Sermon at First Presbyterian
Church Lockhart
Isaiah 55:1-9, Psalm
63, I Corinthians 10:1-13, Luke 13:1-9
March 7, 2010
by James Greene
In this season of Lent we are called
to reflect, remember and remind
ourselves who is The
King in our lives and in the universe. It is our time to keep our focus on God and the gift of
His Son for our salvation. Christ came to show us that we have life and hope through
our trials. He came to show us God’s heart. He came to show us how to live in, and to be in God’s Will, and how to keep our focus
as the People of God.
In Isaiah is the call of God to the people. It is for all who are thirsty, and
all
who are hungry. It is a call
that comes, with out cost. It is the free offering of God’s Grace,
and God’s call, to
come to God, because the price has
been paid. God provides for his people and is seen in the themes of thirst,
wisdom and repentance.
There is also the question asked, “why spend money on what is not bread?” We
remember that the word bread
is symbolic and a metaphor for wisdom.
This helps us to understand
the other question “why should you labor
on what does not satisfy?” In Proverbs 9:10 we know that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the
knowledge of the holy is understanding.” It is our instruction to keep our focus upon God.
His Word is
wisdom and bread for us.
Bread will only satisfies
hunger for a short time, where
as wisdom feeds us through
God’s provision. Wisdom
is something that does not cost us.
In our choosing to focus upon God in wisdom we understand His will
for us in our lives.
The
key words that punctuate the text
are: Come, Listen, Hear, See, I Will, and Seek. These are all verbs that describe our
actions in keeping our focus upon God, and “seeking the Lord while
he may be found.” This is all
the focus
of God’s call upon our lives to turn us toward God and to remember, that
His ways and His standards are not our ways and standards. We are to look to God’s standards
and directions found in God’s Word. In being God’s people, we will
keep from wicked ways and evil thoughts, and we will seek and we will call
upon the living God of the
universe in that focus to protect us, and provide
for us. It is a part of God’s plan and standard for our lives. This is reflected in Jeremiah 31:31-34 "All your
sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children's
peace." "I will put my law in
their minds, and write upon their hearts I will be their God, and they
will be my people."
Their temptation, like
ours, was to not remember God. But when they focused
upon God and remembering His providence
that was and is, a part of His Will, for
them. Then they remembered ‘whose
they are’ and become a part
of God’s Will. They remembered
that God keeps His promises to his
people when they are faithful.
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In being
focused on His Will, we must be faithful
to The One, who is our defender and shield. We being made
in the image of God, must reflect the qualities of our Creator, in our thoughts
and in our actions. We must rejoice in all the good things that God
has given us, and keep our focus upon his ways and his thoughts revealed in His Word.
In Psalm 63 we see the metaphor of one who seeks and thirsts after
God in a land that is dry of wisdom and understanding. It speaks
about God’s ways, and how God is
faithful and remembers and protects
His people. It illustrates a picture of the person who is focused on
God’s will and sings in praise of God’s ways.
They call us to remember God and His righteousness,
and to trust in God’s faithfulness.
It is the part of us, that resonates in us, that
is, in focus with, the God of the universe. Our song
and our praise is our response
to that Divine spark, within us,
described by John Calvin.
It is like the example of the 3 note chord struck on the piano, and our note vibrating in response to the harmony and joy of the Trinity in the creation.
When
we hear God's call
resonate in our lives, we cannot help but respond.
We are like the Psalmist, in our Praise and singing, we yearn to be, in tune with creation and the Creator. It is the right focus to rely upon God, because he is our defender and shield. We are satisfied in our soul with the focus on God in being fed by the richness of God’s wisdom.
In I Corinthians, is a review of God’s faithfulness to His people through history. It
is an overview of the events
the people of
We have a graphic example of bodies scattered over the desert when
their hearts were set upon on evil ways; recalling the pagan
influences that lead to idolatry
and the loss of 23,000 in one day. We
also have God’s promise to provide
a way out in the midst of our temptation
when we keep our focus upon God.
In Luke
is the message of the need to keep
our focus upon God. We have Jesus
asking if the disciples two questions; Did they
believe, that the Galileans killed by Pilate, were worse sinners than all the other
Galileans? Did they believe the people killed, by the fall of the
He strongly
tells them no, and gives
them a warning to repent and focus
on God. Their eternal security is tied to being only focused on God.
The parable of the fig tree is a metaphor about God’s people.
The fig tree is a symbol of national security, or national
destruction. The vineyard was a symbol of God’s relationship with
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There was an outward demonstration and appearance
of a healthy tree, but with their traditions,
they did not bear any fruit. The heart
of their worship was focused upon tradition, and not upon God,
and God’s standard. It was a choice
of the wrong ideals. The focus is about choosing
to do what is right, what is good, and what is honorable. It is a call to repentance, and to
regain focus on God’s Will in their lives.
This is the fruit that Jesus is talking
about when he is using the parable.
The fig tree is the story about God’s mercy demonstrated and shown towards the fig tree when he allows the gardener to give it one more chance of bearing
good fruit, before the decision is
made to cut it down.
How we model God’s
standards to those around us is a living example of our focus on God. It is in our choosing to demonstrate God’s love and God’s character, as a Child
of God, that we, being made in
the image of God, must reflect
the qualities and behavior of our creator. In doing this, we live
out our call- to live to,
and to be an example of, a higher standard of behavior.
This is the result of our focusing on God’s standard outlined in His Word, This is the
example taught and demonstrated by Christ, the Living Word. He is The
One who came and dwelt among
us.
This call to repentance is Christ’s call, to us, to live in
Righteousness. We are to be a priesthood of believers. We are to help establish the Kingdom,
and bring it into the here
and now, through our actions
and character in our focus
upon God.
We
know that Christ has come to show
us that we have hope. Our life in
the Word shows us how God will
be our shield and shelter through out all of our lives. He shows us how to endure through
and overcome trials by
staying close to The Word, and to staing focused
upon God’s faithfulness and God’s heart for all his people.
It is in being faithful ourselves, and remembering that God is with us in and through all trials and temptations. Finally, we keep our focus and call upon the Lord to help us
remember His Will, through these trials
and temptations as we minister
to each other and to the flock …
In the Name of … the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. Amen
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