sermon 5-8-16 praise god for mothers yahweh raised one up. ... , the bride of christ. ... microsoft...
TRANSCRIPT
1
Sermon5-8-16PastorRayLorthioir
TrinityLutheranChurchW.Hempstead,NY
PraiseGodforMothersRighteousnessisabitlikelightning.Youneverknowwhenandwhereitwill
strike.Youneverknowwhowillbeused.Itcouldbeyou.Itcouldbeme.Onethingwedoknow.Evilandunrighteousnessarethenorm.Liesand
falsehoodsoppressoneveryside.ButrighteousnessisfromtheLord.Soisdeliverancefromoppression.
AndthismakesmethinkofaladynamedDeborah.WelearnfromJudgeschapter4thatshewasoneinasuccessionofIsraelileadersinthecenturiesbetweenthedeathofJoshuaandthecoronationofIsrael’sfirstking.TheseleaderswereknownastheJudges.
InthetimeoftheJudgesIsraelwasalooselyorganizedconfederationofclansandtribes.LocallyIsraelhadgovernance,buttherewerenotrulynationalleadersunlessYahwehraisedoneup.WhenYahwehdidso,thatpersonwasrecognizedasoneuponwhomHisHolySpiritrestedinpower.
ApersonuponwhomYahweh’sSpiritrestedwasenabledbytheSpirittomakeenlightenedjudgmentsconcerningdisputesbetweenIsraelites.Thus,theywerecalledJudges.Ifacasewastoohardforlocalleaderstohandle,itcouldbetakentoIsrael’sJudge.
ButLordHolySpiritalsomadetheJudgesvaliantpoliticalandmilitaryleaders.Yahweh’sSpiritwouldworkthroughtheJudgetogiveIsraeldeliverancefromherenemies.
Finally,theJudgeswerespiritualleaders.DuringthetimeoftheJudges,theTabernaclethattheLordhadinstructedMosestobuildwasstillthecenterofYahwehworshipinIsrael.ItspriesthoodwashereditarytothefamilyofAaron,Moses’brother.BytheirceremonialactionsandteachingthepriestsweresupposedtobringthepeopletoYahwehandYahwehtothepeople.ButthebookofJudgestellsusthatIsraeloftenstrayedfromtheworshipofYahwehtotheworshipofmanyfalsegodsandgoddesses.
WhenthishappenedYahwehturnedIsraelovertoherenemies.Afteryearsofoppression,theIsraeliteswouldfinallycryouttoYahwehandHewouldraiseupanewJudgetoleadthepeople.Therefore,aJudgealwaysledthepeoplebacktotheworshipofYahweh,theonetrueGod.
TheJudgeswerenotroyalty.Therewasnosuccessionfromfathertoson.Theyweremorelikepresidents.WhenaJudgedied,therewasnoleaderuntilYahwehraisedupanewJudge.So,thecyclewouldstartover–Israelfallingawayintoidolatry,undergoingjudgmentandoppressionasaresult,finallycryingouttoYahwehfordeliveranceandYahwehsendinganewJudgetobringdeliverance.
InhertimeDeborahwasanointedwithYahweh’sHolySpirit.GodevenusedherastheorganizerofamilitaryexpeditiontorelieveIsraeloftheoppressioncausedby
2
aneighboringCanaaniteking.ThevictoriousgeneralthatledIsrael’stroopswasnamedBarak.Therefore,whenthewarwasoverDeborahandBarakcelebratedthevictorywithasongfoundinJudgeschapter5.
ThesonggivesalltheglorytoYahweh.ButitspeaksoftheoppressionoftheCanaanitekingthiswayinJudges5:6-7,“6‘InthedaysofShamgarsonofAnath,inthedaysofJael,theroadswereabandoned;travelerstooktowindingpaths.7VillagelifeinIsraelceased,ceaseduntilI,Deborah,arose,aroseamotherinIsrael.’”
Thatisanamazingphrase–amotherinIsrael.YahwehusedDeborahtogivelifetothousandsinIsraelasaresultofhervictory.ThisissimilartowhatDavidhasjusttoldusaboutIrenaSendler.OnlyIrenawasaPolishChristiangentilewomanwhoineffectbecameamotherinIsrael,saving2,500childrenfromtheNaziholocaust.PraiseGodformothers.
***
There’saninterestingphenomenonreportedthisweekbytheU.K.’sTelegraph.ScientistsatNorthwesternUniversity,Chicagodiscoveredthatanexplosionoftinysparkseruptsfromahumaneggatthemomentoffertilization.ProfessorTeresaWoodruffatNorthwesternwasquotedassaying,“Wediscoveredthezincsparkjustfiveyearsagointhemouse,andtoseethezincradiateoutinaburstfromeachhumaneggwasbreathtaking.”
