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

Posted on by Cheryl Norman

Anomalies for Christ

Pastor Sherry’s Message for May 2, 2021

 Scriptures: Acts 8:26-40, 1 Jn 4:7-21; Jn 15:1-8

         The other day I bumped into an old friend, a pastor I have          known for years.  We chatted about our families and our churches.  Then we got to laughing about our surprising career paths.  He has been called out after 4+ years of retirement to serve his former church again (as they search for another pastor); while I, an Anglican, am pastoring a Methodist Church.  He commented that it seems a happy fit—since I’m in my 6th year here at WUMC.  I bragged on you, telling him that you love Jesus, love Scripture, and love each other (& me, I        hope).

         Thinking over the unusual turns my life has taken, he said, “Sherry, you have always been an anomaly.”  Now I could have been insulted as an anomaly can be       defined as a defect.  But since he’s a big tease, I knew he was probably thinking more along the lines of “being different,” “unique,” “unexpected,” or     “outside the norm.”  My Anglican Bishop has said he thinks I have “the spirit of Deborah,” the only female judge or national leader in the book of Judges.  She was certainly unique and so clearly outside the norm.

         Though I have chuckled over my friend’s assessment, it has since struck me that following Jesus makes us each an anomaly.

Think about it:  If we love Jesus, we live out values different than the mainstream; we behave in such a way that we almost no longer fit in with present day American culture.  I have another friend who often says our Christian values so set us apart that we are like cultural dinosaurs (Though neither extinct nor obsolete).  Knowing y’all, I don’t think you would disagree.

         Our Scriptures today share some ways we are gonna be countercultural–we are gonna be anomalies–if we love Jesus:

         Acts 8:26-40 In this passage, Dr. Luke describes deacon Philip’s encounter with a fellow returning from Jerusalem to Ethiopia.  The context of this encounter is the persecution against Christians—followers of “The Way” as it was first called–that had broken out in Jerusalem, beginning with the stoning of Stephen, another deacon.  One would think, “This is terrible! What a tragedy!”  But remember that Jesus had told them they were to take the Gospel beyond Jerusalem into Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  Instead, they had remained in a “holy huddle,” hunkered down with like-believers.  God uses the persecution to scatter or push the disciples out into other Jewish then non-Jewish areas.

         Philip (not the Apostle, but a guy in the 2nd tier, a deacon) goes first to Samaria.  In verses 5-8, before this passage, we are told   that he preached the Word, healed the sick, and cast out demons!  He’s not God but–empowered by the Holy Spirit–he is doing the work Jesus did.  And he was doing it very well!  Secular wisdom would say, “He’s a success. Keep him there, growing the church bigger and bigger!”  But God, thru the Holy Spirit, sends him off in another direction.

         The Holy Spirit sends Philip on a divine appointment.  Have you ever had one of those?  You are frustrated when your car breaks down, but then have an opportunity to talk to the tow truck driver, or the mechanic, about the Lord.  You are about to leave the house when a distressed friend calls in a dither. You speak to them, calm them down, and pray for them.  In these and similar events, you realize after that those were not coincidences.  No, they were nudges to kindness and service, divine appointments, ordained by God.

         Philip was serving in Samaria, to the north, but was then sent to the Gaza Road, way to the South.  The Holy Spiritdirects him to the Ethiopian governmental official.  The guy was a North African believer in the God of the Jews.  Notice:  He has already encountered the Word of God.  As he is chauffeured along in his chariot (perhaps the equivalent of a stretch limo) he is reading Isaiah 53, the last of the 4 Suffering Servant Songs—all of which predict Jesus.  However, he is understandably confused.  Is the prophet Isaiah talking about himself or of someone else?  He already has a hunger to know more about God.  Running alongside the chariot, Philip offers to help him.  Notice: the Holy Spirit has prompted the Ethiopian official to be curious about Scripture.  Notice again: God has prompted Philip to be right there to explain.  This is truly an appointment that God has arranged.

         Philip does such a good job of explaining the Gospel—Jesus lived, died for our sins, and came back to life, all so that all of us who believe in Jesus could become close to the Father—that the guy wants to become a Christ-follower.  He asks to be baptized, and Philip obliges him (and the Lord).

