Sermon Illustrations for Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 (2014)
Illustration
Object:
Genesis 45:1-15
How can God bring good out of evil? What the brothers did to Joseph was still wrong but God used it for good. Only God can see ahead and know what is best. Don't let this be a lesson to do what you want and hope God will work it out for our good and his. Those brothers learned a lesson also. How it must have hurt his father to think Joseph was dead all those years. Much suffering was the result of those brother's actions. He didn't even want them to be angry with each other.
The other lesson, which may be more important for us, is that we should be ready to forgive our "brothers" who may have tried to hurt us. Let them know that "in spite" of what they may have done, God may have used it for good. No credit is due them. After all those years Joseph's affection for the brothers who had hurt him was so great that he wept loudly. He finally realized why he had gone through all his suffering (jail for a while on false charges) and how God had used it for "his" purposes.
God's purpose, it would appear, was to put Joseph in that high position so he could save the lives of his family from starvation.
The next thing Joseph thought of was to have them bring his father and brother down for a family reunion. That must have been a fantastic affair.
The Egyptians were not sinless or godly people; again, God used what is not perfect for his good purposes.
One lesson for us is that it took years before that family could all see God's purpose so be patient if God hasn't answered you yet.
As I often mention, old pastor Tir in Nepal was sent to prison several times for being Christian and telling others about Christ. He was beaten and starved there, but God used this experience for his purposes. When the guards felt the love and forgiveness of this great man, they were converted. Many came to the Lord because of Tir's ministry to those who were hurting him.
We saw families in Nepal suddenly reunited with great emotional meetings when they turned to the Lord because of what their sons were preaching and doing for others. Actions can often speak louder than words. But be patient and pray that the Lord will show you his purposes in his good time.
Bob O.
Genesis 45:1-15
Facebook is a good place to see it. People cross paths in ways you'd never expect. It's no surprise that your best friend from second grade is also friends with a bunch of other people from second grade. You would expect them to know each other. It would be a huge surprise, however, to find that your second grade friend also knows that weird guy from Singapore who lived across the hall from you in college. It would be totally unexpected that your second grade friend is the cousin of your grandmother's dentist. There are connections between people that we would never imagine. Oftentimes a "total stranger" turns out not to be all that "total."
Scott B.
Genesis 45:1-15
Before Joseph was second in command under Pharaoh, he was a prisoner in a dark, dirty dungeon for years, wallowing in filth. Before the prison stay, he was a household slave who made a good name for himself but was falsely accused by his master's wife who had him sent to prison. Prior to being a household slave, he was tricked by his hateful brothers and sold to a caravan as a "run of the mill" slave out of spite and envy.
The scene in Genesis 45:1-15 has fast forwarded Joseph's life to the post of second-in-command of all of Egypt during a famine that brings an encounter with his brothers. The brothers are unaware of who Joseph is until he reveals himself to them. They are terrified (Genesis 45:3) because of their ungodly act of selling their own flesh and blood to the highest bidder.
Joseph attempts to quell their fears in Genesis 45:5. His attitude reminds me of something I read from an anonymous author, "Some people complain that God put thorns on roses, while others praise him for putting roses on thorns." Joseph could have blamed God, his brother, and his captors, but he doesn't. How much do we complain about our circumstances in life?
Derl K.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Thascius Cyprian, born into a well-educated family that afforded him the same opportunity, reluctantly accepted the office of Bishop of Carthage in 248 ACE. He did so, in personal opposition to his highly publicized belief there was no place for a hierarchal organization within the church, for all worshipers were "co-presbyters." Arrested during the Decian persecution for refusing to offer a sacrifice to the Roman state-gods, he was ordered to be executed by the sword. In his dying words he confessed, Deo Gratias I, meaning "Thanks I be to God." His teaching was reflected in his life, as Cyprian forthrightly acknowledged the seriousness of the commission that his followers wear the shoes of peace while walking among hostile overseers. This belief was recorded in "The Epistles of Cyprian" with the admonition "let our feet be shod with evangelical teaching, and armed, so that when the serpent shall begin to be trodden and crushed by us, he may not be able to bite and trip us up." Shall we walk upon the forbidden floors where serpents dwell that peace may be restored in our homes, our places of employment, within our community, and even, we must confess, among our own congregants? Vipers bite, the poison stings -- shall the gospel of peace prevail?
Application: We must always be willing to share the gospel message of mercy and peace.
