Sermon 1 Samuel 16: 1-13 "Close Enough"

SERMON – 1 Samuel 16: 1-13 “Close Enough” – Nancy Cantrell

 

When a couple who has desired a child finds out they are expecting, they begin to do some pretty strange stuff. They go into high gear getting things that are a “necessity” for the nursery. Long before they could possibly use them these frantic people begin to shop for maternity clothing, look at baby magazines, think about names for the little one, and buy furniture. There are absolute must “need” items such as: a rocking horse, learn to read books, a walker, baseball glove or how about one of those little table and chair sets. You know, they are just so cute, red with little trains or flowers on them. And there in that nursery sets a pint-sized empty chair … waiting.

 

Samuel was a leader in the Old Testament in a book that is titled with his name. He was the last of the judges for Israel and a prophet.  He was a miracle birth. His mother, Hannah, was barren and prayed for a baby, promising to give the child back to God. Sure enough she conceived, Samuel was born and when he was weaned she took him to the temple and placed him under the care of the priest Eli. I bet when she went home that day after leaving him at the temple, she walked in her door, saw his little empty chair and wept. Hannah is an incredible example of GETTING UP AND GETTING OUT, of true obedience even when it didn’t benefit her in anyway, even when it was painful, even when she couldn’t see the future.

 

As a boy Samuel in the middle of the night heard God’s voice and from that point on was sold out. He followed the Lord. He grew up and filled the seat of judge, priest and prophet of Israel. As he got old he knew it was time for a new leader and the chair once again set empty… waiting.

 

He considered his sons and hung his head. He experienced what many parents experience. The children he had raised, prayed for, taught and guided had become adults. Then they made decisions that took them on a road away from God. So if you are a parent in that boat you are in good company. Continue to lift those children to God but be released from any false guilt Satan would place upon you. Stay close enough to God to hear his voice that’s what Samuel did, that’s what we do

 

The people of Israel also know the chair is to be vacant, so they come to Samuel and say “we want that chair to hold a king, give us a king like everyone else.” There is zero indication that the people called out to the God WHO KNEW HOW TO COME THROUGH. God would have given them direction but instead they went to Samuel. So, faithful Samuel prays and is close enough to hear God’s voice.

 

The Lord tells Samuel go and anoint Saul as king. Saul was exactly what the people expected, tall and handsome. He was what they envisioned any warrior king would look and act like. And through by-passing God the people got exactly what they wanted.

 

Saul started out a great fit for the chair. He was anointed, obedient, cried out to God, filled with the Spirit, and was victorious. The seat felt good, it fit, he filled it well. Then something happened, he began to see the chair not so much as a way to hear God’s voice but as a throne to proclaim his own. If you sit on a throne you are the boss, you make the decisions, no need to cry out, no need for God or what God desires.

 

As a throne the empty chair becomes a place for my own needs, when people don’t do what I expect, I’ll simply make decisions concerning them. When they disappoint me I’ll just decide what needs to happen and make it work. If God doesn’t do things quick enough or like I think they ought to happen, I’ll just use this throne to my advantage.

 

Saul began to listen to his own voice and understanding. And the chair that Samuel had faithfully filled and God had given Saul the privilege to sit on…once again stood empty…waiting AND NOTHING GOD CREATED IS MEANT TO BE EMPTY. We pick up with today’s scripture.

 

Text 1 Samuel 16: 1-13

 

Samuel came out of retirement he fills his horn with oil and is CLOSE ENOUGH TO GOD TO HEAR HIS VOICE. There’s no room for Samuel to continue to look in the past and grieve that things didn’t turn out like he thought or wanted. He could no longer mourn that his adult children made bad decisions; that Saul is deaf to everything but his own voice or that the people couldn’t see past their own noses and needs. He simply had to be obedient to the voice of God no matter what.

