworthy and true.

Jesus’ resurrection did happen.  If that were not so—and Paul utilizes the word if six times—then none of what we believe as Christians would be worth much.  Since it is true and has been verified, however, it is a truth worth dying for! Over the centuries since Jesus ascended to Heaven, hundreds upon thousands, even millions of Christians have died for this truth.  In 2025, we can stake our lives on its truth as well.

D. Finally, we have Jesus’ words of truth in His Sermon on the Plain, Luke 6:17-26 (Luke’s version of Matthew’s “The Sermon on the Mount”).  Because there were no electronic nor any social media at the time, Jesus had to repeat His primary teachings over and over again to different audiences.  He wanted to be sure folks heard His Words/His Truths.  Though many probably came to be healed or to witness healings, many also wanted to learn from this increasingly famous, itinerant rabbi.  And since there were Gentiles from Tyre and Sidon in this crowd, Jesus focused on sharing His expectations of all of His followers for ethical or righteous living.

He pronounces blessings on those who currently suffer.  He has special compassion on the poor, the hungry, and those who grieve.  They will—at some future time and because they believe in Him—experience total provision, satisfaction, and joy.  And if they experience persecution for Jesus’ sake, they can be (1) greatly reassured, for the prophets were treated the same way; and (2) they can rejoice because they are promised a wonderful reward in heaven.  His message is one of hope: Hold on, because the righteous will be blessed.

But He also pronounces curses or “woes” on those who neither care for God nor for other people.  If they were not generous to others with their wealth, their riches while they were alive will have been their total reward—not to be carried over into the afterlife.  If they are solely focused on the good life now, they will not enjoy their life on the other side.  If they are carried away with mirth, pleasure, and entertainment now, they only will grieve later.  If they enjoy accolades now and do not realize they are accountable to God, they will find themselves on the outside of heaven later on. 

Jesus’ message is clear:  Live your life in such a way now that you clearly demonstrate that you love God as well as your fellow human beings.

So how can we live like a tree planted by water?  Remember our three hurricanes of the past year?  We lost many trees in Suwannee County, Florida, blown over by hurricane-force winds and even some tornadoes spawned by the storms.  Many Water Oaks, whose root systems are shallow, running just undergrown and spreading wide, were felled.  Live Oaks, however, which have roots that grow deep into the ground, remained upright.  Trees planted by water tend to send their roots deep.  Our trust in God is like that—it keeps us anchored, no matter what storms blow around us.

The Bible says over and over again that Fools reject God, but those of us who love Him, trust in Him and His Word.  Consider the following  poem:

Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee,

Trust Him when thy strength is small,

Trust Him when to simply trust Him

Seems the hardest thing of all.

Trust Him, He is ever faithful,

Trust Him, for his will is best,

Trust Him, for the heart of Jesus

Is the only place of rest.

We believe in God.  We remember there is more evidence for the truth of Christ’s Resurrection than there is for the existence of Julius Caesar. 

(Josh McDowell, More than a Carpenter, Tyndale House, 1977, pp.96-97)

Jesus expects us to demonstrate our love for God and our love for others in the way we live.  Let us live a life that shows us firmly planted and well watered.  Let us live a life that reflects well on God and on other Christians. Amen!

©️2025 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams 

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Empowering Faith

Pastor Sherry’s message for June 23, 2024

Scriptures : 1 Sam 17:5-50; Ps 9:9-20; 2 Cor 6:1-13; Mk 4:35-41

I have borrowed the following illustration from a pastor named Vince Gerhardy (“Sucked In, Washed Up, Blown Over,” www.sermons.com, June 18, 2024).  It’s about a traumatized Parakeet named Chippie:

“The problems began when Chippies’ owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage.  The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up.  She’d barely said, “hello,” when “ssssopp!” Chippie got sucked in.

“The bird’s owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum cleaner, and opened the bag.  There was Chippie—still alive, but stunned.

“Since the bird was covered with dust, hair, and all the stuff you find in a dust bag, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and held Chippie under the running water.  Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do…she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.  

“Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.

“A few days after the trauma, a friend who had heard about Chippie’s troubles contacted his owner to see how the bird was recovering.  ‘Well,’ she replied, ‘Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore—he just sits and stares.’”

The poor critter had a severe case of parakeet PTSD.  He’d been “Sucked In, Washed Up, and Blown Over.”  Trauma like that would steal away anyone’s reason to sing!

I imagine the disciples felt a lot like this when they encountered a fierce storm on the Sea of Galilee, while Jesus lay asleep in the stern (Mark 4:35-41).  We know what happens:  They panic, wake Jesus up, and He immediately quiets the storm.  Then, interestingly to us I think, He rebukes them for their lack of faith.  They had let the rough seas and the high winds replace what faith they had with fear.  

Now, remember we think John Mark wrote down Peter’s reminiscences for a mostly Roman audience.  So his Gospel is action-packed to appeal to men of action like Roman soldiers.  Soldiers would likely relate best to Jesus if they understood His authority.  So Mark’s Gospel begins with stories of Jesus that demonstrate His power.  The disciples had observed Jesus reveal His power over evil spirits, and over physical illnesses like fevers, paralysis, and leprosy.  They had witnessed Him debate and stymie the Pharisees.  They had heard Him declare Himself the Lord of the Sabbath.  But, to be fair to them, perhaps they had not yet perceived His power over and ability to control tumultuous nature. 

What if you had been in the boat with them that day?  Would you too have let your fear overcome your faith?  You know fear is a negative faith; it is faith in a negative outcome.  We who trust in Jesus are not to fear.  We worship the God of all hope.  We may go through tough times, but we can trust that the Lord is with us as we do.  If we believe in Jesus, we are not to be crippled by fear. 

Our Old Testament lesson (1 Samuel 17:4-50) provides us with a great example of how to overcome legitimate fear with faith.  The context is an ongoing war between the Philistines and the Israelites.  (By the way, did you know that the Philistines, perennial enemies of Israel, are the ancestors of present day Palestinians?)  The Philistines had invaded Israel and had amassed their army at Socoh, 15 miles west of Bethlehem.  They were now engaged in a stand-off against the Israeli army led by King Saul.  Daily, their champion, the giant Goliath, cursed and ridiculed them, trying his best to egg them on the send out one Israelite champion to fight him.  Mano-a-mano might not have been so intimidating except that Goliath was over 9 feet tall.  His chest armor weighed 125 pounds; the metal point of his spear weighed 15 pounds.  Archaeologists believe they have located the remnants of his bed, which is 13 feet long.  The guy was a beast!  He was totally intimidating!