Ron L.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Paul's point is that we Gentiles have been grafted into the tree that is Judaism. We are adopted Jews! This entails that their rich heritage belongs to all Christians. It also means that, despite their faithlessness, God has not given up on or renounced his covenant with the Jews. Works and lack of faith it seems do not matter when it comes to God's faithfulness to his promises. On this matter Martin Luther wrote:
For the counsel of God is not changed by either the merits or demerits of anyone. For he does not repent of the gifts and calling which he has promised, because the Jews are now unworthy of them and you are worthy. He is not changed just because you are changed, and therefore they shall turn back and be led again to the truth of the faith.
(Luther's Works, Vol. 25, p. 432)
Jews are still the chosen people. But as adopted Jews this means so are all Christians. We have previously noted that the Jews are chosen, not to special privileges, but only in the sense of being an example to humankind (Leo Trepp, Judaism, p. 7). With our Jewish siblings in the faith, we are now called to be beacons of service to all humanity. It is all part of the family heritage into which all the followers of Jesus now share.
Mark E.
Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28
William Barclay commented that the significance of this passage is that it "foreshadows the going out of the gospel to the whole world; it shows us the beginning of the end of all the barriers" (Barclay, The Daily Study Bible, p. 133).
The gospel message is a missionary challenge reminding us that we are to take Jesus to the corners of the world. Charles Swindoll says that as Americans we tend to be deafened by the blaring music of our own band and blinded by the lights of our own shining spotlights. He writes that we need to quiet the band and hear the voice of the ringmaster in our circus-like bandstand. We need to hear Jesus say: "We interrupt this program to bring all of you a reminder that the world in which you live is not the whole world... but only a very small part of the world for which I died."
He continued, "The Great Commission is still 'The Great Commission,' not 'The Limited Agreement for My Corner of America.' " Swindoll bursts our bubble by saying, "(Jesus) still looks out across a wide world and weeps... who do not know -- have never heard -- his healing, life-giving name" (Swindoll, Come Before Winter, p. 205).
Where in the world is God sending you to be a missionary? Why would he send you?
Derl K.
Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28
Aren't we like Peter in some ways? We have to have Jesus' parables explained to us. That is one reason we come to church.
Maybe something in our background, our family traditions make it harder to understand. Just one example might be pork, which Jews aren't supposed to eat. And we might have a rule against putting any wine in our mouth (except for communion) -- even though our Lord drank it at the Last Supper. (I had one pastor tell me that Jesus really drank grape juice.)
This passage is also including, not only food, but also thoughts which could be evil. That could include pornography, which may come through our computers or even Hollywood movies if we don't make sure to turn them off.
One passage that may disturb some parents is Jesus' statement that eating with unwashed hands does not make us unclean. We must remember that he is talking about "ceremonial" washing, which the Jews had to do before they ate. Their ritual did not have to include soap. So don't stop washing your hands with soap before you eat. No need to pray over them.
It is true that we can be lead astray by some who make all things acceptable in this enlightened age. Free speech may be carried to extremes -- as our government sometimes does. It may not be against the law to use the name of the Lord in vain, for example. One artist was rewarded for his work of art when he put a Jesus figure in a bottle of urine. Disgusting but no one shot him for it and most people laughed at it. Muslims go crazy if you burn a Koran.
The next verses talk about a Canaanite woman pleading to the Lord for the healing of her daughter. Jesus seems to be giving her a cold shoulder, so his disciples want to tell her to go away. It appears as though he is testing them all. His testing goes on when he tells her that he was sent only to the Jews. It is like he is following the old Hebrew custom of rejecting anyone who is not of pure Jewish blood. The Pharisees would understand. Even his disciples would agree and would try to get rid of her, but when she won't go away, even when he implies that she is a "dog," she accepts the insult claiming that even the dogs (like Canaanites) get to eat the leftovers. Her determination works. Jesus is touched by her faith and gives her the healing she wants for her daughter.
We learn in our church to get rid of our old prejudices and realize that God loves all his people. So must we.
Bob O.
Matthew 15:10-20, 21-28
There aren't patterns to make hand-me-down clothes. You can't go to a factory somewhere and watch people sitting at long rows of sewing machines churning our hand-me-downs. There are no recipes for leftovers. There are lots of ways to use leftovers as an ingredient. You can make things from leftovers, but you cannot make leftovers. Clothes are only hand-me-downs if there is someone who hands them down to someone else. Food can only be called left over, if it is left once dinner is over.
To eat leftovers, to wear hand-me-downs, is to receive a gift.