He gets to Bethlehem and everyone freaks out, they know who Samuel is. They know that he gave the chair to Saul. They know that Saul has made it into a throne. Here Samuel shows up to worship with his horn of oil for anointing a king, that’s treason. Jesse’s family is invited, consecrated, expected and Jesse with his sons… at least the sons that matter … arrive ready for whatever God desires. Samuel sees the first son, handsome, tall, kingly. Ah Ha! This one can fill the chair, this must be him, Samuel opens the horn of oil. And as the scent of the oil reaches his nostrils God voice says, “Woooooooo there buddy, be patient, this isn’t him.”

 

Samuel was God’s judge, prophet and priest. Yet, he is still human and still can’t always see clearly. He has to listen to God for direction. So, do we regardless of where we are at on this journey. Samuel plugs the horn. The next son, the next son, the next and each time God says, “Nope, this isn’t him.” Samuel looks at Jesse, “Is this all your sons?” Jesse stammers a minute and then says, “Well, there’s the runt. He doesn’t count. He’s out watching the sheep. We didn’t even bother to invite him to the worship service. We certainly didn’t invest time into him all he does is play with sling shots. He’s got seven brothers ahead of him, manly men, why bother?”  Samuel hollers, “Go get him, we’re not moving from this spot, until he’s here.”

 

Shortly, in runs David, red faced, bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Nothing like what Samuel would have chosen, certainly not what Jesse expected, and David’s brothers are rubbing their eyes in unbelief. He’s the youngest! He’s unimportant, inferior, unprepared, ill-equipped, unqualified, not to mention showing up for church in his jeans and sweater! And GOD says, “Samuel, upon on your feet! Anoint him! This is the one.”  Samuel uncorks that horn and pours out the oil in ceremony for the new king.  “Not one that the people chose but one God chose!”

 

And here we are three thousand years later, an empty chair waiting near me, near you. I wonder who it is that God intends to fill it with? And not just enjoy worship with us but maybe be something greater...

 

The lady at the check-out counter is she another Hannah? The boy who lives with his single mom, maybe he’s the next Samuel. How about the drunk who stumbles out of Katie’s at closing time every Friday night, is he a David? People all around us that may appear nothing like what we envision a God-person to look like. They just need to be brought in from the pasture, counted as significant, called for, believed in and anointed with the oil of God.

 

Samuel didn’t see like God did, he thought Eliab was the man. But Samuel was CLOSE ENOUGH TO GOD TO HEAR HIS VOICE say which one was God’s choice. And we must be close enough to God to hear Him say, “Look at him, look at her, they are the ones, bring them in. I have chosen them to fill the empty chair, to be mine, to serve me, I see their heart.”

God’s direction was very clear to Samuel in this passage go to Bethlehem. His voice is very clear to us as well, “Go into all the world and make disciples” non-negotiable. Like Samuel we take chances, even frightening ones, going outside our comfort zones bringing others into worship. Where God chooses prophets, priests, preachers, children’s workers, drummers, worship leaders, and who knows what.

 

As a matter of fact, maybe you are the next Hannah, Samuel, or David. Or, or could it be that because you are close enough to God to hear his voice then obediently fill the empty chair in this place, the most unexpected person you can think of becomes the one who God will make the next leader in His Kingdom.

 

Servers please come. Today, as we come to the table to receive the broken body of Christ and his shed blood for the forgiveness of sin. Hear the voice of this God who chooses the most unlikely people and makes them into someone great. May this tangible, touchable means of grace enable us to hear God’s voice when he says, “bring in the red faced, the beautiful, those in the fields, the insignificant, the disregarded, the runts into worship… the empty chair is waiting.” Come to the table.

Sermon "Empty Living: Get Up and Get Out"

Text: Genesis 12:1-4      Title: “Empty Living: Get Up and Get Out”           Sermon Collaboration by Pastor Nancy Cantrell and Jimmy Skeen   

 

Reading of Scripture

NIV     ¹ The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. ² "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." ⁴ So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran

“Faithful” … that’s the word we usually here when describing Abraham. But there was a time when that was not always true, a time before “Faithful Abe.” I am not sure exactly how Abram’s story went but if he were here to share with us today, I think he might say something like this …

 

Abram’s Story:       

“…You will never believe the phone call I received. I mean it was really hard for me to accept it so I bet you would have trouble believing it too. You see, I received a call, from the most important being in history … it was God! I know, you might think this old man has lost his mind; in fact it took me a while to accept it myself. You see I have known a lot of pranksters in my day. I could imagine Ben Friend/Phil Rogers hiding behind a rock and calling out my name, “Abram! Abram! This is God speaking!” You know he would love to pull a trick like that!