Additionally, for 40 days, Goliath taunted the Israelites and not one of God’s chosen people volunteered to face off with him.  Three of David’s elder brothers were there–Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah—and they hadn’t volunteered.  Neither King Saul nor his son Johnathan had been willing to take Goliath on.  Saul did offer a huge reward as an incentive for some warrior to step up and win: significant cash; Saul’s daughter, Michal, in marriage; and the promise of no taxation for life for the family of the warrior who might be brave enough.  Still no one came forward.  Do you think anyone was praying?  Praying for a brave soul or praying for God to intervene?

Into this tense situation, the young man, David (16-17 years old) arrives with food provisions for his brothers.  (In those days, there were no suppliers who traveled with the armies, provisioning them with rations.  Either your relatives sent you food, or you took everything not nailed down as your army passed through a locale.)  David hears Goliath’s taunts and is appalled (v.26)—Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?  Do you hear the faith that David has in God?

He recognizes that Goliath is not just a big, oversized bully.  Goliath is an enemy of God’s people and an enemy of God Himself.  David’s brother Eliab—probably jealous or perhaps even feeling guilty—lashes out at David and misperceives his brother’s motives.  David’s not conceited, thinking of how Goliath’s taunts demean him.  David is righteously outraged that a nonbeliever should be defaming God.

Saul tries to put him in armor with which David is not familiar.  He cannot believe that a teen could possibly pull this off.  But David lists his credentials (vv.36-37)—Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear [while guarding sheep]; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.  [Now listen to his statement of faith] the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.  

When teaching psychology in college some years back, I encountered several young men whose bravado had led to serious consequences for them.  Two of them were in wrecks while driving cars on dirt roads going 120 mph.  Both had been thrown from their cars and survived, by God’s grace.  The truth is that the amygdala, a tiny, pea-sized organ in our midbrain—that tells us to fight, flee, or freeze when confronted with danger–is not sufficiently connected to the frontal cortex in young men until they reach the age of 25.  Our frontal lobes are the seat of logical thinking and accurate risk assessment.  This weak connection is what is responsible for young men taking unnecessary risks prior to age 25.  Car insurance companies have known that young men are more likely to be involved in wrecks prior to their mid-twenties and have therefore charged them high insurance premiums until age 25.  They had based their decisions on statistics but, until recent brain research, did not understand why.  The amazing thing in this story is that David is not suffering from inadequate risk assessment.  He recognizes the threat Goliath represents, as he has had experience with killing other apex predators.  Instead, his faith in God the Father outweighs or overwhelms his fear.     

He takes his slingshot and gathers 5 smooth stones.  He confronts Goliath verbally first, saying (vv.45-47)—You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.…All those gathered here will know that is it not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give all of you into our hands.  

Such confident faith in God!  By the way, Biblical scholars think the stones David had were about baseball size, and hit Goliath at about 100 mph.  That kind of strike to the head would kill anyone.  Scholars also believe the extra stones were just in case Goliath’s four sons came for David after the giant’s death.

But look at what happens:  Praise God, David is victorious! The Philistines turn tail and run.  The Israelite army pursued them all the way back to their cities and killed many of them.  David’s unwavering faith in God—despite any fear he had—carried the day!  Real courage is feeling fear rather than denying it, but choosing empowering faith to overcome it. 

Our Psalm (9:9-20) provides further commentary on David’s unfailing faith in God’s protection.  King David appears to have written this psalm later on in his life, as an older, more experienced ruler.  In it, he celebrates God’s vindication of His people.  Some scholars even believe the older, more settled King David was thinking back to this battle with Goliath as he composed it.  David clearly views God as his protection, using images for the Lord like refuge and stronghold.  He is making statements about God drawn right out of his own experiences with the Lord:  In verse 10 he states—Those who know Your name will trust in You for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.  Additionally, the mature David has seen how those who oppose God reap what they sow (vv.15-16)—The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden…the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.

Then we have Paul, in 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, remind us that because we are “in Christ,” we are not to live carnal lives but to demonstrate our faith with our behavior.  We are servants of Christ who endure and persevere through tough times.  We live out purity, love, kindness, understanding, and patience.  We remain truthful even if others slander us.  How do we have the ability to do this?  We are empowered by the Holy Spirit, due to our faith in Jesus.

Like that traumatized parakeet, we may feel at times like we have been sucked in, washed up, or blown over, but we do not give up or give in to fear.  Instead, we hold on to our faith.  We continue to trust in our God.  We do not allow any fear to overcome our faith, but rather call upon our faith to empower us to overcome any person or circumstance we fear.  Amen!  May it be so! 

©️2024 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Kingdom Courage

Pastor Sherry’s message for November 19, 2023

Scriptures: Jud 4:1-24; Ps 90:1-12; 1 Thess 5:1-11; Matt 25:14-30

Chuck Swindoll recalls the story of a 70 year old man who was being celebrated aboard a cruise ship for having saved a young woman. These folks were on a week-long cruise from California to Hawaii. The man was out walking on the deck when he saw the young woman fall overboard. He saw she could not swim, so he immediately went in after her, staying with her until they were both rescued. That night, the captain insisted they honor the somewhat embarrassed gentleman, over dinner, for his heroic actions. Speeches were made and the story of the man’s bravery was told and retold. Finally, they invited the fellow to the mike to say a few words. In what was probably the shortest hero speech ever offered, the fellow spoke these stirring words:

“I just want to know one thing—who pushed me?”

(Chuck Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Word Pub., 1998, p.119.)

I love this story because it illustrates so well the fact that our God can make the most unlikely of us into heroes. Can you imagine jumping overboard—at age 70—to rescue someone you didn’t know? Perhaps you’ve heard of similar stories. Courageous persons don’t allow their fears to talk them out of doing the brave thing. They also usually involve trusting in God to see them through a tough situation.

Our Old Testament and Gospel lessons today give us two examples of God’s concept of Kingdom Courage:

In our Old Testament lesson (Judges 4:1-24), we have the only example of a woman called to lead the nation of Israel, Deborah the Prophetess. Scripture mentions several women prophets: Miriam (Moses’ sister) (Exodus 15:20), Huldah, who sent a message to the good King Josiah (2 Kings 22:14), Noadiah, a bad prophet who tried to thwart the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 6:14), and Anna, who recognized that the infant Jesus was the Messiah (Luke2:36).

Deborah was called and equipped by God to lead during the time of the Judges. Joshua had died at 110, leaving no successor (no human understudy to rise up and lead in his place). Even though the people had promised him many times they would remain obedient to God, within 40 years, they had taken up idolatry and forsaken the LORD. The Lord would then allow a Canaanite people—Amorites, Amonites, Moabites, Midianites, or even Philistines—to then oppress them. They would then call out to the LORD for His rescue. God would forgive them and raise up a judge to lead them in defeating their enemies. They would thank and praise Him; but shortly, once the threat was over, they would again forget about their loyalty to God. And the 40 year cycle would begin all over again. The book of Judges reports 7 such cycles and 7 judges. Deborah was the 4th.