Scott B.
How can God bring good out of evil? What the brothers did to Joseph was still wrong but God used it for good. Only God can see ahead and know what is best. Don't let this be a lesson to do what you want and hope God will work it out for our good and his. Those brothers learned a lesson also. How it must have hurt his father to think Joseph was dead all those years. Much suffering was the result of those brother's actions. He didn't even want them to be angry with each other.
The other lesson, which may be more important for us, is that we should be ready to forgive our "brothers" who may have tried to hurt us. Let them know that "in spite" of what they may have done, God may have used it for good. No credit is due them. After all those years Joseph's affection for the brothers who had hurt him was so great that he wept loudly. He finally realized why he had gone through all his suffering (jail for a while on false charges) and how God had used it for "his" purposes.
God's purpose, it would appear, was to put Joseph in that high position so he could save the lives of his family from starvation.
The next thing Joseph thought of was to have them bring his father and brother down for a family reunion. That must have been a fantastic affair.
The Egyptians were not sinless or godly people; again, God used what is not perfect for his good purposes.
One lesson for us is that it took years before that family could all see God's purpose so be patient if God hasn't answered you yet.
As I often mention, old pastor Tir in Nepal was sent to prison several times for being Christian and telling others about Christ. He was beaten and starved there, but God used this experience for his purposes. When the guards felt the love and forgiveness of this great man, they were converted. Many came to the Lord because of Tir's ministry to those who were hurting him.
We saw families in Nepal suddenly reunited with great emotional meetings when they turned to the Lord because of what their sons were preaching and doing for others. Actions can often speak louder than words. But be patient and pray that the Lord will show you his purposes in his good time.
Bob O.
Genesis 45:1-15
Facebook is a good place to see it. People cross paths in ways you'd never expect. It's no surprise that your best friend from second grade is also friends with a bunch of other people from second grade. You would expect them to know each other. It would be a huge surprise, however, to find that your second grade friend also knows that weird guy from Singapore who lived across the hall from you in college. It would be totally unexpected that your second grade friend is the cousin of your grandmother's dentist. There are connections between people that we would never imagine. Oftentimes a "total stranger" turns out not to be all that "total."
Scott B.
Genesis 45:1-15
Before Joseph was second in command under Pharaoh, he was a prisoner in a dark, dirty dungeon for years, wallowing in filth. Before the prison stay, he was a household slave who made a good name for himself but was falsely accused by his master's wife who had him sent to prison. Prior to being a household slave, he was tricked by his hateful brothers and sold to a caravan as a "run of the mill" slave out of spite and envy.
The scene in Genesis 45:1-15 has fast forwarded Joseph's life to the post of second-in-command of all of Egypt during a famine that brings an encounter with his brothers. The brothers are unaware of who Joseph is until he reveals himself to them. They are terrified (Genesis 45:3) because of their ungodly act of selling their own flesh and blood to the highest bidder.
Joseph attempts to quell their fears in Genesis 45:5. His attitude reminds me of something I read from an anonymous author, "Some people complain that God put thorns on roses, while others praise him for putting roses on thorns." Joseph could have blamed God, his brother, and his captors, but he doesn't. How much do we complain about our circumstances in life?
Derl K.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Thascius Cyprian, born into a well-educated family that afforded him the same opportunity, reluctantly accepted the office of Bishop of Carthage in 248 ACE. He did so, in personal opposition to his highly publicized belief there was no place for a hierarchal organization within the church, for all worshipers were "co-presbyters." Arrested during the Decian persecution for refusing to offer a sacrifice to the Roman state-gods, he was ordered to be executed by the sword. In his dying words he confessed, Deo Gratias I, meaning "Thanks I be to God." His teaching was reflected in his life, as Cyprian forthrightly acknowledged the seriousness of the commission that his followers wear the shoes of peace while walking among hostile overseers. This belief was recorded in "The Epistles of Cyprian" with the admonition "let our feet be shod with evangelical teaching, and armed, so that when the serpent shall begin to be trodden and crushed by us, he may not be able to bite and trip us up." Shall we walk upon the forbidden floors where serpents dwell that peace may be restored in our homes, our places of employment, within our community, and even, we must confess, among our own congregants? Vipers bite, the poison stings -- shall the gospel of peace prevail?
Application: We must always be willing to share the gospel message of mercy and peace.
