1st Sunday after Trinity – Sermon 53

Bible References :

 

Prayer to start

May the words of my lips and the thought of our hearts be graciously received for the Glory and Honour of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
AMEN

Introduction

“Lead us heavenly Father lead us, o’er this world’s tempestuous sea” – our first hymn this evening –

but do we really let God lead us – or is it a case of we know best ?

it’s a sad fact – that many of the things – we learn in life – we learn the hard way – by personal experience –

We all know about the dangers of – smoking – drinking – taking too many pills – driving our cars at speeds that put ourselves and others at risk – but many of us ignore them – until something happens – only then do we realise – what effect they could have on their future –

in the end – it is our personal failures – that are our most powerful teachers – and its how we learn from them that determines our path in life and the kind of person we will be

 

Point 1  Abram and Lot

Abram had made some terrible mistakes on his journey through life – mistakes that he paid dearly for and that caused pain to others – his path to faith was a mixed story of progress and lapse –

He grew up in a place called Ur (modern day Iraq) – his family were well off –he was used to a two story house with fresh running water – so when God asked him to leave all this behind – and go and live in a tent – you can imagine what sort of life changing decision he had to make – and how it would affect him and his family – but made it he did – so at te age of 75 he moved with his wife Sarah and Lot his nephew to Canaan – where God had directed him.

But when he got there things didn’t quite go as expected – they found themselves in the middle of a famine – the Lord had promised to bless him and make his name great – to make him the founder of a great nation – but now Abram was not convinced that He would deliver – So he and Lot took a detour to Egypt – for greener pastures –

In Egypt Abram faced a different problem – his wife was very attractive – and he was concerned that the Pharaoh would kill him and take her as his wife – so to save his own life – he told “a lie” – and said Sarah was his sister – effectively forcing his wife into adultery – but this deception reflected very badly on the Pharaoh who was struck down with disease – When he found out the truth – he kicked Abram and his family out of the country

So they headed back to Canaan to the point where they started from –

Not very good so far – you might say – he has taken – one step forward – and two steps back –

But it seems that Abram had learnt from his experience –

In Canaan they began raising their livestock – and were doing very well – but as time went on their herds became very large – and Abram and Lot started to compete for the same grazing area – so much so – that fighting broke out among their herdsmen. It was clear that they had to share out the land –

Abram as the senior member of the family – decided “there must be no quarreling between us”

and although he didn’t have to – he gave Lot the first choice of the land –

You go one way – and I’ll go the other – was his solution to their family feud

It was a brave thing to do – Lot could have taken everything – and left him the desert

But Abraham believed that God would take care of him this time if he acted unselfishly and in faith – Abraham had learnt from his past mistakes –

Lot looked around him and went for the best land – the fertile plain of the Jordan – which was like the land they had left behind in Egypt – He went for profit and enjoyment – even though it was close to Sin City –

Abraham – had put their family relationship before wealth – and agreed to live on the plains – and God came to Abram – and made good his loss – He blessed Him with His grace and re-affirmed His promise –

Abraham had learnt that above everything else – faith in God’s promises was fundamental to his future –

Faith is being sure of what we hope for – feeling secure about our future – surrendering everything we have to the mighty hand of God

When the two men separated their lives were to go in totally opposite directions – Lot would be seduced by the people of Sodom , lose his family and his possessions and be forced to leave everything behind in order to save his life. Abram on the other hand would become one of the giants of faith – as Paul puts it in Romans – “The Father of all who believe.”

By trusting God Abram was back on track – because his priority was no longer his own needs – but the fulfillment of God’s will – he found it so much easier to let go of what he had – put others needs before his own – to become the servant of all

Point 2  The disciples

Our NT reading begins with stories from the greatest servant of all – Jesus Christ – as He teaches by the Sea of Galilee – we have

The parable of the lamp –

Which – tells us that the truth is meant to be seen – it is there for us and others to be guided by – hiding it away helps no one – Eventually as Abram discovered concealment of the truth – leads to lost opportunities – and suffering

“The measure of what we give is the measure of what we receive, with more besides – for those who have will be given more, and those who have not will forfeit even what they have”

as we saw in the first reading – it was only after giving away his natural rights to choose the land to Lot – that Abram was told he would receive everything – Abram was open and attentive to God’s wishes and the truth was revealed to him, – Lot on the other hand was satisfied with filling his own needs – and finished up with nothing –

The parable of the growing seed reminds us that when we sow we must trust and hope in the power of the seed – just as the smallest mustard seed can become a great shrub – so God can mightily use the tiniest acts of faithful loving service – to advance His kingdom –

Mark then uses the story of Jesus crossing over Galilee in a boat with his disciples in a storm – as a sequel to the parables –

what the disciples had heard and understood about the parables was now to be tested in practice –

as the storm blew – the boat was swamped – and they panicked – their faith went out of the window – and they wanted Jesus to do something about the situation –

“teacher we are sinking, do you not care?”

they thought they had been left to fend for themselves – but Jesus wanted them to discover that His presence was all they would need to survive

– Jesus rebukes the wind and calms the sea

“have you no faith, even now” says Jesus

Sometimes in times of crisis it seems as if God is asleep – because He is not responding the way we expect Him to – but He is still there to come to our aid –

whatever storms may threaten us – we have on our side the one who created the world – and all He asks us to do is trust Him

Mark’s message is a call to faith – there will be storms – but they will not last forever – the calm will return – through the presence of Jesus

Point 3 What about us?

So we’ve heard about the experiences of Abram and Lot – and the lessons from Jesus and His disciples – what about us ?-

How do we respond when our faith is tested – is it stop – start like Abraham – or blind panic like the disciples –

if things don’t quite go according to plan – do we turn to our own instincts – to get us out of trouble or trust in God’s?

The pressures on Abram and Lot are the same as the ones that confront us today – food, family, our longings, our fears

Awareness of God is something that needs to be learnt and practiced – it takes effort to think of God in times of crisis – part of the way we learn this is through prayer and worship – we have to believe and depend upon His word – and His promises –

We must take Him for what He is – and not insist on our own expectation of what He should or shouldn’t do –

The storms in our lives stem from sin – and Jesus is the answer to it – Jesus died on the cross so that our sins can be forgiven – and we can begin again and move forward in our relationship with God –

Jesus brings us the truth about God – and leads us to salvation with Him – He shows us the Kingdom ways and power alerting us to the truths that we are likely to misinterpret, misuse or miss altogether –

Just as Jesus could control the wind and the sea – he can bring calm and peace – to have Jesus on board doesn’t mean we escape life’s storms – but through Him we find the strength and courage of His living presence to enable us to cope –

Conclusions

life is an ever changing maze of discovery and experience – The path we take determines the destination we reach – to get through that maze we need help – help to carry the load and guide us on our journey –

Abram made a choice to stick with God’s promises and trust them – despite appearances
Jesus calls us to follow God’s word and depend on His presence to take us through the rough waters of change –

Do you have the courage to go forward with Christ? – Faith in God changed the lives of Abram and the disciples – it can change yours –
if we understand that – we have learnt the most important lesson of all –

Prayer to finish

In the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit

AMEN

Video of Sermon 53 on You Tube