Message: What God Did Before, He Thrives in Today!
And you can inverse today’s title to state, What God thrived in before, He does today!Yes, and what is true in the past is true today and visa versa. Kind of like when God says in Exodus 3:14 His name is I am or; I am who I am, I am What I am, I will be what I will be, I will be who I will be
You will spend the rest of your life figuring that one and still come up short. Because our God is Alpha – Omega, all encompassing, and everyone’s God, if they will accept the invitation to join in God’s plans for our future.
Indeed, and what is it that God has been doing? What is the underlying story unfolding throughout all of the scripture, that seems to be an ongoing battle of good or holy versus evil or death? From Genesis to Revelation, God is seeking reconciliation (a fancy way of saying restoring the relationship) with humanity, by winning the battle for the hearts of people like you!
Every generation, every family like ours, every person who knows and understands, gets to decide like Joshua if they will choose the Lord or not. Reading from Joshua 24: 14-15;
14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Throwing away those gods of the past (beyond the Euphrates River, and in Egypt aka bondage), represent those things of our past we said we were going to leave behind last year, and work on us this year. By becoming stronger, we actually help our God build His Church in the here and now. Our choice with our free will! But my favorite part of that passage is the declarative by Joshua; “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua and his generation made a decision for the Lord. Much like all other peoples and times, that’s the decision to answer as God the builder, builds His family. Unfortunately, not all people, or generations choose God. Take the people of Israel in Isaiah’s day. They were a mess. But, in spite of the evil times, our God spoke to Israel, with words of encouragement. Reflecting back on today’s Call to Worship, reading from Isaiah 42: 1-9;
1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
*Interrupting to say; Two weeks ago, we celebrated His coming into our world, fulfilling what God told the devil how he would be bruised by Eve’s offspring in Gen. 3:14-15. God would build the next phase of His family, and our New Testament lead by the Gospel will be a record of this fact. Now proceeding with verse 5;
5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
**Cutting in to say; Wow, and wow! Our family are to be a light for the Gentiles (those who do not believe or know our Lord), and release them from the prison, dungeon, and darkness those without our Lord exist in. Both back then, and in here and now, our God is reaching out to all and to the individual as well. And now our conclusion at verse 8;
8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you.”
Even though God told Israel about what He would do for His people in their future, Isaiah’s time was full of iniquity. God says plainly that He will not abide by idolatry, and yielding His glory to another, only to be betrayed by His own children, our family in God, the children of Israel. Well, as foretold by Isaiah, our Lord indeed entered into this world, and lead by example. This statement is confirmed by today’s Message Reading about the Baptism of Jesus from Matthew 3: 13-17;
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
It would seem that like you and I, God left humanity’s iniquity with it’s past (looking to our future), like we did last week when we left the old year for the New Year. Moving forward, God continues to build His family, you and I in the forthcoming Church, the Body of Christ. Like every good Father, God is showing through our Lords example in Baptism, what is good for us.
As “God Did Before” (reaching out to Israel and humanity of old), “He Thrives in Today” (by showing and teaching all of humanity what is good and right), recorded for all through His glorious Gospel. And this gift is not for just some select group. God’s invitation is available to all who accept the invitation. This is confirmed in the “Acts of the Apostles in the early church. Reading from Acts 10: 34-48;
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
*Just so no one misses that; let me read it again;
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right… 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
**Interrupting to say; Everyone who believes in Him receive forgiveness of sins through His name! Everyone! Now verse 44;
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
***These Gentiles; or unbelievers are praising and glorifying God’s precious name through their actions, they are indeed worshiping our God!
Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
Of course, none of that would have happened if Peter had hoarded the Lord unto himself and his inner circle. But Peter was about being a tool in God’s arsenal of tools in building His house, our family, the Body of Christ! And our members come from all kinds of places and all kinds of history, to make our family stronger with each new member. Thanks be to God, and glory in the highest!
Because Peter was available to the Holy Spirit, the Lord was able to guide and grow Peter, even after the Lord had ascended into Heaven. You see the Holy Spirit our comforter, also helps us overcome our handicaps, closemindedness, and prejudices, when we are in an ongoing relationship in and with our Lord.
The power of God’s Holy Spirit is powerful enough to help us overcome a lifetime of wrong thinking, and a heart load of guilt. Just look at the Apostle Paul for example. Paul enters our scriptures in the Book of Acts as Saul. A zealous, bigot, and legalistic Pharisee.
Paul was the smartest person in the room and if you were in doubt, all you had to do was ask him, and he would exude you with his effervescence of arrogance in the extreme. He was educated at the feet of Gamaliel (Israel’s foremost Rabi and Biblical scholar at the time), who was known as Rabbani meaning the country’s Teacher at that time. Hence, Paul knew his Bible, and zealously enforced its tenants legalistically. Because they didn’t know Jesus.
The only reason Paul was not in the Sanhedrin (Israel’s version of the Senate or Parliament) was that he was not old enough yet. So with time on his hands, he decides to persecute Christians for their impure (his opinion) faithwalk with God.
On His way to Damascus to persecute more Christians, the Lord has a come to the mountain talk where Saul becomes Paul and Paul spends the rest of his life working with unbelievers. As the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul will, live with, worship with, and grow with current and former idolators and unbelievers as they go through the growing pains of salvation.
Paul will suffer with and for these unbelievers as they learn to believe (each in their own way as individuals), and eventually become the Gentile ancestors of our family. To give you an idea of the ongoing relationship Paul has with the Gentiles, I’ll read from Colossians 1:24-29;
24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness- 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
*Interrupting Paul to say; And who are the chosen, the selected by God? All who take the invitation of the Lord. And that invitation is offered to all. Plain and simple. If you were thinking that you would hold off on sharing the Gospel with the guy down the street that like heavy rock… Think again. You don’t know what is written on anyone’s heart but your own, and somedays that’s pushing it.
We like Paul are called to sometimes suffer with, care for, and love all of the people God sends our way. It is their choice, between them and God if they choose to turn down the Gospel. We are to love and pray for all of God’s creation, even those we struggle with. For all are called to share in the mysteries of God, unveiled with the Holy Spirit, given to a world in great need thereof. Now verse 28;
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Paul like you and me are fueled with the energy of Christ’s Holy Spirit that resides in all who trust and believe in our Lord. May we all learn discernment when we; proclaim, admonish, and teach, with His wisdom, in the right doses, humbly and mercifully. For when we do, we will confirm that; What God Did Before, He Thrives in Today! Through you, who is rejuvenated by Him and His Holy Spirit.
My hope and prayer for each of you this week, is that you will get a chance to;
- Witness your faithwalk by living it
- Talk with another believer to fortify you
- Share in ways that are comfortable for you at first
- So that you will in little doses get confidence
- And learn to grow in your skill
- And then get the needed prayer time with your God
- To thank Him
- Asking for forgiveness in missing the mark
- And then ask for more grace as you mature!
And when you have a chance to witness, have a blast serving your God joyfully by serving others. In His name,
Amen!