Ron L.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Paul's point is that we Gentiles have been grafted into the tree that is Judaism. We are adopted Jews! This entails that their rich heritage belongs to all Christians. It also means that, despite their faithlessness, God has not given up on or renounced his covenant with the Jews. Works and lack of faith it seems do not matter when it comes to God's faithfulness to his promises. On this matter Martin Luther wrote:
For the counsel of God is not changed by either the merits or demerits of anyone. For he does not repent of the gifts and calling which he has promised, because the Jews are now unworthy of them and you are worthy. He is not changed just because you are changed, and therefore they shall turn back and be led again to the truth of the faith.
(Luther's Works, Vol. 25, p. 432)
Jews are still the chosen people. But as adopted Jews this means so are all Christians. We have previously noted that the Jews are chosen, not to special privileges, but only in the sense of being an example to humankind (Leo Trepp, Judaism, p. 7). With our Jewish siblings in the faith, we are now called to be beacons of service to all humanity. It is all part of the family heritage into which all the followers of Jesus now share.
Mark E.
Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28
William Barclay commented that the significance of this passage is that it "foreshadows the going out of the gospel to the whole world; it shows us the beginning of the end of all the barriers" (Barclay, The Daily Study Bible, p. 133).
The gospel message is a missionary challenge reminding us that we are to take Jesus to the corners of the world. Charles Swindoll says that as Americans we tend to be deafened by the blaring music of our own band and blinded by the lights of our own shining spotlights. He writes that we need to quiet the band and hear the voice of the ringmaster in our circus-like bandstand. We need to hear Jesus say: "We interrupt this program to bring all of you a reminder that the world in which you live is not the whole world... but only a very small part of the world for which I died."
He continued, "The Great Commission is still 'The Great Commission,' not 'The Limited Agreement for My Corner of America.' " Swindoll bursts our bubble by saying, "(Jesus) still looks out across a wide world and weeps... who do not know -- have never heard -- his healing, life-giving name" (Swindoll, Come Before Winter, p. 205).
Where in the world is God sending you to be a missionary? Why would he send you?
Derl K.
Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28
Aren't we like Peter in some ways? We have to have Jesus' parables explained to us. That is one reason we come to church.
Maybe something in our background, our family traditions make it harder to understand. Just one example might be pork, which Jews aren't supposed to eat. And we might have a rule against putting any wine in our mouth (except for communion) -- even though our Lord drank it at the Last Supper. (I had one pastor tell me that Jesus really drank grape juice.)
This passage is also including, not only food, but also thoughts which could be evil. That could include pornography, which may come through our computers or even Hollywood movies if we don't make sure to turn them off.
One passage that may disturb some parents is Jesus' statement that eating with unwashed hands does not make us unclean. We must remember that he is talking about "ceremonial" washing, which the Jews had to do before they ate. Their ritual did not have to include soap. So don't stop washing your hands with soap before you eat. No need to pray over them.
It is true that we can be lead astray by some who make all things acceptable in this enlightened age. Free speech may be carried to extremes -- as our government sometimes does. It may not be against the law to use the name of the Lord in vain, for example. One artist was rewarded for his work of art when he put a Jesus figure in a bottle of urine. Disgusting but no one shot him for it and most people laughed at it. Muslims go crazy if you burn a Koran.
The next verses talk about a Canaanite woman pleading to the Lord for the healing of her daughter. Jesus seems to be giving her a cold shoulder, so his disciples want to tell her to go away. It appears as though he is testing them all. His testing goes on when he tells her that he was sent only to the Jews. It is like he is following the old Hebrew custom of rejecting anyone who is not of pure Jewish blood. The Pharisees would understand. Even his disciples would agree and would try to get rid of her, but when she won't go away, even when he implies that she is a "dog," she accepts the insult claiming that even the dogs (like Canaanites) get to eat the leftovers. Her determination works. Jesus is touched by her faith and gives her the healing she wants for her daughter.
We learn in our church to get rid of our old prejudices and realize that God loves all his people. So must we.
Bob O.
Matthew 15:10-20, 21-28
There aren't patterns to make hand-me-down clothes. You can't go to a factory somewhere and watch people sitting at long rows of sewing machines churning our hand-me-downs. There are no recipes for leftovers. There are lots of ways to use leftovers as an ingredient. You can make things from leftovers, but you cannot make leftovers. Clothes are only hand-me-downs if there is someone who hands them down to someone else. Food can only be called left over, if it is left once dinner is over.
To eat leftovers, to wear hand-me-downs, is to receive a gift.
Scott B.