Who was she? Scripture tells us she was…

1.) A wife to Lippidoth. We know nothing of him, except that he seemed to have recognized God’s call on his wife’s life and did not appear to try to frustrate her influence or power.

2.) “A mother of Israel,” out of the tribe of Ephraim. While this may mean she had children of her own, it also means she nurtured and cared for the nation.

3) A wise counselor people came from miles around to seek her wisdom and advice.

4.) A renown judge—like Judge Janine Pirou or Judge Judy. Instead of sitting at the city gates to hear cases as was typical in those days (V.5)She sat beneath a palm tree named for Her–the Palm of Deborah–located between the cities of Ramah and Bethel.

5) A legitimate prophetess—She was anointed by God, who told her what to say to His people. She foretold events accurately, and nothing she prophesied disagreed with Scripture.

6.) We learn in today’s passage that she was a warrior.

7.) She was also a poet—She wrote a song/psalm, describing what God accomplished through her leadership in Judges 5.

8.) Finally, she was a woman who loved and trusted God—I’d say she had Kingdom Courage.

The situation Deborah finds herself in is that the Canaanite King Jabin had oppressed the Israelites for 20 years. He terrorized them with 900 iron chariots and horses and his successful General Sisera. Sisera’s army had confiscated all the Israelite‘s iron weapons in their initial victories. The Israelites were left then with wooden and stone weapons, clubs, rakes, etc.—they were at a distinct disadvantage. God tells Deborah to call for Gen. Barak from the tribe of Naphtali. She did, telling him that God meant for him to lead the people into battle against Sisera: (v.6–The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulon and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I [the Lord] will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.

God told Deborah and Gen. Barak that He was going to give the Israelites the victory. The General doesn’t see how—he doesn’t really trust in God. He focuses on the fact that his troops are outnumbered 10 to 1. He also knows he has no horses or chariots and that Sisera’s army is much better equipped (with iron weapons) than his army is. Barak agrees, but only if the prophetess will accompany him. However, since he doesn’t really seem to trust her or God, she tells him God will give the victory (Gen Sisera) to a woman (Jael, the wife of a weapons maker).

This previously unknown woman, Jael, was married to a Jewish man named Heber. He was an iron weapons manufacturer and a turncoat who collaborated with the Canaanites against his own people. To expedite his transactions, Heber and his much more loyal wife, Jael, lived in tents near the Canaanite army and the proposed battle site. (Sorry to say, but the men in this account do not appear to have the same moral fiber, Kingdom Courage, or faith that the women do.)

Much of what happens in the ensuing battle is recorded by Deborah in her psalm, in chapter 5. From her victory song we learn the LORD sent…

1.) Soldiers from the 6 tribes of Naptali, Zebulon; Issachar; Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.

2.) He also sent hail, sleet, and torrents of rain in which…

a.) bogged down the 900 chariots in deep mud;

b.) panicked the horses so they ran off;

c.) Canaanite archers couldn’t shoot their arrows in the sleet;

d.) and their swordsmen couldn’t wield their swords as well in the cold (remember this is essentially a desert-like land, where they are used to the heat, not the cold).

e.) Additionally, many enemy soldiers were swept away in a flash flood.

The battle belonged to the Lord. Israel’s army was able to kill all the enemy, except Sisera, who ran off in a desperate attempt to save himself. He escaped on foot and asked for sanctuary with Jael in her tent. In that culture in that day, the only man who was authorized to enter a woman’s tent was her husband. To hide out in a woman’s tent was outrageous. Remember, Jael is the wife of the Jewish weapon-maker. Sisera asked for water, but she gave him warm milk which we know would make him sleepy. Once he nodded off, she then executed this terrifying enemy of her people while he slept—and with the only weapon she had at hand. Interesting that, like the shoemaker’s daughter who has no shoes, this woman does not even have a metal knife at her disposal. Instead, she pounds a tent peg through his temple, killing him instantly, and fulfilling Deborah’s prophesy.

In her psalm, Deborah gives God the glory for their victory. Deborah trusted in God to free her people from oppression. She used her gifts of leadership in the face of overwhelming odds. Because of her faithful obedience and her Kingdom Courage, God gave Israel another 40 years of peace.

In our Gospel lesson, Matthew 15:14-30, Jesus provides examples of two courageous servants who utilize their talents for God and one who does not. Jesus says the master in the story leaves his assets in the hands of three servants. He appears to dole out his assets according to his trust in their abilities/motivation. One very able fellow gets 5 talents. Back then, a talent was equal to 1 years’ wages. For purposes of illustration, let’s say a years’ wages were $30,000; this guy has been entrusted with 5 times that or $150,000. The next gets 2 talents, or $60,000; and the third, 1 talent or $30,000.

When the Master returns, He expects them to account for how they invested His money. The fellow who had 5 talents invested them wisely and wound up earning double or $300,000! The guy with 2 also invested wisely and earned double, or $120,000. The guy with no faith or Kingdom Courage hid his 1 talent, so he gained nothing. At least he was honest and returned the $30,000. But the master was angry because he could have at least deposited the $30,000 somewhere and earned interest.

The Master commends the first two, Well done, good and faithful servant…Come and share your master’s happiness! But He has nothing but contempt for the third. This guy was either so lazy as to not use the talents, or too afraid to fail, so he did nothing. This guy gets thrown into the outer darkness, (v.30)…where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Many see this as a very hard teaching of Jesus. What they need to understand is that this is not a story of money or of wise investment practices. It is about utilizing the skills and gifts we have been given by God to build up His Kingdom. Notice, all are called to account: Those who use their gifts are blessed now and join Jesus in eternity. Those who do not are chastised and punished. I believe when we stand before God at His judgment seat, He will ask those of us who love His Son two questions: How well did you do at loving others? And how well did you use the gifts I gave you to advance My Kingdom?

So what is the point for us today?

First, like the 70 year old man pushed to rescue a woman at sea, God can make even ordinary people into heroes. Deborah was very gifted, but think about the housewife, Jael. She not only countered her husband’s disloyalty to Israel, but she was brave enough to kill a cruel enemy with a tent peg and a hammer.

Second, think about the two unnamed servants who took a risk and invested their master’s money. What about the risk and Kingdom Courage it takes us to step into our gifting? We need to not focus on our fears, but rather trust in God to help us achieve what He has put in our hearts. He expects us to use the talents He has given us to bless others.

Finally, God wants us to exhibit Kingdom Courage. He often uses ordinary people who trust in Him to accomplish His will. Do you trust God?

Are you willing to be obedient to Him, even when your situation seems difficult or impossible? If He can use an essentially unarmed army to defeat a vastly superior force, He can master any situation we bring before HIM.

What situation are you in that has you flummoxed, frightened, or frustrated?

