Sermon 10-12-08

Great God, Heavenly Father, thank You for your words of promise, that You are good, that Your mercy is always there for us, that Your Truths in the Bible endure throughout the ages and that at all times we can rely on them. Heavenly Father as we now prepare to hear Your Word, we ask that Your Holy Spirit would touch our minds and hearts, that we would hear what is being said and that we would act on what we hear. Lord, draw us closer to you. We pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen

Scripture Readings-

The first reading today from the Book of Isaiah parallels the Gospel Lesson. In about 700 BC God foretold that the Savior would come and used the illustration of a great banquet. That banquet is all the things God offers. First and foremost, the main course is forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God. There are 7,000 promises in the Bible, 7,000 items at God’s banquet and all we have to do is reach out and put them on our plate and take them home. They are ours!

Old Testament –Isaiah 25:6-9 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine - the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD; we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

This second reading is also preparation for our Gospel Lesson. The Gospel Lesson tells about a man who came to the wedding banquet without the right clothes. What in the world could that mean? Our second reading from Galatians tells us what that means. If you have faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are clothed with Christ. The Book of Revelation says that God’s people, believers in Jesus Christ, are clothed in white robes, meaning their sins are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. The robe I wear every Sunday is to remind us of the right standing, the righteousness we have with God in Jesus Christ. In the Gospel Lesson, the man at the wedding feast didn’t have the right clothes on, which means he was not clothed in Christ, he did not have faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior.

Epistle –Galatians 3:26-29 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Our Gospel Lesson is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Lesson. In this parable, Jesus told about a great banquet, everything that God offers us. Unfortunately, people are not interested in going to the banquet.

Gospel – Matthew 22:1-14 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ But they paid no attention and went off – one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.” So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend’, he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are invited, but few care chosen.”

Sermon –

I have a joke for you this morning; here it is: A termite walked into a tavern and asked “Is the bartender here?” Pretty good joke, isn’t it? This termite walked into this tavern and asked “Is the bartender here?” I thought I would tell a few jokes this morning because it’s been such a disastrous week with everything that’s going on, the economic crash, the political scene and everything, so…This termite walked into a tavern and asked, “Is the bartender here?” Isn’t that funny? This termite walked into this tavern and asked, “Is the bartender here?” Get it? This termite walked into this tavern and asked, “Is the bar tender here?”

What is going on? How many of you want to hear that joke again? Nobody? You see, the first time you heard it, it may have taken you a while to get it, but when you heard it a second time, the novelty wore off. When you heard it a third time you became disinterested, and then you heard it a fourth time and a fifth time! And if I keep telling it, you’re going to just hate that joke, you’ve had enough! We have a phrase for this, it’s familiarity breeds contempt. The more familiar we become with something, if we don’t feel outright anger and scorn, it soon approaches that. The novelty wears off and we feel disinterest, dissatisfaction, and irritation. And I was wondering, can we become so familiar with God, so familiar with the things of God that the novelty wears off? Can we become so familiar with God that we become disinterested and, in fact, irritated by the things of God? Does familiarity with God breed contempt?

The answer to that question is “yes” and I’ll give you an example. God had delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, they’re wandering in the desert but there’s no food or water so God does a miracle in front of the people each and every day; He provides a food called manna. This was a food created by God, it was properly balanced perfect nutrition with all the proteins, vitamins, and minerals you need and when you ate it you felt good and were healthy. Plus, it magically appeared! God made it appear every morning, all they had to do was get up and gather their manna for that day. What a great miracle! How about if God would do that for us? Wouldn’t that be great? But familiarity with that great miracle bred contempt. The novelty wore off. People became disinterested, they were dissatisfied and it became an irritation.Finally in Numbers Chapter 11 the Israelites complained “If only we had meat to eat. We remember the fish we ate in Egypt!” Was life good in Egypt? No, it was terrible! Life was tough and they wanted out. They were slaves and they cried out to God to deliver them and He did. But now they’re saying “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” Familiarity bred contempt.

And let’s look at the Gospel Lesson. God has provided a banquet for us. There are seven thousand promises for us in the Bible, reconciliation with God, forgiveness of sins being the main thing. One of the things we were talking about at the Wings Group this week is that maybe we don’t tell people how bad hell is. Jesus told a story about the rich man and Lazarus in Luke Chapter 16. The rich man died, went to hell and said, “I am tormented by these flames”. It is so miserable that he asks Lazarus to dip his finger in water and just touch it to the tip of the rich man’s tongue. That would bring the rich man incredible relief because hell is so bad, so painful; that’s what separation from God is. It is so bad that you would not want your worst enemy to go to hell. You would not want Sadam Hussein to go to hell, you would not want Osama bin Laden to go to hell, you would not want Hitler to go to hell - it’s that bad. And God has saved us from the tortures of hell through Jesus Christ. But what happens at the banquet God provided? Are people just so familiar with it that all of a sudden they have disinterest, maybe even contempt with it? Because, in our Gospel lesson He’s inviting all these people; He invited them twice and they didn’t show; they had something better to do. They have to go to their field, have to work in the garden; maybe they had soccer or football. No time for God. Disinterest. Contempt.