 

Not only do I know a few jokesters but there was no reason in the world the God of the universe should call me. I mean I am a nobody? I know you all think I am a man of great faith. You might think I am cut from a different cloth than you, but that simply isn’t true! In fact, I really was in no way qualified to hear from God. If you don’t believe me just look at my resume; I was a sheep herder, that’s what my family was and that’s what I planned on being. I was going into the family business. I spent all day everyday in the middle of dust dirt and … well, even stinkier things! Beyond my vocation, I had a heritage that was far from perfect. My family was not exactly Ned and Nancy Nazarene.

 

Flip over to Joshua 24:2 with me (Read the verse).     ² Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. That is the legacy my family left for me. My own father “Worshiped other Gods.” And you know what isn’t mentioned in that verse? He taught me to do the same!

 

I learned from my parents just like you all learned or are learning from yours. I was involved in other religions, serving other gods, living for my own selfish desires. As you can see this is not the type of history that would lead anyone to think God, the one true God, would make a personal contact with me. But it still gets worse. Not only was my history checkered my future was dark.

 

My wife was barren. We could not have children. My family, my whole world was going to end with me. My entire life was empty. The only living I did was empty living. I had an empty life and an empty future. My life was empty. But you know what I discovered? Nothing God created is meant to be empty.

 

Then God called to me. It really was God, the God of the whole universe, calling to me! I couldn’t believe it! He called to me right where I was, right in the middle of my stinking circumstances. In the middle of the sheep pooh, smack dab into the muck and mire of my life God called to me. I didn’t clean up, straighten up, or put on make-up, I didn’t have to because God came to me right where I was just exactly the way I was.

 

I can honestly tell you I was never as excited as I was at that moment. I mean you can’t help but be pumped when God shows up in your daily life, especially when life is empty. But it immediately got even more exciting. You see God told me there was a plan for my life, a purpose for my existence. Like I told you my family was farmers, ranchers, sheepherders, that was the best I could hope for, the only option I had ever considered. But God had another plan for me, a higher purpose.

 

God said, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous …” YAHOOO! YIPPEEE! There are no other words to describe my emotions. This little old farmer was speaking with God and I found out I was going to be famous. I got to be honest I really liked this part. God came to me and then told me I was going to be well known, very influential, and who wouldn’t love that message. But the next part of the conversation was a little less exciting.

 

God said, “You excited? You ready?”

“You bet I am Lord. Lay it on me. Make me a general superintendent.”

God said, “Ok here’s the plan … GET UP AND GET OUT!”

“Uh… excuse me?”

“You heard me, get up and get out, pack your suitcases, hit the road Jack! Leave this empty life. ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family.”

 

My shouting and celebrating ceased, and the only noise I made came from my jaw slamming against the rock hard earth. I really liked the idea of being famous, but I wasn’t so sure about leaving my home, my family, and my country.

 

You might not understand this because you live in an individualistic society where you are encouraged to, “Be your own person,” “Make your own way,” where you are rewarded and celebrated for “Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.” Please for just a moment you must stand in my shoes, in my culture, in my society. My entire identity was wrapped up in the community I lived in. My country, my relatives, and my family were not just important relationships they were my very identity. My family defined who I was. My wife was selected from this group, the jobs I could pursue came from this small circle, my friends, my lively hood were all tied up in these communities. God told me I would be famous. But that huge promise came with a mighty push, get up and get out!

 

Now if you could have been there at this moment in my life you might not think of me as “Faithful Abe” because I was scared, frightened, confused, and timid. Leave my family? Leave my country? Reject my culture? This just can’t be.