Give it to the Lord, over and over until you see results (this is called “praying through”). Then ask God to give you Kingdom Courage to do any hard things that He may indicate He wants you to do.

Amen. May it be so!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

SELF-LESS

Pastor Sherry’s Message for September 3, 2023

Scriptures: Ex 3:1-15; Ps 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b; Ro 12:9-21; Matt 16:21-28

         I came across this little poem the other day, whose author is anonymous (perhaps by choice?):

         I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord.

                    Real service is what I desire. 

          I’ll sing You a solo anytime, dear Lord,

                    But don’t ask me to sing in the choir.

          I‘ll do what You want me to do, dear Lord,

                    I like to see things of God come to pass.

          But don’t ask me to teach boys and girls, O Lord,

                    I’d rather just stay in my class.

          I’ll do what You want me to do, dear Lord,

                    I yearn for Thy kingdom to thrive. 

          I’ll give You my nickels and dimes, dear Lord,

                    But please don’t ask me to tithe.

          I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,

                    I’ll say what You want me to say.

          I’m busy just now with myself, dear Lord,

                    I’ll help You some > convenient day.

(Chuck Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Word Publishing, 1998, pp. 516-517.)

This is amusing, isn’t it?  We’re ready to obey the Lord, but on our terms.  If we obey on our terms, then just who is God to us? We sit on the throne of our own lives, and obey God if and when it’s convenient—which means we have dethroned the true King.


And where does this leave us?  The comedian, George Carlin, once had a routine in which he challenged the concept of self-help.  He said, essentially, that self-help is an oxymoron:  “Look it up,” he said, “if you did it yourself, you didn’t need any help. Pay attention to the logic of the language, people.”   How about the concept of self-service?  Isn’t service something we provide to others? Again, using Carlin’s logic, is it a service if we do something for ourselves alone?

(Fairless and Chilton, The Lectionary Lab Commentary, Year A, 2013, p.213.)

The Bible is pretty clear that God prefers for us to turn from serving or helping self toward serving Him and helping others.

         A.  Our Old Testament lesson (Exodus 3:1-15) is a case in point:  By the end of chapter 2, Moses had become a grown man with   a desire to help his people, the Israelites.  So when he observed an Egyptian overseer mercilessly beating a Hebrew slave, he took it upon himself to kill the Egyptian.  We have no indication that the Lord told him to do this.

He had assumed this murder would be helpful.  But he was unprepared for what might happen when the word got out—even among the slaves–that he was a murderer.  His own people didn’t trust him.  He had been trying to help, but by his own misguided efforts.  The Egyptians wanted to arrest him and kill him.  This resulted in his having to flee for his life to the Egyptian “outback,” to the south end of the Sinai Peninsula, a place called “Midian.”

There, in Midian, the Lord placed him in a godly family and provided him with (1) sanctuary from any avenging Egyptians, (2) a lovely wife, Zipporah, and two sons, and (3) a new way to earn a living, as a shepherd.  We could say he served a 40 year apprenticeship, caring for sheep and goats, prior to shepherding God’s Chosen People.  He was also learning not to rely on self (help).  He was emptied of pride and self-will.  The burning bush incident was meant by God to teach Moses to surrender his ego, his princely prerogatives, and to trust in the name and power of the Lord.  God tends not to use those who will not yield to Him.

         B. We know God used Moses mightily, as we read the rest of Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy (the Pentateuch or Torah, the Law, from Genesis through Deuteronomy).  After afflicting the Egyptians with 10 plagues—by the way, this was the Lord going to war with the gods of Egypt and winning every time!—Pharaoh gives in and lets the Israelite slaves leave Egypt.  Scholars believe King David wrote Psalm 105, to preserve and celebrate God’s actions on behalf of the Israelites from the time of Abraham to Moses.  This psalm retells their history.

The verses we read this morning recall how the Lord used Moses and Aaron, his brother, to display His power to Pharaoh, essentially saying, Dude, you and your gods don’t have a chance against the power of the Almighty God.

We’ve all just survived Hurricane Idalia.  Think of how Almighty God intervened to help us through.  A friend in Tallahassee who did not lose power was watching the Weather Channel and heard Dr. Greg Postel say, the day after Idalia hit land (8/11/23), that they observed “curious changes” that did not match their scientific predictions:  (1) The eye wall “eroded,” or “fell apart at the middle and lost convection so that the wind weakened just before landfall.”  130 mph suddenly dropped to 85 or 90—such a huge, immediate drop is not usual.  This Category 4 killer storm reduced to a Cat 2 or 1 as it reached land.  He admitted the science could not explain this.  (2) Though the storm surge was bad, due to the full moon, it materialized as less than expected because it hit at low tide rather than high tide, as had been predicted.  Perhaps the lowered wind speeds helped change the timing of the storm with the tides.  How amazing!  (3) Additionally, the winds at ground level during impact appeared to have separated from higher, more vicious winds which operated up to 1000 feet above land.  The winds that hit us were actually lower in velocity than the higher winds in the storm mass.  We were spared the really dangerous, brutal winds.  Remember our prayers, since the beginning of hurricane season against a dangerous hurricane hitting Florida?  No doubt we were not the only Christians praying this way.

Truly we were spared the devastation of a Cat 4 storm by divine intervention.  Never doubt the power of Almighty God!  All praise belongs to Him!

         C. In his letter to the Romans (12:9-21), Paul lays out how we are to relate to other believers and to nonbelievers.

         If we are cooperating with the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, our actions toward other believers will be characterized by

                  a. Sincere love;

                 b. Hatred only for what is evil;

                 c. Devotion to each other out of brotherly love (philios);

                 d. Industriousness, rather than laziness;

                 e. “Joy in hope, patience in affliction, faithfulness in prayer”;

                 f. Sharing with the truly needy;

                 g. Practicing hospitality;

                 h. Blessing rather than cursing others;

                 i. Empathizing with each other’s pain or joy;

                 j. Living in harmony with others;

                 k. And being humble.

Toward non-believers, we are to (1) refuse to exact revenge for being wronged—leaving that instead to God.  Remember, the culture says, “What goes around comes around.”  Scripture says “we reap what we sow.” It’s the same law.  Often I have seen someone receive back exactly the evil treatment they had previously dished out to another; (2) do the right thing; (3) as much as we can ensure it, we must live at peace; and (4) verse 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If we can demonstrate these attitudes and behaviors,we are truly demonstrating that we are surrendered to God.  If we can’t, we probably aren’t.

         D. Which leads us to our Gospel lesson (Matthew 16:21-28).

Jesus tells the disciples, for the 1st time, that He is going to Jerusalem to die (about 6 months prior to His crucifixion).  He will tell them four more times before His betrayal and arrest (Matthew 17:12, 17:22-23, 20:18-19, and 20:28).  He knows and accepts that this is the future set out for Him.