You can see the parallel here; this parable is a warning for us. Have the things of God gotten so familiar in our lives that we don’t want to hear them anymore, so familiar that we have become disinterested? Think about that. Has what God offered us at his banquet, the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ, access to God in prayer, and so much more…. have those things become so familiar that the novelty has worn off, that we become disinterested in the things of God? And you know it has because at times you’ve experienced it. How many times have you invited someone to worship and you saw their disinterest. And in fact, if you kept inviting them, they get irritated. God can become so familiar that we have contempt for Him.

Or, you’ve invited people to Bible Study. You know they should be there, you know it would help them in the situation they’re dealing with in life and they get mad at you for inviting them. Or prayer time, I remember what happened - thank You God it did not happen in this congregation, this is a wonderful congregation - it happened in the past. It was the day before Sunday School began and the teachers were preparing; there were a couple of new teachers and they had requested praye; we have access to God and can always go to Him and ask for His help. So I called everyone together for prayer time and the response from the Sunday School Superintendent was,“Oh, you always pick the worst time for prayer!” Have prayer time and our access to God become so familiar that we have contempt for it?

And how about the church? God has given us a wonderful church and wonderful people. When people join this church they say, “This is such a great church, the people are so nice here!”But what happens is the more familiar you become with a church, all of a sudden you look at Ken and say “I just can’t stomach Ken anymore. I’m sick of his whole attitude. And Barbie, just between you and me, she is nothing but a big phony. She has that silly plastic smile on her face all the time, I’m sick of it. And the Pastor – I’m so sick of his jokes. I just can’t take his Midwestern sense of humor anymore.” Familiarity breeds contempt. That’s why Jesus told us this parable. Have we become so familiar with God, so familiar with church, so familiar with all those items at the banquet that the novelty has worn off? Have we become disinterested and in fact, irritated with those things God tells us?

Remembering the things we talked about during September, if I just stopped here I would be complaining. But it’s not complaining because I’m giving you God’s word. But by the same token, I should give you something to help you. Remember, it’s not complaining if it H-E-L-P-S - The Heard Expression (of the problem) Leads to Progress and Solutions. So we have to come up with a solution. What we want to do is see how we can change all this around, we want to see how we can stay excited about God, we want to see how we can have a spiritual boost in less than 20 minutes.

I want to direct you to some Bible passages that will give us a boost because with the economy the way it is, we need a boost. The government tried to give us a boost a while ago and it didn’t work! It’s been absolutely the worst week on Wall Street ever as far as drops percentagewise and point wise; worse than 1929, worse than 1933, worse that anything we have ever experienced. And, the end is not in sight; it’s a difficult situation and we need a boost. Politically, we need a boost. Economically, we need a boost. The candidates don’t have the answers, the Federal Reserve doesn’t have the answers, no one has the answers. So, do we just mumble around in despair? What’s the solution? We need a solution!

God has the solution. If you need a boost this week, and you will, because tomorrow all the problems will not magically be gone, here’s how you can have peace, hope and joy; here’s how you can get a boost, here’s how God can once again become unfamiliar, here’s how you can get charged up about God so that the novelty doesn’t wear off. When you need a boost this week, spend five minutes with Romans 8:32, “God who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” This is very interesting a story about Christ on the Cross that was told to me in the Seminary some twenty years ago and I still haven’t forgotten it. A friend was talking about her father and how dissatisfied he was with the church. His complaint was, “Every week all they talk about is Christ on the Cross. Can’t they talk about something else?” I’m glad you’re laughing because you see the humor in it. Paul said “We preach Christ crucified.” But Christ on the cross had become so familiar to my friend’s father that it bred contempt in his life, he was irritated at that message.

