Providence
Commentary
God's love is never described as an emotion in the Scriptures. In every instance, his love is evidenced in an act: rescue, deliverance, salvation, or providence.
One of the great stories of the Old Testament is the story of Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac. Pick up your Bible and read it again. Follow that agonizing old man as he struggles to keep his faith. Identify, if you can, with a youngster who gains a growing awareness of what is going on and must have had his hair stand on end. Relive that awful moment of suspense when the knife is lifted ...
Then the moment of relief comes when Abraham turns to see what is making the racket in a nearby thicket. A ram! Out of nowhere? Never!
Read 22:14 carefully.
"So Abraham called the name of that place 'The Lord will provide.' " Now there was a sermon illustration that was very real for the first readers. Remember, it is the exiles in Babylon who first read these lines as they are here.
Hadn't their father Abraham been made great promises by Yahweh? See Genesis 12:1-3.
Hadn't he been promised greatness and that he would become a great nation?
And wasn't that promise theirs?
Now it seemed all lost!
And weren't they, like Isaac, being sacrificed?
What was going on?
The answer was given in prophetic words:
Genesis 22:14
Isaiah 40
Jeremiah 31:31-33
Ezekiel 37:1-14 and other passages. Check them out.
OUTLINE I
What Angels Bring
1 Kings 19:1-8
Introduction: Don't ever deal with Old Testament events by letting little swatches like this one stand alone. Begin by outlining the entire story of this amazing prophet, Elijah. Let the congregation see his boldness and power and understand that the writer is convinced this is a gift from God. But even such a man is not invincible.
A. A Moment of Weakness: Afraid, ashamed, wants to die. Doesn't everybody feel like this sometimes? We imagine ourselves alone, exposed, and without any help. The powers over against us seem overpowering. We are ready to run, cash in our chips, and give it all up.
B. Angels: Who can unravel all the talk of angels in the Scriptures? Who wants to? Angels are messengers from God. Whether they are heavenly beings (as the people of Israel surely thought they were) or some friend, or member of the family, or doctor, or whoever, those who bring us God's gifts are angels. By the way, this is a good time to research Israel's fascination with angels.
C. Strength: God doesn't take over. He doesn't do what Elijah ought to do. He empowers Elijah for the task. Too many of us pray for problems and opposition to be taken away. What we need to ask for is strength and courage to face what life brings. That is what angels bring.
Conclusion: Remind the hearers the writers of the Scriptures let us see the humanity of our heroes, in order to focus attention on God's gifts. It is the same with us. The angels come -- whoever they are -- and sometimes we miss them because we are expecting something else.
OUTLINE II
When Good News Meets Bad News
Galatians 2:15-21
Introduction: Do some work on the Book of Galatians before trying a sermon on this text. It is clear Paul has, at first, convinced the Galatians of the good news and someone has gotten to them with the bad news. Paul writes to the churches of Galatia to share his heartbreak and to wrestle with the great words which are at the heart of his new commitment.
1. Faith: Not just some emotion or the exercise of the will but absolute trust that what had been made known to him through Jesus the Christ was the truth about God and his love. Such faith is more than belief, it is betting life on the premise that the declaration of God, in Jesus the Christ, is true -- and trusting nothing else.
2. Law: Here Paul is clearly referring to the legalistic Judaism which had taken the power and joy out of religious life. Note here the small "1" is used. Paul would never have rejected the Law, the amazing body of religious understanding that was more spirit than rules. Paul had seen the promises of the Law had been taken away by those who wanted to deserve them by keeping the law. Keep those two words apart from one another.
3. Grace: Just as faith trust nothing else, so grace depends on nothing other than God's love. It is either grace or it isn't. Once one begins to talk of keeping the law, or merit, grace is no longer being talked about.
Conclusion: Many in every congregation still follow laws. They are certain if they faithfully keep their list of do's and don'ts God will, at the end, cough up a reward. Their faith is a miserable substitute for the joy God offers. Tell them that.
OUTLINE III
Lessons That Are Always Contemporary
Luke 7:36--8:3
Introduction: The correlative stories are in Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9. Check them out. A leper, but apparently a well-to-do leper, one who could have houseguests and provide all the amenities including the assurance his guests would not contract leprosy. Be sure to point out the different uses the Gospels make of this selection.
1. Mark: For Mark, concentrating on the ministry and death of Jesus and writing to a people living in dangerous days, this incident takes on meaning as it speaks of preparation for his death. Jesus knew! Yet he faced his trials with quiet confidence. Many of them faced death. How much easier if they knew he understood and had shared their agony.
2. Matthew: Matthew seems to copy Mark. For Matthew's church; this selection is probably a good bit less meaningful for Mark's, since Matthew deals with a church not under persecution from the outside but stress and conflict within. For Matthew the story is a teaching tool and is important because it can help convince his Jewish readers Jesus is the Messiah.
3. Luke: Look at what Luke does with it as he expands the story in great detail and makes much of Jesus' straightforward word to Simon. Here is a sinner (the woman) given acceptance and being grateful, contrasted to a leper given acceptance and failing to be grateful. Luke can use it to teach an important lesson to his church, now mostly Greek and needing the lesson. And, note how much credit Luke heaps on women in the group -- (and in his church).
