“Bearers of God’s Word”     2012

Deut. 11:1-2, 18-21            1 Thess. 2:1-9, 12

 

Deut. 11:1-2, 18-21

11You shall love the Lord your God, therefore, and keep his charge, his decrees, his ordinances, and his commandments always. 2Remember today that it was not your children (who have not known or seen the discipline of the Lord your God), but it is you who must acknowledge his greatness, his mighty hand and his outstretched arm. 18You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. 19Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 20Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

 

1 Thess. 2:1-9, 12

2You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, 2but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. 3For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, 4but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; 6nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, 7though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. 8So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. 9You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God… 12urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

 

I did a funeral one time    for a woman I had never met,

            but who was    an incredibly well-organized planner.

Her family met with me at her house,  and she had already

            written out detailed plans and instructions

                        describing exactly how she wanted her funeral.

 

Since I didn’t know her and hadn’t ever spoken with her,

            I asked them

                        to describe her,  and tell me a little bit about her.

                They told stories about how hard she tried

                        to arrange and organize every detail of her life…

 

… then started picking up different items in the room

            to show me the label on the bottom of every one of them…

                        … each one   marked to indicate  the name of the person

                                    she intended to receive it   as their inheritance.

              It was truly amazing,

                        and I’ve never seen anything quite like it since.

 

          Can you imagine how much planning, time, and effort

                    all that organizing and labeling must have taken?

 

If someone would go to such extraordinary lengths to direct

            the inheritance of their possessions   as their legacy –

 

- how much more so   should we as the people of God

            be concerned and intentional about our legacy …

                           … about passing along  the far more important things,

                                         such as our Christian faith and values.

 

The texts we read earlier both concern   the legacy we pass on

            - which hopefully,  will be something far more significant

                  than just our accumulated personal possessions.

 

In Deuteronomy,

            the Israelites have reached the banks of the Jordan River.

    These folks and the prior generation  

            have witnessed the mighty and gracious saving acts of God…

             … that brought them   from their bitter slavery in Egypt,

                        across the wilderness, and to the Promised Land’s edge.

 

All along that long wilderness journey of the Israelites,

            God had provided

                        water for them to drink and daily manna for them to eat.

According to Scripture,

            even their shoes and clothing didn’t wear-out along the way.

 

Moses, speaking to the people, is urging them to remember

          God’s promises fulfilled   in the events they have observed.

 

That life-experience and knowledge of God   gained along the way

               was intended to help them and to guide them

                        to live well and faithfully in the Promised Land;

                                    where they were to teach their children

                     à and so pass on    to the next generations

                              their stories, experiences,  and knowledge of God.

 

The central theme and point of Deuteronomy  is that

            God brought the people from slavery to the Promised Land; à

                        and that all along that wilderness journey,

                                    God was using that to teach and transform them,

                                                preparing them   to live as his chosen people;

  à to live faithfully and well as a model for all the world to see.

 

The theology of Deuteronomy is that God’s plan and purpose

            was for Israel to shine as a light in the darkness,

                        and attract the world to    this gracious God of Israel

                                    by living out  the truth and blessings of the Lord.

 

They were to be bearers of God’s word and truth,

                        to remember,  and pass on   to the next generationsà

                             their stories, experiences,  and knowledge of God.

 

vs. 18-19  -these verses are their instructions:

            You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.

 

You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul

            From the Hebrew perspective,

                        the heart refers to our thoughts and  motivations,

                                    and the soul is more about emotions and feelings…

  … meaning that faith involves both   intellect and our feelings.

 

When God’s word fills our lives, it is much more than feelings,

            more than just a belief system or rules for moral living…

                             …faith is an ever deepening relationship with God.

 

and you shall bind them (the word of God) as a sign on your hand,

            Sometimes observant Jews will write out Scripture verses

                and put them in little boxes call tefillin or phylacteries        

                        which they then tie to their arms or wrists…

                                                … which is to take this passage very literal.

 

I believe God is demanding something more difficult

            than just writing Bible verses on the back of your hand;

                        but rather God wants Scripture, the example of Jesus,

                                    to guide and direct all that we do with our hands…

          … so before I act,   it this something that Jesus would do?

 

and fix them (the words of God) as an emblem on your forehead

            This isn’t a little box of Scripture tied onto your forehead,

                 but that God’s word guides & motivates all of our thoughts…

  … my attitude and perspective,   do they follow the ways of Jesus?

 

Teach them (the words of God) to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.

            We are always teaching our children,

                        because they are always observing;

                                       and judging by our words, attitudes and behavior,

                                                does our faith  really make a difference?