But Peter is appalled!  Seven verses earlier, Peter had confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.  He can’t believe that Jesus would willingly die a     criminal’s death.  Whereas his first statement was inspired by the Holy Spirit, this second one is inspired by Satan.  How quickly we can move from being in alignment with God’s will to being antagonistic to it.  Jesus loves Peter but rebukes him strongly.  Even the Son of God—who is also God—must submit His will to that of the Father.

Self-help, self-service, even self-improvement rarely work for us.  I once worked with a very bright doctoral student in Sports Psychology.  Those folks are smart as can be.  They have to learn all the psychology I did, as well as the physiology of bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons that impact athletic performance.  She suffered from depression and did not believe in Jesus.  Instead she worshipped “the goddess within.”  I wondered how she could continue to believe in the goddess within when that entity had not helped her overcome her battle with depression.  Self-improvement based on self or even on “the goddess within” is typically fruitless.  We need Jesus to heal us.   

Ultimately, we need to follow the examples of Moses and of Jesus.  We are to deny ourselves.  We are to be willing to sacrifice what we want.  We are to serve and obey God.  We are to help others.

When we can become self-less, then God has us right where He wants us.  This is the point at which He will use us to build up His Kingdom.  And, paradoxically, when we surrender to Him and pick up our cross, we gain eternal rewards—we are richly blessed.

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!  Alleluia, alleluia!

©2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman · 2 Comments

Family Reunion

Pastor Sherry’s message for August 20, 2023

Scriptures: Gen 45:1-7, 25-28; Ps 133; Ro 11:1-2a, 29-32; Matt 14:10-28

Amy Peterson writes, “…I started reading The Kindness of God by Catholic theologian and philosopher Janet Soskice. In her examination of the etymology of the word kindness, Soskice helped me see it for the first time as a strong virtue rather than a weak one. “In Middle English,” she writes, “the words ‘kind’ and ‘kin’ were the same—to say that Christ is ‘our kinde Lord’ is not to say that Christ is tender and gentle, although that may be implied, but to say that he is kin—our kind. This fact, and not emotional disposition, is the rock which is our salvation.” I paused after reading this sentence to try to take it in, to try to peel the sentimental layers off my definition of kindness and replace them with this fact: to be kind meant to be kin. The word unfolded in my mind. God’s kindness meant precisely that God became my kin—Jesus, my brother—and this, Soskice said, was a foundational truth about who I was. Not only that, but for speakers of Middle English, Lord had a particular meaning—a lord was someone from the nobility, the upper social classes. To say “our kinde Lord” was to say the difference in social or economic status between peasants and nobility was also erased through Jesus the “Lord” being of the same “kinde” as all, landowners and peasants alike. Jesus erased divisions that privileged some people over others.”

(Amy Peterson, Where Goodness Still Grows: Reclaiming Virtue in an Age of Hypocrisy, Thomas Nelson, 2020.)

The theme of our Scripture readings today is “Divine Kinship” or “Family Reunion.”

A. It begins with our Genesis reading (45:1-7, 25-28). After having lived in Egypt for about 22 years, Joseph has recognized his brothers and now reveals himself to them. Why would they not have recognized him?

By this time, he did not look Hebrew. They were bearded but he was clean shaven. Additionally, he was wearing an Egyptian wig (Egyptians shaved their heads, due to problems with lice, and were noted for wearing elaborate wigs). There was also his Egyptian style of dress and perhaps an arm bracelet and a jeweled collar signifying being a high Egyptian official. The last time they had seen him, he had been a gangly boy of 17; now he’s 39 years old and no doubt looked very different from the way he had in their last encounter. They also would have heard him speaking Egyptian/Arabic, but talking with them through an interpreter (even though he understood Hebrew). Finally, they were not expecting to see him again since slavery was usually implied a death sentence.

Unbeknownst to them, he has put them through two tests to see if they have changed in the intervening twenty two years. First, he has them leave Simeon behind and promise to bring back Benjamin, his full brother. He is checking to see how honest they are now. They had betrayed him. They had no doubt lied to their father. Will they sacrifice another brother to get what they want? Second, they return and bring back Benjamin, but Joseph has his favorite cup put into Benjamin’s bag of grain, and has his servants accuse their father’s new favorite of theft. Joseph wants to know if they have come to grips with what jealousy cost them in the past. Are they more loyal to Benjamin than they had been to Joseph? Have they developed more compassion for their aging and grieved father?

Apparently so because Judah, their leader, steps up and offers himself (and even his children) in place of Benjamin. Judah recognizes this dilemma is God’s punishment for what they had done to Joseph. He and the others cannot bear to imagine Jacob’s grief over losing Rachel’s only other son, Benjamin.

So, satisfied that his ten half-brothers have truly undergone a moral transformation, he reveals himself to them as their long, lost brother, Joseph. At first, they can’t believe it is him. Then they fear his retribution. But in a truly Christ-like way, he reassures them, [Peterson’s The Message, p.93] am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don’t feel badly, don’t blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives. There has been a famine in the land now for two years; the famine will continue for five more years—neither plowing nor harvesting [will take place]. God sent me on ahead to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance. So you see, it wasn’t you who sent me here but God. He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh, put me in charge of his personal affairs, and made me ruler of all Egypt. God uses Joseph to save his father, Jacob/Israel, his brothers, and his whole extended family (a total of 90 people). But Joseph’s wisdom also saves thousands, perhaps millions of Egyptians as well as untold, unnumbered, other Gentiles. What a fabulous and far-reaching family reunion!

B. In Psalm 133, King David continues the theme of family reunion. Verse 1 celebrates —How good and pleasant it is when brothers [and sisters] live together in unity! There is no back-biting, no sarcasm, no jealousy; no murderous rage, no hidden agendas. Instead, such family members experience love, support, and acceptance.

He goes on to mention two metaphors for how rich a blessing this could be: (1) a generous supply of anointing oil, representing empowerment of the Holy Spirit; and (2) abundant dew, highly desired and valued in an arid climate. As troubled and complex as were the kinship relationships in King David’s family, this psalm sets out his longing for this kind of God-inspired love, cooperation, and blessing among brothers and sisters.

C. In Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32, Paul continues his case for the Jewish people. True, most at that time, rejected Jesus as their Messiah. But Paul is adamant (v.1) that God has not rejected them, His Chosen People. They have rejected Him but He has not washed His hands of them. Instead, the Lord has a plan for bringing them to a saving knowledge of Christ.

Back in verses 25-26, he wrote —the harvest of the Jews will come after…the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved…. Just as God has been merciful to us, He too will have mercy on the Jews. Many students of the book of Revelation believe the main purpose of the Great Tribulation (assuming the Church has already been raptured) is to turn a massive number of Jews into Jesus-followers. What a grand family reunion that will be!