 

Finally, I asked God a question I found I would ask many times, ‘Why?’ I mean I wanted to do God’s will but why did I have to make such a huge change? If God really was all powerful and all knowing why couldn’t God just change me and use me right in the middle of the place where God found me? God’s answer didn’t come directly but I have since learned the answer, it was for my good and His glory. And that is always the answer to “why?”

 

When God calls He always meets us right where we are, no matter our past, no matter our circumstances. But … He always intends to take us somewhere else. He wants our empty living to be left in the dust and the journey of promise to begin. God knew if I stayed with my family, a family serving other gods, the temptation to stray would be great. For me only by moving to “The land God would show me” would I be free to serve Him completely. Also, if great things were accomplished in me in my current circumstances then others might attribute the glory to me, but leaving my family would cause all the glory to go to its only true source … God alone.

 

Through the years I have come to learn that God’s call always includes one command, “Get up and get out.” See he meets us right where we are but never intends to leave us there. God’s call and invitation to holiness always involves a change in life.

From self centered to God centered, from self promoting, to God promoting, from self seeking, to God pursuing, from empty living to a hope filled journey of promise.

 

God’s promise comes with a push but it also comes with a plan. God told me He would make me the father of a great nation and He would make me famous. Not only that but He promised the whole earth would be blessed through me. And you know God always makes good on His promises!

 

If you read the first chapter of Matthew you will find that the savior of this earth, God’s only Son came from my family. The whole earth was and continues to be blessed through me! What a blessing! But all of this, every ounce of it, is for the glory of the one I serve!

 

I am not positive but if Abraham were here I think he might have told his story kind of like that. But what I do know for sure is this; Through the years God has called some pretty ordinary people to some pretty extraordinary things. He called a scaredy cat named Moses to be the leader of Israel, a prostitute named Rahab to protect the spies when they entered the Promised Land, a ruddy young boy named David to slay a giant, and a timid teenage girl to give birth to our Savior. 

 

God has also called a lot of ordinary people in this church to some extraordinary things. He called a lawyer to the mission field, He called a nurse into pastoral ministry, He called addicts to freedom, He called a 4^th grade young lady to walk across the street and lead her neighbors to Jesus.

 

The best news of all is not what God has done, but what He wants to do. You see God is still in the business of calling people. He is calling to us to get up and get out, to leave our life of emptiness behind. He is calling us out of empty living to a life filled with hope. He is calling us to join Him on a journey filled with promise. God is still in the business of calling people today …

(Phone Rings twice)

There He is again … and this time He’s calling for you!

 

 

Response at  the table:

This morning If you have heard God call to you to “get up and get out.” We are going to invite you to come to the table. If you know what it is to be empty and this morning you have heard God calling would you consider Jesus? Between now and Easter consider if Jesus is the one you have been searching for. If that is you this morning we invite you to come.

 

We will receive by intinction this morning. That means you will tear off a piece of the bread and hear the words, “The body of Christ broken for you.” You will then dip it into the cup and hear the words, “The blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sin.” Then eat it. You don’t need to be a member here or ever to have attended here before. All we ask is that you are somewhere on this journey with God, maybe you are just stepping out in faith maybe you are near the end. God is calling us. Out of emptiness and into fullness. To a journey filled with hope. Come to the table.

 

Sermon "Nothing God Created is Meant to be Empty"

Sermon – “Nothing God Created is Meant to be Empty” – Collaborative sermon by Pastors Nancy Cantrell, Jimmy Skeen and Ang Droese

Genesis 2: 15-17, 3: 1-7                                    

 

First this: God created the Heavens and Earth – all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss. (Gen 1: 1 & 2 The Message)

Nothing God created is meant to be empty.

 

God spoke and began to fill things up: light, darkness, day, night, sky, heavens, land, ocean, plants, trees, sun, moon, seasons, days, years, fish, birds, animals. Nothing God created is meant to be empty.