 

I was blessed to have a godly mother,

            and whatever event or circumstance came up in life,

                        she always seemed to have the right Bible verse or truth

                                    that recognized God’s presence in every situation.

 

Certainly our children hear us when we talk about our faith,

            but they are also observing and absorbing the faith we life…

                   … judging the message   by the veracity of the messenger.

                                   

So here’s the challenge, what have your children,

            your grandchildren or other children in your life

                    learned about God, about faith and truth by watching you?

 

In Deuteronomy,

          the people of God are call to be bearers of the word of God…à

            … and the question is, what is the legacy we are passing on -

 

                   … and are we being as careful and intentional

                             as was,   the lady whose funeral I did,

                                      with her   labeled  accumulated possessions?

 

We can sit down and tell our kids about God and truth,

            and that is a very important task.

                        But to be effective, we also have to be a role model…

 

                                    … and we teach our kids best by talking about God,

                                                and then by modeling for them

                                                            the truths we want them to understand.

 

Very early in his ministry,

            Paul and Silas proclaimed the Gospel to the Thessalonians.

                        They had spent quite a bit of time there,

                                    building relationships and starting the church.

 

            Paul and Silas had trained leaders and nurtured their faith,

                        and build up the church which was growing and doing well.

But when the apostles moved on to evangelize elsewhere

            others came along who accused & opposed what they had taught.

 

Those traveling preachers claimed that Paul and Silas

            misunderstood the Gospel and what they taught was wrong.

                        They even suggested

                                    that Paul was just trying to be popular…

 

… and judging from the text of Paul’s letter, he was defending

           against an attack, a disagreement that had gotten personal.

vs. 1,3~6

            You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was

not in vain. …our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, … not to please mortals, but to please God …  As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others.

 

Paul’s argument against their claims  was really quite simple ---

            -- you already know the answer to their accusations …

… in fact, you and your faith in Jesus Christ, your church,

            these are the proof that

                        our message and ministry were true and effective.

 

You know

            that we suffered persecution and opposition for our faith…

                        … so obviously we weren’t preaching to be popular,

                                    to flatter anyone or say what they wanted to hear.

            We were faithful to God in our proclamation,

                        and their opposition   bears witness to our integrity.

 

The second part of their accusation

            was that Paul and Silas were out for their own financial gain.

                        It was normal and expected that traveling preachers

                                    would be supported by the offerings of others.

 

Though Paul and Silas could have asked for financial support,

            Paul had a trade-skill, he was a tentmaker.

                        They had worked hard providing for themselves,

                                    and paid their own way to not be a burden to anyone.

 

Listen to how Paul describes their relationship and motivation.

            vs. 7-8

                        though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children.  So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.  

 

The Gospel message they proclaimed rang unmistakably true,

       and was enhanced by the messenger’s generosity and integrity…

                            … because clearly it wasn’t for Paul and Silas’ gain,

                                       but that the Thessalonians  were so dear to them.

 

I find it most interesting that when Paul was trying to find

            the best way to describe his ministry & feelings toward them,

                        he used the image of a mother gently nursing her child.

vs. 7

   we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children.

 

*   How fitting and appropriate for Mother’s Day,

          that Paul compares the ideal of a mother’s nurturing love

                   to faithful Christian nurture and bearing God’s word.

 

Just as an infant needs the nourishment of mother’s milk,

            so too we need regular and nutritious spiritual feeding ---

 

--- and so we are called to bear the word of God

               to pass on along that truth and knowledge of God

                        to the next generations as it has been passed down to us.

 

So here’s some Good News,

            that even if we haven’t always gotten it all just right,

                that isn’t to say that it’s over, or we have forever failed…

                                    … for it’s certainly not too late

                                                to do better with another second chance.

 

^1st Step – celebration and gratitude.

            Who helped nurture your faith,

                        who was there for you along the way

 

            who cared and dusted you off when you were wounded in a fall,

                        whose life for you,

                                    proclaimed the love, compassion and grace of God?

 

2^nd Step – how did they do it?

            Think about those faithful servants of God

                        who really cared, mattered and made the difference.

            What was it about them, what they said or did

                        that communicated hope and possibilities to you?

 

3^rd Step – think about the people in your life now.

            Who has God put there,

                        perhaps for you to encourage and nurture their faith?

            Pray that God will show you

                        opportunities to share; to bless and be a blessing.

 

4^th Step – think about how God can use you.

            How can we be better messengers of God’s message,

                        and by our lives,

                                    proclaim the glory of God’s love and grace?

                How can we live lives more worthy of our Lord?

 

We choose –

          we either reflect the Light or cast a shadow,

                   we can be a path to God   or we can be an obstacle.

Deut. 4:9

            … take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life;  make them known to your children and your children’s children—