D. Finally, in our Gospel lesson (Matthew 15, also Mark 7), Jesus delivers a new doctrine and graciously responds to a Gentile woman.

The new teaching is on moral uncleanliness. Yes, it’s a good health practice to wash your hands before eating—but hand-washing has only to do with the physical. Instead, it’s what comes out of one’s mouth that demonstrates one’s spiritual condition. Our moral or spiritual cleanliness—our heart attitudes–are revealed by what we say. This is why we want to work hard to eliminate cussing and gossip and lying and slander from our daily speech. He calls the rule-bound religious leaders of the Jews blind guides, and appears—by this point–to have given up on appealing to them further.

In fact, He leaves the country for the first time, venturing North into Tyre and Sidon (cities in Phoenicia). No doubt He wants a time-out from his Jewish adversaries. But almost immediately, He encounters a persistent Syro-Phoenician, Canaanite, or Gentile woman. Remember, He says (v.24) was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel (not Gentiles).

She calls Him (v.22) —Lord, Son of David. She knows He is a descendant of King David. But she is an outsider, not a member of the family. She is an ethnic outsider; she is a religious outsider; and her gender, in those days, made her an outsider as Jewish rabbis would rarely have spoken directly to a woman.

But she has a demonized daughter that no one has been able to heal, and she is desperate. She is begging Him to heal/deliver her child. Jesus makes the point that she does not belong to “the family.” He came to feed the “children of Israel” (v.26)It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the puppies [the Hebrew word here means not adult dogs but the diminutive, puppies]. He is essentially saying, just as in a family, there is an order here —The children (Israelites) eat first; Then puppies get fed, but not from the table and not until the kids are done. He is not telling her she cannot expect help from Him, but rather that there is a set of priorities to His ministry.

She gets what He is saying, steps into His metaphor, and reminds Him (v.27) —…but even the puppies eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table. She knows she does not have a legitimate place at the Jewish table. But even as a nonfamily member, she has faith that Jesus can provide enough that some leftovers will be available to her and to her daughter. Notice, she doesn’t say, Give me what I deserve due to my goodness or my rights, as many today might demand. Instead, (as Timothy Keller asserts in his book King’s Cross , Dutton, 2011, p.89), she implies, “Give me what I don’t deserve on the basis of Your goodness—and, please, I need it right now.”

Jesus commends her faith (The Message, p.1775) —Oh, Woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get! Right then her daughter became well. She entered into His metaphor and responded with belief in Him. Because of her faith, He made her a member of His family.

There is no reason for us to ever feel like we are alone or outsiders. God’s family is made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers. Our weekly worship service is like a big family reunion. We who believe in Jesus Christ are members of God’s family. Come, every Sunday, to be with people who love Jesus and who love you. Amen!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Can’t Elevate Them All

Pastor Sherry’s message for July 16, 2023

Scriptures: Gen 25:19-34; Ps 119:105-112; Ro 8:1-11; Matt 13:1-9, 18-23

The Rev. Del Chilton, a Lutheran pastor, tells the story of how he cropped tobacco as a youngster in North Carolina in the summers (some of you can relate to this, I am sure). He says the “cropper” consisted of a low seat some 5-6 inches off the ground. It was pulled by a tractor. Del sat on the seat and cut tobacco leaves, starting at the bottom of the plant, as the tractor slowly drove them through the rows. He was then to place the cut leaves on a conveyor belt that transported them to an elevated platform, where folks called “stringers” tied them to sticks to be hung in barns where the tobacco was cured. One particular day, the conveyor belt was acting up, and was not moving the cut tobacco up to the platform. Chilton recalls, “There was a precocious six year old boy who was a friend of the family and was watching us work. He observed our troubles for a while and then walked up to the farmer and said, ‘Well, you can’t elevate ‘em all, can you, Mr. Virgil.’ Chilton’s point is that even Jesus could not “elevate” or convince everyone He met, taught, healed, or delivered from demons to trust in Him and in God. (Story and title borrowed from Fairless and Chilton, The Lectionary Lab Commentary, Yr. A, 2013, p.179.)

This is one of the messages of our Gospel lesson (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23) today. We won’t reach everyone we try to tell about Jesus, will we? Some of us have family members or good friends we have tried to convince, but who still reject our Lord. Why would we ever be discouraged, though, if even Jesus Himself—died, resurrected, and ascended—couldn’t move them? But in the parable, Jesus means for us to try, anyway. We are to tell people about the difference Jesus has made in our lives, thus sharing with them about the Kingdom of Heaven.

In Jesus’ story, the seed is the Gospel, the sower is God (or Jesus, or even us), and the soils represent people’s receptivity to taking in the Message or of coming to faith in Christ.

1.) “Hard-Shelled hearers” are just not interested. They think Jesus is a myth and the Bible is nonsense. The birds—representing the devil—steal away God’s Word so that it cannot take root in their hearts.

2.) “Rocky Ground folk” don’t do anything to sustain or nourish their new faith. It’s not deeply rooted, so it fades away. It fades with persecution or when their faith is challenged. This happened to me when I went to college in the mid-1960’s. I arrived with faith, but when I studied sociology and learned that many folks believe the Christian faith is a myth, I fell away for a time. For some, it may be that someone they loved and prayed for died. For others, it may be that some dream or aspiration they held dear was disappointed. They blame God and reject their faith. Their spirit may have been willing, but their flesh capitulated.

3.) “Thorny Ground people” allow fear and worry to choke out their faith. Do you realize that fear is a negative faith? It is the antithesis of faith. Faith says, “I believe in God’s goodness and love for me, no matter what.” Remember, Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline. Notice, Paul believes fear is a spirit, actually a demon. Fear says, “I trust in a negative outcome”; that is, “If anything bad can happen, it will.”

Something else that can drive out or kill our faith is wealth. Ever notice how many rich folks live as though they don’t need God? They believe, falsely, that they came into their wealth through their own power or canny strategies. When one of these folks truly come to faith, it’s amazing as they tend then to do good things for others with their money, contributing generously to charitable causes.

Nevertheless, Jesus maintains that the cares of this world can and do discourage and drown out our faith.

4.) But “Good Soil people” hold onto our faith, despite the world, the flesh, and the devil. Jesus says these folks bring in a harvest, of varying sizes depending upon their influence and opportunities. Their faith is contagious and commended.

By now, you have noticed that I like to try to find the link between our lectionary readings—sometimes this link is more obvious than at others.

A. Our Psalm (119:105-112) connects to Jesus’ parable about the soils because it focuses on reading and meditating on God’s Word (spoken, written and in-fleshed in Jesus) as a primary means of nourishing our faith. This theme is also stated in Isaiah 55:10-11As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My Word, that goes out from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

The psalmist is saying essentially the same thing: God’s Word provides light for steps taken in darkness. It provides a standard against which to measure our behavior. It guides us in ways to keep us close to God.

