Sermon
1: God's Gift of Value
Bible Texts: Is. 43: 1-4, Ex. 19: 3-6, Ps 2:
7-11, Rom 8:12-17
Memory Verse
God says: “You are precious in my sight,
and honored, and I love you.” (Isaiah
43:4)
“Children of Promise: You
are a Precious”
1) God has given us the
gift of VALUE
“If
you obey my voice and keep my covenant,
you shall be my treasured possession out of all peoples.”
(Exodus 19:5)
God called a people into a covenant relationship—
and calls us to maintain that covenant relationship.
We are adopted as
children of God
and given the privileges of the people who were first called by God.
We receive their
instruction about how to respond to that special calling
and live in relationship with a holy God.
“God said
to me, ‘You are my son; today I have begotten you…’” (Psalm
2:7)
This verse reminds
the reader that kings were called the children of God—and those rulers
were reminded that they must always submit to God’s wisdom and
judgment.
We are also called
the children of God, and we too must submit to God’s plan for us.
“Do not fear, for I have
redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.
You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.” (Isaiah 43: 2, 4)
The prophet Isaiah
is reminding the people that God has already redeemed them.
God has loved them from the beginning and calls them by name in an
intimate relationship—
like a loving father and his child.
We too are invited
to take part in that loving relationship and call God our father.
“All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God…
You
have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry ‘Abba! Father!’ it
is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children
of God.” (Romans 8:13,
16)
Paul reminds us that we are not called to a spirit
of slavery, but we received a spirit of adoption.
We are considered children of God and are led by
the Spirit of God.
When we cry out to God: “Abba, Father” we know
that the Spirit of God is bearing witness
with our spirit that we are children of God. We can be confident in
God’s love.
God Tells us in
Many Ways
and in Many Places in Scripture: We are Loved and Treasured
Throughout
the Bible God tells us that we are very special to him: Exodus, Psalms,
Isaiah, Romans. God talks to us in many ways to explain that we are
God’s treasure and God wants a special, personal relationship—like a
loving father and his child—with each of us.
Our
memory verse reminds us of how special we are to God:
You
are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.” (Isaiah 43: 4)
All these
verses bear testimony that God considers each of us of great value.
2)
What it doesn’t mean to be
valuable to God
We do not have “free reign”
We do not get to do whatever we want.
We do not have permission to neglect ourselves or
others.
The obvious response to a loving request such as God has made is to love
in return.
We so not use this opportunity to be irresponsible.
EXAMPLE: Beautiful, rich blond girls sometime go to jail for bad
behavior, even though their daddies are rich and powerful.
3)
What it does mean to be
valuable to God
We know that we are valuable, because God has told us so.
God is reliable, the scripture can be believed, so we know it is true:
we are of great value!
We respond by treating ourselves as very valuable—think of how you
would treat a treasure.
Loving and being loved is transforming: we become a new creature.
We are not valuable because we have beautiful faces, or because we
are rich and powerful.
God sees all—and we have always been there when we have sinned.
The Bible tells us that we are valuable to God, but
it also tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of
God.” What can this mean? God
knows us, and God still loves us.
If God loves us, and God is wise—then we must love ourselves.
If God believes that we are valuable—then we must treat ourselves as
valuable.
If God tells us that other people are valuable—as we are—then we
must treat others as valuable.
4)
Bible Story: Joseph in
Egypt
Sometimes we forget that we are beautiful.
Sometimes we are mistreated and begin to believe that we are not really
special.
Sometimes we experience hard times and wonder of God really loves us.
But God does not forget any of us.
God continues to love and value us—whatever we do, whatever happens to
us.
Joseph is a very special person in the Bible.
Genesis tells us that Joseph was his father’s favored son, and he gave
Joseph a “coat of many colors.” But when Joseph—who was the
youngest one—went out into the field to tell his brothers that then
needed to come home, his brothers sold him into slavery and put goats
blood on his beautiful coat. They told his father that Joseph had been
killed by a beast, and Joseph went in slavery to
Egypt
.
Many things happened to Joseph—some good and some very bad—but
through it all he remembered that God loved him and had a special plan
for his life. He was a slave in a rich man’s house (Potifer), but the
man’s wife accused him of wicked things and he was thrown into jail
for many years. While he was in jail, he interpreted dreams for his
fellow prisoners, and asked them to remember him when they were
released. His interpretations of the dreams came true, but the man who
was released forgot to help Joseph. When the king had strange dreams,
Joseph was called, and he told the king about a coming drought and
helped save the kingdom from disaster. When his brothers came for grain
during the drought, he showed that he forgave them and loved them. His
family was brought to
Egypt
to stay while all the rest of the country was starving.
Joseph never forgot how special God thought he was. Joseph always
trusted God, in spite of his adversity and troubles.
5)
Message for Today
Remember that you are "beautiful." You
are treasured. You are precious.
God has called you so, and God knows what he is doing.
Remember our memory verse:
God says: “You are precious in my sight,
and honored, and I love you.” (Isaiah
43:4)
God preserves. God has a plan. God has a plan for
you.
What are you doing to take care of the special treasure that you are?
What are you doing to further God’s plan for you?
Prayer:
Thank you, God, for
redeeming me. Thank you for loving me, even when I am hard to love.
Thank you for preserving my life. Thank you for making a plan for me.
Forgive me for failing you. Forgive me for failing to love myself as a
special treasure.
Open my heart to receive your love. Teach me to love myself.
Remind me that Jesus died for me. Prepare me to live with you.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Charge and
Benediction
God bestows worth with
seeming abandon and lack of power positioning.
God gives extraterrestrial value to anyone who might turn their head to
gaze at him.
Referenced
Bible
Texts:
Isaiah
43:1-4
“But now thus
says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall
not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of
Israel
, your Savior …
You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.”
Memory Verse
God says: “You are precious in my
sight, and honored, and I love you.”
(Isaiah 43:4)
Psalm 2:7-11
“I will tell of
the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have begotten you…
Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.’
Serve the Lord with fear; with trembling kiss his feet…
Happy are all who take refuge in God.”
Exodus 19:3-6
“The Lord called
Moses from the mountain saying, ‘Thus shall you say to the house of
Jacob, and tell the Israelites: you have seen what I did to the
Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to
myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you
shall be my treasured possession out of all peoples. Indeed, the whole
earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy
nation.’”
Romans 8:12-17
“So, brothers and
sisters … if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by
the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba!
Father!’
it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are
children of God,
and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with
Christ…”
Bible Story
(Genesis 37-50): Joseph
in
Egypt
: God does not forget—we are precious in God’s sight
Sermon
2: God's Gift of Hope
God tells us in many ways and in many places in Scripture: We are loved
and treasured
Further, we are assured that God is faithful, and God is good.
Bible Stories:
In the story of Joseph
in
Egypt
we learned that God considers us of great value, and although the world
may treat us badly—even our own relatives—God loves us and has a
wonderful plan for our lives.
Today we will talk about
how God provides promises and delivers people from oppression as we look
at the suffering people in
Egypt
.
You have probably already
noticed that these Bible stories have elements of the lives you have led
in
Sudan
and the
US
. One of God’s wonderful blessings to us are multiple Bible stories to
help us think about our lives and our continuing care within God’s
promises.
Bible Verses:
God says, “If you obey my voice and keep my covenant,
you shall be my treasured possession out of all peoples.”
(Exodus 19:5)
“Do
not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are
mine.
You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.” (Isaiah
43: 2, 4)
“You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.” (Isaiah
43: 4)
“All
who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God… You have
received a spirit of adoption. When we cry ‘Abba! Father!’ it is
that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of
God.” (Romans 8:13, 16)
The Bible verses and stories we study today confirm
that not only are we are loved and valued, but God is faithful and
reliable. Therefore, we know that we can trust God.
When in
doubt remember: God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.
God is good.
God promises. God delivers. We can trust God All
the time.
2)
We Have Good Reason to Trust God
>>Our Bible story today tells us of God’s promises and
God’s ability,
and God’s deliverance.
Bible Story
People Enslaved in
Egypt
—God provides hope through promise and delivery
Exodus 1:6-16 6 Then Joseph
died, and all his brothers, and that whole generation.
7 But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they
multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with
them. 8 Now a new
king arose over
Egypt
, who did not know Joseph. 9
He said to his people, "Look, the Israelite people are more
numerous and more powerful than we.
10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will
increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us
and escape from the land." 11
Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced
labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh.
12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they
multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the
Israelites. 13
The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites,
14 and made their lives bitter with hard service in
mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in
all the tasks that they imposed on them.
15 The king of
Egypt
said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the
other Puah, 16
"When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the
birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall
live."
>>We read in Psalm
136 about all the wonderful things God has done for us,
and 26 times we are told: “God’s steadfast love endures forever.”
We have good reason to
trust God and live in hope.
3) We are Called to Trust God and live in hope.
Because
we can trust God, we can live in hope.
>>God is trustworthy. God is reliable. God is good. (Repeat) We
can trust God.
EXAMPLE: My child was frightened about getting into a bath of hot
water because he could do nothing to protect himself, but I realized the
water was hot before placing him in the tub: so he was safe.
Remember that God can do things that we cannot do.
God is all powerful. God can do things we can’t even imagine.
Note:
Sometimes we wonder, if God is all powerful, why do bad things happen?
Below are some possible reasons for bad things to happen, but talk to
God about the ones bothering you today.
-
Consequences for risky behavior
-
Consequences
for risky behavior of others
-
Natural
phenomena: earthquake, fire, hunger, fatigue, illness, death
-
Learning
experience—some of us are very slow
-
Sometimes
there is no known explanation (see above)
Paul reminds us of some basic logic.
Memory Verse
“Now hope that is seen is not
hope. For who hopes for what is seen?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
Romans 8:24-25
At all times
we are called to
-
Be in awe (Ps
33:18)—that is, hope in God’s steadfast love
-
Wait
for the Lord, knowing he is our help and shield (Ps 33:20)
-
Be
glad—because we trust god’s holy name
-
Call
humbly to God with our needs and hope. (Ps 33:22)
-
Acknowledge
our folly and helplessness (Ps 131)
-
Give
thanks and praise—that is, acknowledge God’s goodness and
steadfast love
4)
Trust is the Most Natural Response to God’s Character
>>God provides both
promises and deliverance.
God’s Promises
(Ps 33, Ps 31)
-
God
promises to deliver our souls from death (Ps 33:19)
-
God
keeps us alive during difficulties (Ps 33:19)
-
Awareness
and steadfast love is provided to those who trust (Ps 33:18)
Note: God’s loves those who don’t trust too, but they don’t know
it.
-
Refuge
(Ps 31:19-21)
Note: Shelter can take many forms. EXAMPLE: poverty, allergies,
difficulties
God devises ways to keep us safe from evil—EXAMPLE, plainness,
weakness
God’s
Provision (Ps 146)