Let’s get back to that familiar message of Christ on the cross. Romans 8:32. “God who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? All things. If that isn’t a source of peace and hope the way the world is and the way our country is and the bad news we’re going to get again this week, I don’t know what is! “God who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?’ - reasoning from the greater to the lesser. If God was willing to kill his own son so we didn’t have to go to hell, is any cost too great for Him? No! Is anything too much of a bother for God? No! He will stop at nothing to help us; He will stop at nothing to help you and your family through whatever trials, difficulties, or financial disaster you are going through. Christ on the Cross tells us God cares. He cares about you and he will stop at nothing, absolutely nothing, to help us. We need to trust Him. Spend five minutes with Romans 8:32; meditate on it this week when you need a spiritual boost. Your jaw will drop and you will say “Wow! Thank You God! Why am I worried about anything? ”

The next verse deals with the economy, your retirement, with sending your kids off to college- bills for the future, with high oil prices, with the S&P500 down 42% in one year. Did you look at your financial statement when it came in the mail? I didn’t even open mine! You just can’t take the bad news. But here’s how you can open that statement, here’s how you can even laugh at that statement – go back to God’s Word. Philippians 4:19 “God (remember God did not spare his own son – He gave him up for us all) will supply all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus.” How vast are God’s riches? LIMITLESS!!!

We all like that verse but we don’t like the next one. We’ve heard the Pastor talk about it so many times that we’re irritated by it. Yes, tithing again. That’s the solution. Malachi 3:10-12 “Take 10% of your paycheck and give it to God and he will open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room for it.” That’s God’s promise and God never lies. That’s the solution but it has become so familiar, we talk about it so much, that people get irritated. We don’t want to be irritated with it. We want to see that God’s financial plan is a source of peace and hope for us. After my statement sat on the table for a day, Thursday afternoon I was working on this sermon and I said, “You know, I need to practice this stuff.” I need to trust, as you need to trust. I know there’s a great percentage of people in this congregation who tithe and have been doing it for years. Each week that you’ve been tithing you’ve put yourself and your family in economic disaster because you’ve given 10% of the money you need for your retirement, 10% of the money you need to pay the oil bill, 10% of the money you need to pay for educating for your kids, 10% of the money you need to put food on the table. 10% of the money you need to buy gas, and you’ve given it to the Lord according to Malachi 3:12. You’ve given 10% of your money away and put yourself in economic disaster each and every week. Has God provided for you? He certainly has, to the point where the people who are tithing say, “I’m afraid not to tithe! Because when I tithe, God has always comes through, God has always provided for my needs.” So I thought “You know, I’ve been in worse shape financially. Every week I’m in a financial jam and God has always provided.” So you pull out the statement, open it up and realize that the numbers there are actually unreal - you really don’t have the loss until you sell your stocks- that number is unreal! What is real is Philippians 4:19 “God will supply all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus”. What is real is Malachi 3:10-12, “Bring your tithes to the Lord and He will open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing you won’t have room for it” Focus on that and all of a sudden you can look at your financial statement and say “No big deal!”.

It’s funny how God communicates things to you through circumstances of life. Did anyone watching headline news on CNN this morning and see the story about the lady who had over one hundred credit cards and was $30,000 in debt? The report was very clear about what happened – she went to the Lord. She just didn’t pray about it and trust in God, she actually worked God’s financial plan. Her church did a course as we are currently doing here on Thursday nights and she learned about God’s financial principles; it taught Philippians 4:19, Malachi 3:10-1, and putting God first so that you don’t live beyond your means. She said that after applying God’s financial principles, she was out of debt in two years. Because as you tithe, God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus. She said she started watching what she was doing, she used to buy a Danish and coffee every morning but started eating Cheerios at home. And they ask her if she was worried about the current financial problem that the country is in and she said “No!”. Because she knows that God supplies all her need according to his riches in Christ Jesus. She knew that if she gives her 10% to God, He will open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so many blessings she won’t have room for them. The whole point is that God has financial principles and they work! They work! She’s proof of that!

You can survive this coming week without worry. You can open up your statement from the bank or investment company without worry. You have peace. The interview talked about how things are cyclical; good for a while, bad for a while. Save for the times when things are good to see you through for the times that are bad. If you’ve not started tithing, remember that if God chooses to bring us through this economic crisis, we’ll have some good years, but things will crash again. Be prepared for it now by tithing 10% to God and you will never have to worry about the economic cycle because you know that God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.

When you need a boost, when you need peace during the week, when you hear the financial news or the news about the elections, stop - five minutes of Christ on the cross, five minutes of God will supply all your needs - and you will have peace. Let the rest of the world lose sleep and worry. Not you! Because you know how to get a spiritual boost in less than 20 minutes.

Prayer –

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the Bible and how it speaks to so many situations in our lives. Heavenly Father, may your Spirit give us strength to actually do these things, to look at those old, familiar things we talk about all the time and to see them in a new light, to contemplate what they really mean for us. And Heavenly Father, when we do, we have Your peace, we have a spiritual boost and those things become new and exciting again. Thank you, Lord, for all you have done for us. And we pray all this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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