B. Paul, in Romans 8:1-11, is reassuring us that if we are in Christ (his famous concept that we accrue many blessings by maintaining a close, personal relationship with Jesus), we will not be condemned or rejected by God. Even though our carnal/fleshly nature continues to lure us into sinful activity, our spirit nature—assisted and strengthened by the Holy Spirit—can help us overcome this warp in our DNA. Again, as in Chapter 7, he makes the point that we cannot walk out the Christian life by our own will-power. We need the assistance of the Holy Spirit (like a booster rocket) to overcome sin’s gravitational pull.

As Paul writes (v.11) And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies, through His Spirit who lives in you. The Holy Spirit provides us with power to overcome fleshly, worldly, or devilish temptations. The Holy Spirit is called the paraclete or helper—like a combination defense attorney and coach—for a reason. He exists to help us become the best we can be, this side of Heaven. The Holy Spirit wants us to develop a strong, unshakable faith in Jesus. Or, as J. Vernon McGee writes, “The Holy Spirit is now able to do the impossible. The Holy Spirit can produce a holy life in the weak and sinful flesh” (J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible Commentary, Romans Chapters 1-8, Thomas Nelson, 1991, p.138.)

C. Our Genesis 25:19-34 passage once again provides us with examples of all too human attitudes (or soils) toward our faith in God. Since the narrative says Isaac was married at forty (v.19) and had children at sixty (v.26), it is clear that Isaac and Rebekah waited twenty years to have children. Rebekah, like Sarah, Isaac’s mother, was barren, which would have been very hard on them for several reasons:

Remember, before Rebekah left her home to marry Isaac, her parents had prayed that she would be the mother of thousands (Gen 24:60). So they probably had great expectations, which made Rebekah’s barrenness more difficult. Isaac and Rebekah probably thought, “If we are going to fulfill God’s plan of forming a great nation, we have to start popping out kids right away.”

In addition, this waiting would have been hard simply because of cultural expectations. Women were expected to birth children in that culture. It was how the family name was carried on. It was how a work-force was developed. It was how elderly parents were provided for in retirement (there were no 401K’s). To be unable to have multiple children would have been very disconcerting.

Yet notice Isaac’s response to this dilemma: He prayed for his wife to conceive. Last Sunday, we noted that Isaac was a man of prayer. Rather than take matters into his own hands, as his parents had, he takes this problem to the Lord. Isaac is an example of good soil.

Then, when Rebekah does conceive, she experiences turbulence in her stomach. Perhaps due to her husband’s excellent example, she asks God what is going on in her womb. God speaks to her and tells her she is carrying twins who are and will be very different from one another. Identical twins often think the same way, like the same things, and dress the same, but not these two! Just as they are jostling about in her womb, they won’t get along in life either. A larger, stronger nation will come from one of them: This will be Esau (his name means hairy, not Harry; he would also be called Edom or red. Together with his half-Uncle, Ishmael, he will become the father of the Arabs. They will be more numerous and stronger than Israel. Esau will be a skillful hunter, outdoorsy, an athlete, and his father’s favorite. And yet, God’s word continues, Esau will eventually serve his minutes’ younger twin: This will be Jacob (his name means heel-grabber because he was born grasping his twin’s heel, or deceiver). YIKES! What a moniker to carry! He will be a quiet, contemplative man, a chef, and his mother’s favorite.

We are given one more indication of their important differences in the “stew episode.” As a grown-up, Esau reveals himself as a man driven by his fleshly appetites (He is either a rocky ground, or a hard-shelled-thinker). He is a man of his world who gives very little time or thought to God. In trading his birthright—which has long lasting repercussions—for one meal—a temporary pleasure–he forfeits (1) the inheritance of the first-born; (2) being considered the head and priest of his family; and (3) ultimately providing the lineage of Jesus.

At first blush, Jacob, the quiet chef, seems the more godly of the two…but wait! He desires being head and priest of the family, but he is unwilling to wait on God to achieve this. No doubt his mother had told him what God had said over him during her pregnancy; but, like his grandparents before him, he was not willing to wait on God’s timing. He takes the matter into his own hands, ripping off his carnal brother in a moment of Esau’s weakness. Jacob does not appear to be as decadent, but he clearly is a schemer who pulls a fast one on his twin. Jesus would say God’s word has impacted him somewhat, but it has been choked out in his life by the weeds and thorns of fear and ambition. Whereas the flesh and the Devil grab Esau, worldly desires overcome Jacob.

These twin brothers represent a lesson/example in how not to respond to God’s Word. Jacob will later in his life come to a deep, abiding faith in God, but only after he has suffered for his deceit and his willfulness the hard way, through rough experiences and trials in God’s “divine woodshed,” a.k.a., his unscrupulous Uncle Laban.

Our Scripture passages today make it clear that we can’t elevate them all. We can’t even elevate ourselves without the supernatural help of the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray: Lord, help us to be persons of prayer and of strong faith—good soil persons like Isaac. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ–and by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit! Amen!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Obeying God

Pastor Sherry’s message for 7/9/2023

Scriptures: Gen 24:34-67; Ps 45:10-17; Ro 7:14-25a; Matt 11: 16-30

I want to share with you a true story told by a Kenyan pastor, Dr. Nicholas M. Muteti (He now ministers in North Carolina). He recalls,

“Nearly thirty years ago, I was a middle school teacher in Kenya. One day I took 20 students, and I told them: “I will do my best to teach you and train you. If you obey me, you will be the best students of this school.” They were excited.

“In a short time, I realized that only some of them were willing to keep up with my training. Some of them said, “It’s too difficult.” Some said, “We have more important things to do.” Some of them said, “You see other students are having more fun than we do.” When they graduated, 2 of them were the best students of the school. Only 2 out of 20.”Download (PDF

(Contributed by Dr. Nicholas M. Muteti on Jun 15, 2011, www.sermoncentral.com)

I wonder if this is how God feels. We each could be absolutely the best we could become, if only we obeyed the Lord. He knows this and sees so few of us trying to live out the Christian life style. I wonder how frustrated He gets with us human beings.

Both Paul and Jesus have a lot to say today about obeying God:

Paul reminds us (in Romans 7:14-25a) that our sinful (carnal) nature does not cease to exist when we become Christians. Oh, if only it did! If anything, we just become more frustrated because now we recognize—and hopefully, regret–our sinfulness. The cry of Paul’s heart is so poignant. Can’t we each identify with him in verse 24 What a wretched man [or woman] I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? I find Peterson’s paraphrase of parts of this passage so helpful (The Message, pp.2043-2044) Yes, I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command [the Law] is necessary. But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it: I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions.