Conclusion: Just as each writer uses the incident for his own church, you can do the same for yours. Surely you can think of some need in your congregation which finds a needed word here.
One of the great stories of the Old Testament is the story of Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac. Pick up your Bible and read it again. Follow that agonizing old man as he struggles to keep his faith. Identify, if you can, with a youngster who gains a growing awareness of what is going on and must have had his hair stand on end. Relive that awful moment of suspense when the knife is lifted ...
Then the moment of relief comes when Abraham turns to see what is making the racket in a nearby thicket. A ram! Out of nowhere? Never!
Read 22:14 carefully.
"So Abraham called the name of that place 'The Lord will provide.' " Now there was a sermon illustration that was very real for the first readers. Remember, it is the exiles in Babylon who first read these lines as they are here.
Hadn't their father Abraham been made great promises by Yahweh? See Genesis 12:1-3.
Hadn't he been promised greatness and that he would become a great nation?
And wasn't that promise theirs?
Now it seemed all lost!
And weren't they, like Isaac, being sacrificed?
What was going on?
The answer was given in prophetic words:
Genesis 22:14
Isaiah 40
Jeremiah 31:31-33
Ezekiel 37:1-14 and other passages. Check them out.
OUTLINE I
What Angels Bring
1 Kings 19:1-8
Introduction: Don't ever deal with Old Testament events by letting little swatches like this one stand alone. Begin by outlining the entire story of this amazing prophet, Elijah. Let the congregation see his boldness and power and understand that the writer is convinced this is a gift from God. But even such a man is not invincible.
A. A Moment of Weakness: Afraid, ashamed, wants to die. Doesn't everybody feel like this sometimes? We imagine ourselves alone, exposed, and without any help. The powers over against us seem overpowering. We are ready to run, cash in our chips, and give it all up.
B. Angels: Who can unravel all the talk of angels in the Scriptures? Who wants to? Angels are messengers from God. Whether they are heavenly beings (as the people of Israel surely thought they were) or some friend, or member of the family, or doctor, or whoever, those who bring us God's gifts are angels. By the way, this is a good time to research Israel's fascination with angels.
C. Strength: God doesn't take over. He doesn't do what Elijah ought to do. He empowers Elijah for the task. Too many of us pray for problems and opposition to be taken away. What we need to ask for is strength and courage to face what life brings. That is what angels bring.
Conclusion: Remind the hearers the writers of the Scriptures let us see the humanity of our heroes, in order to focus attention on God's gifts. It is the same with us. The angels come -- whoever they are -- and sometimes we miss them because we are expecting something else.
OUTLINE II
When Good News Meets Bad News
Galatians 2:15-21
Introduction: Do some work on the Book of Galatians before trying a sermon on this text. It is clear Paul has, at first, convinced the Galatians of the good news and someone has gotten to them with the bad news. Paul writes to the churches of Galatia to share his heartbreak and to wrestle with the great words which are at the heart of his new commitment.
1. Faith: Not just some emotion or the exercise of the will but absolute trust that what had been made known to him through Jesus the Christ was the truth about God and his love. Such faith is more than belief, it is betting life on the premise that the declaration of God, in Jesus the Christ, is true -- and trusting nothing else.
2. Law: Here Paul is clearly referring to the legalistic Judaism which had taken the power and joy out of religious life. Note here the small "1" is used. Paul would never have rejected the Law, the amazing body of religious understanding that was more spirit than rules. Paul had seen the promises of the Law had been taken away by those who wanted to deserve them by keeping the law. Keep those two words apart from one another.
3. Grace: Just as faith trust nothing else, so grace depends on nothing other than God's love. It is either grace or it isn't. Once one begins to talk of keeping the law, or merit, grace is no longer being talked about.
Conclusion: Many in every congregation still follow laws. They are certain if they faithfully keep their list of do's and don'ts God will, at the end, cough up a reward. Their faith is a miserable substitute for the joy God offers. Tell them that.
OUTLINE III
Lessons That Are Always Contemporary
Luke 7:36--8:3
Introduction: The correlative stories are in Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9. Check them out. A leper, but apparently a well-to-do leper, one who could have houseguests and provide all the amenities including the assurance his guests would not contract leprosy. Be sure to point out the different uses the Gospels make of this selection.
1. Mark: For Mark, concentrating on the ministry and death of Jesus and writing to a people living in dangerous days, this incident takes on meaning as it speaks of preparation for his death. Jesus knew! Yet he faced his trials with quiet confidence. Many of them faced death. How much easier if they knew he understood and had shared their agony.
2. Matthew: Matthew seems to copy Mark. For Matthew's church; this selection is probably a good bit less meaningful for Mark's, since Matthew deals with a church not under persecution from the outside but stress and conflict within. For Matthew the story is a teaching tool and is important because it can help convince his Jewish readers Jesus is the Messiah.
3. Luke: Look at what Luke does with it as he expands the story in great detail and makes much of Jesus' straightforward word to Simon. Here is a sinner (the woman) given acceptance and being grateful, contrasted to a leper given acceptance and failing to be grateful. Luke can use it to teach an important lesson to his church, now mostly Greek and needing the lesson. And, note how much credit Luke heaps on women in the group -- (and in his church).
Conclusion: Just as each writer uses the incident for his own church, you can do the same for yours. Surely you can think of some need in your congregation which finds a needed word here.