WhenGodcreatedHisuniverseHebeganitwithanincredibleburstoflight.Therefore,it’smostinterestingthathumanlifealsobeginswithaburstoflight,eventhoughit’ssotinythatamicroscopemustbeusedtoseeit.Bothmyyoungdaughter-in-laws’havegivenbirthandarenursingchildrenintheirfirstyearoflife.PraiseGodformothers.
***
WhileJesuswasteachingandworkingmiraclesaneventhappenedthatwereadofinLuke11:27-28,“27…awomaninthecrowdcalledout,‘Blessedisthemotherwhogaveyoubirthandnursedyou.’28He[Jesus]replied,‘BlessedratherarethosewhohearthewordofGodandobeyit.’”
ThisanonymouswomanwassoimpressedwithJesusthatshecalledMary,themotherofJesus,blessedtohavesuchawonderfulSon.ItmayhavebeenthattheanonymouswomanbelievedthatJesuswastheMessiah.Tothisday,manydevoutJewishwomenhopethatoneoftheirsonswillbeMessiah.Therefore,tosaythatMarywasblessedwasawayofsayingthatJesusistheMessiah.
However,Jesustookthestatementandgreatlyenlargedit.EventhoughMarywasprivilegedtobearMessiahshewasnomoreblessedbyHimthananyoneelse.ShewasnotmoreintimatewithJesusthanalltherestofhumanity.JesusdeclaredthatanyonecouldhearHim,theWordofGod.Tothisday,ifanyonetakesJesus,theWordofGod,tohearttheywillbeblessedbeyondcomprehension.TheywillenterintointimacywithHim.ThisiswhatJesusproclaimedaboutHimself.
Still,wepraiseGodforthevirginfromNazarethwhowhengiventhechoicetobeartheSonofGodsaid,“Yes.”PraiseGodformothers.
***
3
Thenthereisthemotherofallmothers,theChurch,thebrideofChrist.ThroughtheWordandSacramentwithwhichshehasbeenentrusted,theChurchbringstofulltermallthosewhomtheSpiritisbirthingintotheKingdomofGod.
TheideaoftheChurchasamotherinIsraelcomesmorefromtheOldTestamentthantheNew,asfarasIcansee.Forinstance,wereadinIsaiah66:10-11,“10‘RejoicewithJerusalemandbegladforher,allyouwholoveher;rejoicegreatlywithher,allyouwhomournoverher.11Foryouwillnurseandbesatisfiedathercomfortingbreasts;youwilldrinkdeeplyanddelightinheroverflowingabundance.’”NoticethatJerusalemisspokenofinthefeminine.Also,thereisamarvelouspromisethatshewillnurturelikeamother.It’smarvelousbecauseinotherOldTestamentpassagesJerusalemisdescribedasabrazenfallenwoman.So,ifJerusalemisafallenwomanhowwillthisbe?
TheanswerisfoundintheNewTestament.Here’swhatwereadinEphesians5:25-27,“25…Christlovedthechurchandgavehimselfupforher26tomakeherholy,cleansingherbythewashingwithwaterthroughtheword,27andtopresenthertohimselfasaradiantchurch,withoutstainorwrinkleoranyotherblemish,butholyandblameless.”
JesusgaveHimselfforHisChurch.Why?BecauseHesearchedforagorgeouspurebrideandallHecouldfindwasabrazenbrokendownabusedwomanofthenight.ByHisownbloodHehealedandtransformedherintoHisownpureandgorgeousbride.
Andthisiswhoweare.Defiledbysin,weareyetjustifiedbeforetheJudgmentseatofGodasanultra-expensivefreegiftbyourLordJesusChrist.AllwhorepentandcometoJesusastheirSavior,RedeemerandKingaredestinedfortheNewJerusalemthemotherofalltheredeemed.AllwillbecomfortedinherbytheirLordandSavior.Evennow,JesuscomfortsthroughWordandSacramentallwhocometoHiminHisChurchinthispresentage.That’swhatwe’reherefor.PraiseGodformothers.
***
TwoweeksagowereadinRevelation21:2,“IsawtheHolyCity,thenewJerusalem,comingdownoutofheavenfromGod,preparedasabridebeautifullydressedforherhusband.”TodaywesawinRevelation22:1-3,“1Thentheangelshowedmetheriverofthewateroflife,asclearascrystal,flowingfromthethroneofGodandoftheLamb2downthemiddleofthegreatstreetofthecity.Oneachsideoftheriverstoodthetreeoflife,bearingtwelvecropsoffruit,yieldingitsfruiteverymonth.Andtheleavesofthetreeareforthehealingofthenations.3Nolongerwilltherebeanycurse.”ThisistheNewTestamentpromiseofthelifethatwillbeforallwhoarebornagaininJesusChrist.NoticethatinthesepassagesthenewJerusalemisinthefeminine.Shewillnotonlynurture.Shewillhavehealingandeternallifeinher.Againthisiswhoweare.Thisiswhatwe’reherefor.PraiseGodformothersinIsrael.PraiseGodformotherchurchesamongeverytribe,language,peopleandnation.Amen.
AllBiblequotationsarefromtheNIV.