IBCD Sermon Weekly

Today we will look at two passages that I think best illustrate the love of God. This love was made manifest by the “the incarnation” where the Word, which is the creative expression of God through which God creates (God said let there be light…), becomes flesh and dwells among us as Jesus the Messiah or Jesus Christ. If you have been at IBCD a while you have probably heard me refer to these passages because I think they tell us so much about God’s character.

Philippians 2:5-8Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross!

When we think about faith, we usually think of Hebrews 11:1-2 which says: Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  2 This is what the ancients were commended for. When we read this from our perspective in 2021, we are and have been for a couple of thousand years on the side of the Cross where Jesus is understood by Christians as the Messiah who has already made open the way of forgiveness and eternal hope. But how did people, specifically the Jewish people, understand faith before the Cross? Today we are going to walk through Isaiah chapter 40, which has within it several verses which are well known either because they are referred to again in the Gospels, particularly around the birth and life of Jesus, as well as many verses which are well known within their context of Isaiah. From this chapter, we can learn a bit more about what faith is supposed to be.

The use of blindness as a metaphor or descriptive term is common. We talk about “The blind leading the blind” as an example of being led by someone who is as unequipped to lead others as the ones he or she is leading. We talk about having “blind faith”, sometimes as a good thing, but more often as a cautionary statement. When it comes to God, we will sometimes hear that we need “blind faith” meaning you just go by faith without a lot of supporting elements to the decision. Today we are going to look at an example of healthy, blind, faith which led to the light.

One of the struggles Christianity has had for a couple of millennia is leadership. There is not a shortage of people willing to lead, but rather a shortage of people willing to lead like Jesus. Jesus emphasized over and over again that to be a leader in the Kingdom of God, one must be willing to be a servant of all. This is not how most people think of leadership!

Matthew 20:25-28Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave–  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The parable of the workers in the vineyard reflects the heart of God as opposed to the heart of humanity. The vineyard represents the world, some say the church or Kingdom of God, (the principles remain the same either way) and we are the workers in the vineyard. So, with that cleared up, why should the all-day workers be thankful instead of feeling cheated?

Why do people generally like rules in our religion? Because if we keep the rules we feel like we are validated in our faith. We feel like we are one the side of right. People will sacrifice a lot – be it money, or time, or even safety to go on a pilgrimage in order to feel like they are validated in their faith. It is the trust they put in the rules which gives them the feeling a validation. If the rules did not mean anything, then keeping them would not mean anything. For many people, placing trust in the effectiveness of the rules and meaning of the rules is what faith is to them.

Matthew 19:24-25Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

Why do people generally like rules in our religion? Because if we keep the rules we feel like we are validated in our faith. We feel like we are one the side of right. People will sacrifice a lot – be it money, or time, or even safety to go on a pilgrimage in order to feel like they are validated in their faith. It is the trust they put in the rules which gives them the feeling a validation. If the rules did not mean anything, then keeping them would not mean anything. For many people, placing trust in the effectiveness of the rules and meaning of the rules is what faith is to them.

Matthew 19:24-25

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"

Divorce and remarriage has been a topic of discussion for as long as humanity has had marriage. In the church it is an all too present fact which is the source of heartbreak, trauma, and sin. One unique aspect of divorce and remarriage is that it seems to be a place of perpetual sin. Is this the case? Where does grace and forgiveness fit in? Spoiler alert – grace and forgiveness needs to include another aspect, and that is the aspect of repentance.

Matthew 19:4-5  “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’  and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

The topic of divorce has impacted most people inside the church and outside the church. It is a very difficult and controversial topic within the church. If we are going to approach the subject with integrity we have to clearly understand what Jesus teaches about divorce and why? Next week we will ask a few questions which are commonly asked about divorce.

Matthew 19:4-6Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’  and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?  So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Forgiveness is one of the hardest issues we have to deal with as Christians. It is one of the few places where we are told we “get what we give”. That’s a scary thought! How can we be deeply forgiven unless we deeply forgive those who have sinned against us? What can motivate us to go deep into facing our own need for forgiveness?

Matthew 18:21-35 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”  22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.