 

At the time when God made Heaven and Earth, God planted a garden in Eden but it was empty. He began to fill things up: roses, posies, palm trees, dandelions, bluebells, banana trees, carrots, apples and pumpkins, brooks into streams and streams into a river. God took the man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order. Wall to wall garden. Nothing God created is meant to be empty.

 

God brought all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air to Adam to see what he would name them. What a time they had, Adam and God, laughing as they gave each animal their names, especially when the duck billed platypus waddled up to God’s side to be scratched behind the ears. The man named the cattle, the birds, and the wild animals. He could see the animals all had mates of their own kind. God looked at Adam … Adam looked at God, no emptiness in this garden. So, God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from Adam to make Woman and presented her to the Man. Nothing God created is meant to be empty.

 

Days were filled with the task of caring for this beautiful perfect place. The ground was full of good crops, flowers and trees. The air was full of singing birds. The evenings were full of Adam, Eve and God walking, talking, laughing, enjoying each other’s friendship. And the nights were full of the loveliness of pure and holy marriage including all the benefits that go with it.

 

The reading of God’s Word

¹⁵ The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

3:    ¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" ² The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' " ⁴ "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." ⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

The Word of the Lord “Thanks be to God.”

 

The heavens and earth are full. All the animal and plant kingdom is full. The garden is full. Adam’s house is full. Adam and Eve’s relationship with God is full. Nothing God created is meant to be empty.

 

Then a whisper echoed through the garden, “There are trees you cannot eat from, you are unfilled, hollow.”

“You are missing out.” “You are empty.”

 

And the woman said, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, “Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you will die.”

 

And the serpent said, “You don’t have everything, God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you will see what’s really going on. You will be like God, you will know everything from good to evil. God is holding out on you.”

 

If you just had a different spouse then you would have the love you crave. If you just had more money then you would never have anything to worry about. If you just had a different job you would be significant. If you just had a different body, you would be fulfilled. And in your ears you hear, “You are empty.”

 

At that moment doubt and mistrust took root in the first couple. Could God really be holding out, keeping something from them? Eve turned, looked at the tree and saw that the fruit looked good to eat and she realized what she would get out of it – she would know everything, it was all within her grasp.

 

Could God really be holding out…am I empty because there’s something God has kept from me? My boyfriend says he loves me, so I’ll sleep with him and have him. I’m really broke so I’ll keep this week’s tithe, just in case. One drink won’t hurt, just this once. Yes, this is the fourth job in a year but it will be the right one. This house is just too small, the one across town is bigger. And Satan whispers, “You God is cheating you.”

 

She took and ate the fruit and gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate. Immediately the two did “see what was going on.” They immediately knew good from evil and death entered the world.

And they received something they had never experienced before, it was theirs, it was true their eyes were open and they found themselves…empty.

 

For the first time, they knew the hollowness that comes with disobedience to God’s word, the deep void sin always brings. They knew shame and a cavernous hole filled them and has filled the human race since.

They looked at each other and knew they were naked, defiled, sinful, unfulfilled. All creation bowed and fell, a vacuum filled the heart of mankind, creation groaned. They looked at each other in disgust and made aprons of fig leaves, all the sweet pureness of the love they had known was gone. They hid.

 

But ever so faintly a sound was heard, the sound of walking, closer, closer… it was in the evening at the end of the day, among the sweet smell of flowers.

 

They hid in humiliation, indignity and embarrassment. What would happen when God found them? How they longed to go back, to cough up the fruit, to return to the way it had been before, that’s always how it feels when we choose to sin.

 

But in those footsteps and the voice was mercy. The voice called to the ones who had disobeyed, who had failed in their trust, who had doubted, who had chosen to separate themselves, “Adam, where are you?” “Adam, where are you?”

 

Grace poured from the one who loves beyond all hope, God came seeking. You see their sin was not unknown by God, how he must have wept as they succumbed to the deceit of the serpent. Now, the voice, of the one who loves, calls out for the two friends who had sinned. The voice called their name, calls my name, calls your name.

 

Mercy extended to those who had committed the offense…God still talked with them respected them enough to ask, “What have you done?” And then God killed animals… sacrificed their lives to cover the nakedness, to protect Adam and Eve for living in a fallen world.