         Interestingly, instead of continuing on toward Ethiopia, Philip is then whisked away to a Philistine city, Ashdod, to further evangelize.  We have absolutely no idea how many Samaritans or Philistines came to Christ through the ministry of Philip.  Early Church history does tell us, though, that the first big church was built in North Africa!  That Ethiopian went home and told many others about Jesus.  Even today, 2100 years later, 62.8% of Ethiopians are Christians (while 34.6% are Muslims).

         1 John 4:7-21 John, the Apostle of love, sets out several counter-cultural realities about AGAPEO love (not philios [brotherly or sisterly] or [sexual] eros).  In verse 7 he affirms that love comes from God, because God is love.  In other words, love is not our initiative.  Human beings did not invent it.  In verse 12 he states that whenever we demonstrate love, we are imitating God.  In verse 14 he reminds us that God demonstrated His love for us by sending Jesus to redeem us.  Furthermore, in verses 16-17 he assures us thatone of the ways we see/experience/and cooperate with God is by taking loving action.   Aren’t we touched when we see a TV ad as touching as the old Budweiser ones?  Remember the one featuring the Clydesdale pony who, as a grown up horse, leaves the parade to find and to nuzzle his former trainer?)   How about those rare TV news stories in which someone has done something generous or unexpectedly kind for someone else?  Those are examples of love in action.

         Now James, Jesus’ brother, states in his epistle (1:17) Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  In other words, if you are moved to do something generous or kind, it is because the Holy Spirit has inspired you to do so.  And this is counter-cultural.  Without God in our lives prompting us to love, Isa 64:6 …all of our righteous acts are like filthy rags.  If youwatch the news, it’s hard to see any love in action.  I think ofSilicon Valley CEO’s and Wall Street magnates who behave unscrupulously then donate a huge amount of cash to some charitable enterprise.  Their actions look loving, but unless Jesus is at the center of their giving, according to Isaiah their gifts are like “dirty diapers” (the literal translation of filthy rags).  Loving actions are anomalies our God wants us to demonstrate all the time.

Finally, in verse 18, the Apostle writes, There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear.  Knowing that God loves us can keep us from caving into fear.  God’s perfect love for us casts out our fear.  As a survivor of repeated childhood trauma, I grew up always afraid of the dark.  This changed for me when I developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I still pray for Him to keep me safe at night.  He hasn’t ever let me down. I’m no longer afraid at night.

         Now, if we live on a daily diet of the news, we can become          fearful of many things–Everything from nuclear holocaust to being mugged, to dying from the Covid.  But if we can focus on God’s love for us, we can enjoy freedom from these kinds of anxieties. The peace that passes all understanding is clearly countercultural—and if we abide in it, we will be perceived as anomalies.

         In John 15:1-8 Jesus asserts that, I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener.  Last Sunday, in a terrific sermon, Ken told you about Jesus’ 7 I am statements in John’s Gospel.  Any believing Jew of that day would have known that God the Father referred to Himself as I am (or The Great I AM).  So any Jew paying attention to Jesus’ 7 I am sayings would understand that He was equating Himself with     God. Since many of them did not believe He was God, they charged Him with and executed Him for blasphemy.  We know He was speaking the truth because He is God.

         Not only this, but He is referring to Himself as the true or genuine Israel.  All throughout the Old Testament, the vineyard or grape vines are a metaphor for the Israelite nation.  If Jesus is the authentic, genuine Israelite, it is because He has loved His Father, been obedient to His Father, and loved and served His people.  They have not done likewise, though that is what God wanted from them.

         Additionally, He is saying that we can do nothing of any significance apart from Him.  This is so congruent with the concept from Isaiah 64:6.

Our culture would have us believe that “Might makes right”; or “The one with the most money, most expensive toys, or the most political power wins.  But we anomalies know that none of that stuff will get us to Heaven!  We can take no U-Hauls with us into the afterlife, right?  In this life, money, power, fame, even health can all be lost.  But a vital relationship with Jesus will see us through this life and safely into the next. 

         If loving Jesus makes us anomalies, well so be it!  I don’t know about you, but I would rather love Jesus and live outside the current norms than be a cultural conformist without Him.  Remember those critters called lemmings?  When they overpopulate, they run themselves off cliffs into the sea to drown.  I wonder if any unique, non-normative lemmings stand off to the side and say to themselves, “What are you all doing?  That way leads to death!  Not me, Buddy!” 

         This week, try to be aware of when God shifts your direction; when He provides you with a divine appointment.  Let’s try also to be countercultural people who daily demonstrate God’s love in word and in deed.

©2021 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams