8.18.13 - Judgement, Division and Restoration OT Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7 – This reading is a song of judgment that underscores the failures of Israel. Gospel Reading: Luke 12:49-53 – As our Savior speaks to the crowds this short reading presents for us the reality, then and now, of how being a following of Christ will bring division. Epistle Reading: Hebrews 11:29-40 – Our reading picks up in the middle of what is often referred to as the faith chapter, and we are reminded of the faith of those who have gone before us, and what they endured. I wanted you to hear the words from the three selected passages for today because as I began to study them, I saw the historical reflection of the life of the children of Israel in the OT and what they experienced time and again; and perhaps our own lives. That outline is reflected in the sermon title this morning, “Judgment, Division and Restoration”. As we heard the words from the prophet Isaiah, we started off walking a thorny path; but by the time we read from Hebrews, we were reminded of the road to glory, as in vs. 40 we read that all God’s children will be made perfect together. Going back to Isaiah, as he speaks on God’s behalf, the words are an indictment and judgment by God based on the wrong choices the children of Israel have made. The “Song of the Vineyard” as the reading is referred to, underscores the failure of Israel in their actions and responses to God. One commentator wrote, “The song of the vineyard is a chilling text to preach. It underscores how there are KAIROS moments which when they pass have the potential for sealing our fate. [But the commentator went on to say] This is not a text about an arbitrary God. It is a text about immoral people”. As it applies to the Old Testament reading, the word KAIROS is an ancient Greek word meaning the “right or opportune moment”. In our passage from Isaiah, that particular moment for the children of Israel had passed, and the decision by God was made for judgment. But as we move forward and look at the New Testament that same word – KAIROS – carries a different connotation. It is understood to mean “the appointed time in the purpose of God”. In our gospel lesson Jesus knew he had to wait for God’s appointed time/hour for his own purpose to be fulfilled. He alluded to future events in vs. 49 & 50, “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!” Notice the phrases “I wish it were already” and “until it is completed”. Jesus then went on to talk about division. Our Savior knew what was to come. He also knew that God had a plan and a purpose for those who lived before the crucifixion, and those of us who have followed. Jesus traveled many miles telling parables, preaching and teaching as his life approached that “appointed time” in salvation history. As Jesus speaks to us of division, it was our Savior’s “service to God” that created division in the religious ranks/the religious hierarchy of his own day, and we know the cross, the cause of Christ, continues to create division in our world toda”. Globally we are daily reminded of the extremism of certain faith traditions for their “cause”. Egypt has once again been in the news all week. We are aware of the deterioration of religious freedoms around the world. But we also have division closer to home that as our Savior said “will divide families”. In today’s society we have the believer and the non-believer in the same family. We may have Christian parents whose child has turned their back on the church. Siblings raised in a Christian home, one stays true to the faith while the other is lost to the temptations the world holds. There are many examples that could be used here. And we can carry this theme of division into our church families. When we hear of a “church plant” even though there is division because a portion of the larger congregation leaves, it brings happy thoughts because a new church is established. When we hear of a “church split” our first thought is often a negative wondering about the events that led up to the situation or the ultimate cause. It could be a separation of the wheat from the chaff, or something as seemingly simple as worship style; or traditional vs. contemporary. It could be the need for a more “emotional” worship service that some might need or one w/more structure. Even times of division in the church could be designed by God to fulfill a greater kingdom purpose. If I had newsprint up here and was making an outline, Roman numeral “I” is that Isaiah has offered words of judgment; Roman numeral “II” would be Luke’s words on division; and now Roman numeral “III” is our reading from Hebrews and the unity of the body of Christ, or future restoration of the body of believers still to come. When we look at the passage from Hebrews we are obviously reading from the NT, but we are reading about the OT heroes of the faith. There are images of the Exodus as reference is made to the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea; Joshua and Rahab at Jericho. We are reminded of Gideon – one of the judges of Israel . . . Samson – morally weak/physically strong; God used him to defeat the Philistines. These individuals lived their lives with the view of God’s eternal world, not just by the finite or temporary standards of this world. In their faith, they showed a single mindedness in the things of God. In looking at these names, we see the progression if you will of what we might refer to as a drama; the drama of our “faith journey”. In those names we read, we can go back in scripture and read about their spiritual growth – progress toward their call to serve – the action that was the end result in service to God. We are reminded that the individuals mentioned, and the many who are unnamed, fulfilled their call, however “. . . none of them received what had been promised”. (vs. 39) They did not receive the promise while there was still life in the body, but we know there is a greater promise that awaits them and us, the promise of the resurrection. It is that promise, that future hope, which binds us together as the body of Christ. As I opened the message w/my thoughts on the historical perspective of the children of Israel and how our reading reflected what they experienced time and again, I will close w/the reminder that there is yet to be a future “judgment, division and restoration” for all God’s children. Hebrews 9:27-28 offers to us – “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him”. At that time there will be a complete and total restoration of all of God’s creation, and referencing again Hebrews 11:40, we will all be made perfect together.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 00:14:39 +0000
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