 

Grace showered down as God said, “You must leave this garden, for if you eat of the tree of life now, you will know despair and separation from me forever.” So, he barred the way with angels and a sword, keeping them from eternal emptiness.

 

Love, love from a God who longed to walk once again in the garden with his creation, with us. Love so deep and so wide than he EMPTIED himself … emptied himself of his very Godhood and became flesh in Jesus Christ. He became the sacrifice so that the penalty for sin would be paid, we can be reconciled to him and enjoy the fullness of His Spirit.

 

Can you hear God’s footsteps, smell the flowers in the evening breeze, hear the sound of the voice “Nancy, Joe, Kathy, __________” where are you? What are you trying to be filled with?  You do not have to remain hollow you can be overflowing with my grace. You can be packed to the top with My mercy.

 

It doesn’t matter if this is the first day you’ve ever heard about Jesus or if you been serving him a long time you need to be filled and re-filled and filled and re-filled. He is here today to give us Himself until we spill over. Never listen to the whispers of the old snake, experience fullness. Nothing God created is meant to be empty. Response Time with song and prayer.

 

Sermon Galatians 4: 4-7

Sermon 12/30/07 “Who’s Your Daddy” Galatians 4: 4-7

 

     She was everything he had dreamed of, no that’s not true, she was more than what he had dreamed of. They had been dating for some time and had so much in common, they were perfect for each other. Every moment was gold, every date perfect, they laughed, joked, were serious, even cried together. It was one of those rare matches but from the beginning he knew there was more to it than just the two of them.

     You see, there was a son, a little boy who had his Mom’s eyes and smile. What about this little stranger, could it be possible to love someone enough to commit to live with them. Now, his Mom no problem that was mutual but what kind of relationship would develop here? There were barriers and obstacles. The man and the boy were captive to the authority of a third party, a biological dad who had never really been in the picture but exerting presence just the same, even if only in name. The two were held captive; they were forced to remain strangers, held at arms length.

     The big day came, no not the wedding day, that was incredible but it wasn’t the big day in either the man or the woman’s lives. You see they had chosen and were given each other. But on this particular day, the man stood before a towering, polished wood desk of a judge.

     The same black robed judge who until this day was only known to the man for dealing out punishment, edicts, and law. But this day, the judge’s face was different, it was smiling and satisfied. The obstacles had been faced, the walls had been removed and the barriers addressed, now this judge would determine the fate of the boy and the man.

     The judge had given the child an advocate, one who looked at the entire situation, considered every option and would appeal to the judge on behalf the boy, a representative to deal with the obstacles and walls. This barrister took the stand and after fulfilling all that was needed gave worthiness to the man. Then the judge with all the formal proceedings known to the office, pronounced the boy free from the captivity of the one who didn’t care, the one who had only caused pain, the one who was forced to relinquish all rights. With a wave of his hand he pronounced the man free to be a father… a daddy and the boy to be a son.

 

NIV  ⁴But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, ⁵to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. ⁶Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." ⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

 

     Paul begins this letter to a group of people whom he really loved, a group of people in an area of the world known as Galatia. This letter was in response to news that had come to him. We learn in this short note that when he was in Galatia he had been desperately ill; these folks had taken him in and cared for him. That what Paul’s doorway, his unique opportunity to present the gospel to them, which they readily accepted.

     They received this gift of grace by faith and assurance that they could never earn it only accept it. There sins were paid for by the very blood of Jesus. They were justified completely, the penalty gone. They had been made totally new, transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, regenerated. And amazingly, they were adopted into the family of God. When Paul presented this to the Galatians they believed it completely. So do we, this is actually one of our, the Church of the Nazarene’s, statements of faith.

 

Article of Faith IX.

     We believe that justification is the gracious and judicial act of God by which He grants full pardon of all guilt and complete release from the penalty of sins committed, and acceptance as righteous, to all who believe on Jesus Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

     We believe that regeneration, or the new birth, is that gracious work of God whereby the moral nature of the repentant believer is spiritually quickened and given a distinctively spiritual life, capable of faith, love and obedience.

     We believe that adoption is that gracious act of God by which the justified and regenerated believer is constituted a son of God.

     We believe that justification, regeneration, and adoption are simultaneous in the experience of seekers after God and are obtained upon the condition of faith, preceded by repentance; and that to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness.

 

     God used Paul and this example of adoption to let us know just how far this grace stuff goes. The Lord is not just lending us a hand, just being a good God, He is literally making us an equal part of His family.

     In this letter an event was happening, some of the people in Galatia had a background in the Jewish faith. They had been taught that by virtue of their birth and the fact that God had communicated with Jewish people through the centuries like Abraham and Moses they weren’t a slave to sin. They had been given the very law of God, what was meant to be a guide they had made into salvation. They had taken these rules and made them the remedy for sin. They carried this belief system into this new church in Galatia and they began to weave these requirements with the new Christians around them. Now these new Christians had come out of pagan culture and had no idea what they needed to do. So when these people or Paul calls them Judaizers said, “You must do this, this and this to be a Christian, they believed them and submitted. These new Christians were simply going from a being a slave to sin, to being a slave to rules. Paul tells them, “That is bologna.”

     All of them and all of us, regardless of background, must have faith to receive the grace, in other words they had to have a relationship with God. They had to begin thinking of him as a real Dad. They had to begin thinking of themselves as part of a family.

     So we take this two thousand year old scripture and I am tempted to say, “so what, no body is running around here trying to get us to keep the all the laws we find in Leviticus, so how does this apply us in 2007? Then the Lord begins to tap me on the shoulder and say, “Just a minute here, let’s look at it a little deeper.” That forces me and us to ask… could there be people today, who have been raised in a Christian home; been part of a church; been taught well; done all the right things; said all the right words but still be a slave? Only see God as a judge? Know exactly how church is supposed to work? We know exactly how “saved” people are suppose to behave, dress, talk and walk, rather than depend upon God’s grace poured freeing to us and to them.

     Could it be that there are people here, at this very moment, who are going to church and doing everything they know to do to be good but still be a slave?  They work in the church, or in a host of great help organizations and serve others, doing, doing, doing, and have never grasped… that it is by faith through grace that we know God and call him Daddy? Could it be they only know God in the sense of a Master/Servant relationship? Trying so hard to please, instead of just taking time to be with Him and others.

     Could it be that there are people sitting in this very place, thinking that because they are here and really aren’t bad people that’s good enough. Never realizing God must be Papa, up close and personal, and we are the dependent child, loving, trusting. It’s not about what you do or don’t do, it’s about who you know.  Could it be there are some who have never talked to him intimately, never touched His face? Keeping him separate from sections of their lives, keeping him distant, at arms length? When God is “Dad” it means we crawl up into his lap, listen to what he has to say, lay our head on his shoulder.

     As the man and the boy were brought together under the binding word of a judge, they looked into each other’s eyes. The small hand reached up and took the strong hand of the man and the relationship went from uncertainty to certainty; from one of hesitation to one of confidence. That day the father and son, better know to us as Patrick and Mike Thompson walked out of the courthouse as united, legal, binding family.  No longer captive to a third party, fearful of what the future might hold.

By this adoption they were free to do life together.

     As we end this year and an era of this church we can start with total freedom. Not following the rules, or serving in an attempt to please or here Sunday after Sunday but never really connecting to God. We really can place our hand into the mighty hand of God, understanding He has adopted us? God Eternal has brought us into His household, His family, made us heirs to all that is His. Let me repeat that one and may you take it deep within you. This relationship with the Lord can be certain, confident, complete, whole, free, no restraints, no hesitation, no faltering, or wavering given by Jesus Christ… our advocate. Our advocate who looked at the entire situation, considered every option, satisfied the judge, our representative who fulfilled all that was required and gave worthiness us. Jesus Christ with whom we are now co-heirs with, a family. And we are free to do life together with God.