Paul makes the case that just deciding not to sin is not enough to keep us from sinning. Remember, last week he said (in Romans 6)…

[1] Start with faith in Jesus;

[2] Surrender yourself to God;

[3] Then ask God, the Holy Spirit, to help you live into your new intentions.

We need supernatural help. We need the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us to help us live more and more like Jesus.

Jesus, in our Matthew 11:16-30 passage, is speaking about how folks have rejected both His cousin, John the Baptist, and Him. He says they rejected John for being too severe, too austere. Those who have rejected Jesus have done so for the opposite reason. They say he’s too friendly.

Since He eats with tax collectors and sinners, they claim He is a drunkard and a glutton. (YIKES! I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes at the Last Judgment.)

So, He then rejects the cities in which He has spent the most time: Korazon, Bethsaida, and Capernaum—Capernaum had been His headquarters! Most of the residents of these three cities have blown off His teachings, His miracles, and His healings done. To Jesus, they now rate worse than the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, who God fire-bombed. (What might be worse than that? I hate to think it.)

Biblical scholars say it is at this point that Jesus turns from trying to convert the Jewish nation toward appealing to individuals who are open to Him. He offers rest to those who are weary and burdened. He asks them/us to join with Him and learn from Him. He promises rest for our souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Let me digress for just a moment: Jesus had been a carpenter, so He had most likely built wooden yokes for oxen. Jesus would have measured the oxen before fashioning their yoke—like us, all oxen are not of the same size or girth. Then the farmer would have returned about a week later to have the pair fitted with the new yoke. If it had been made to fit exactly, it would not chafe or injure their necks. Jesus is implying that he makes obeying Him individualized and non-stressful, if we partner in the effort with the Holy Spirit.

This is essentially what Paul later repeated, isn’t it? He wrote that we should put our trust in Jesus; we should do as He does, or at least obey what He says; and we should ask the Holy Spirit to help us when our sin natures want us to rebel. As J.Vernon McGee says, “The only place in the world to put that burden [our sins] is at the Cross of Christ.” The reward for this obedience is rest, deep shalom [total wellbeing] peace.

As with last week, the doctrines expressed by Jesus and by Paul are illustrated with a great story from the Old Testament, Genesis 24:34-67. Abraham had become very rich—he was like a prince or a high nomadic potentate by this time. Sarah had died at age 127, so Abraham was probably 137 years old. Before he died, he wanted to secure a bride for Isaac. He wants someone from his extended family, not an idolatrous Canaanite. So he sends his trusted representative to the area of Haran (Iran), to search out a suitable woman from among his extended family.

The servant prays to Abraham’s God and suggests a sign by which to recognize God’s choice of a bride for Isaac. She will encounter him at a well. She will offer him water to drink. She will even draw water for his 10 camels. Additionally, she will extend traditional middle eastern hospitality: water for his feet, food and refreshments, and overnight accommodations for him and his animals. Arriving in Haran, the servant then encounters a beautiful young woman who does exactly that. She gives him water. She draws water for his animals. She invites him home to meet her family. This woman is Rebekah, Abraham’s great-niece, the virgin granddaughter of Abraham’s brother, Nahor. Now of all the wells the servant could have visited, what are the chances that he would run into Abraham’s kin? God has clearly superintended this process. It’s a divine appointment.

The servant recognizes this and offers praise and thanksgiving to God.

In verse 26, we are told Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying,”Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my masters’ relatives.” This woman, Rebekah, is clearly God’s choice for Isaac. The servant tells her the story of how he decided to approach her—he’d asked God for a sign. She doesn’t seem to have difficulty believing him. Then he gifts her with a ring and two gold bracelets.

Her brother, Laban, shows up, hears the story, and also invites Abraham’s servant to their home. Once again, the servant shares his instructions with everyone. No doubt Rebekah is somewhere listening in as the story is retold. Everyone appears to agree she is God’s choice of a bride for Isaac. The servant has surely filled them in on Isaac’s miraculous birth and the divine substitution of the sacrificial ram. They may have been impressed that Isaac seemed to be a man with a God-ordained destiny.

The family is impressed with the costly gifts bestowed on the maiden, signifying that Abraham is indeed wealthy. The bride-price is agreed upon, but by the next morning the family appears to have backed off a bit. In an intimation of things to come—Laban will renege on his agreement with his future nephew, Jacob—Laban, Rebekah’s brother, wants to delay his sister’s marriage. The family urges the servant to wait 10 more days. No doubt concerned for Abraham’s age and health, the servant insists they leave immediately.

In an interesting move in a paternalistic culture, the family members suggest Rebekah be consulted. From what she’s heard and experienced, she is ready to go—off with a servant she barely knows; to a country she’s never seen; to meet a husband she’s only heard of. What an adventure! What a courageous young woman!

What standards might this story point to for us today?

First, we note the faithfulness of the servant. He’s given his word to Abraham to do his best, but otherwise he has no stake in the outcome. Nevertheless, he works hard to fulfill his promise. He is obedient. He prays for the Lord’s favor. He diligently repeats his instructions from Abraham to the extended family members. He clearly does not want to mess up! This is a great example (from about 4,000 ago) of godly obedience.

Second, I am also struck by the willingness and courage of Rebekah. She doesn’t know Abraham from Adam’s house cat. She is looking at marrying a dude she’s only just heard of and never seen. She will be making her home far away from her family—in fact, she never sees them again this side of heaven. What convinces her to take the risk of leaving everything she has ever known? Perhaps she was impressed by the miraculous nature of Isaac’s birth, believing he is a man special to God. No doubt she had heard the story of his almost-sacrificial death, and been impressed with the fact that he could have overwhelmed his aged father’s strength, and taken himself off the altar. Nevertheless, he chose to be obedient to and respectful of his father, and of his father’s God. Maybe she rightfully understood that Isaac was special relationship with God and wished to attach herself to such a faithful and blessed man. And, if she had been a woman of faith, she could see and understand how God had indeed chosen her to be Isaac’s mate. After all, the servant had asked for a complex set of signs, and, without any prior knowledge of them, she had fulfilled each one.

Third, this story has a happy ending. It’s actually a love story. Scripture is God’s love story to us, but He never guarantees us “a rose garden.” He does, however, promise us blessings for faith and obedience. Rebekah gets on her camel and rides to Israel and to Isaac. The evening she arrives, Isaac is out praying. He sees her, the answer to his prayers. She sees him and leaps off her camel, indicating she is both single and eager to meet him. Cue the dramatic music! The faithful servant relates everything to Isaac, who obviously sees Rebekah as the answer to his prayers (and his father’s plans). Verse 67 tells us Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah [now dead], and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

This beautiful story is an indication of what can happen to the righteous—those of us who call upon the Holy Spirit to live obedient lives pleasing to God. Yes, we inherit heaven. But, we can also be abundantly blessed by the Lord here on earth. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

©️2023 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams