Worship Service – August 7, 2022

Scriptures:
Psalm 33:12-22 and Hebrews 11:1-3
Message Scripture; Luke 12:32-40
Message:
“The Future through Jesus’ eyes.”
Psalm 33:12-22
(12) Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord , the people he chose for his inheritance.
(13) From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind;
(14) from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-
(15) he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
(16) No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.
(17) A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.
(18) But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
(19) to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
(20) We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
(21) In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
(22) May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord , even as we put our hope in you.
Hebrews 11:1-3
(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.
(3) By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Luke 12:32-40
(32) “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. (33) Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near, and no moth destroys. (34) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (35) “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, (36) like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can immediately open the door for him. (37) It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. (38) It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. (39) But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. (40) You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
This is the word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
Do you ever feel like you spend your life waiting on other people to get ready? Or are you on the other side of this equation? Maybe you’re the one who can never be on time, and other people are constantly nagging you to hurry up.
Parents often see their lives as one long cycle of “hurry up and wait.”
I remember when our kids were still at home and Bonne would be constantly nagging them to get ready for school, because the bus would be there shortly.
Then the kids, who were, in their minds ready, would stand and watch for the school bus. Upon its arrival they would run out to board and almost every morning one of them would get to the door of the bus, turn around and head back to the house remembering they had forgot something. Leaving the bus driver waiting and a mother in fear of her child missing the bus.
Kids can be forgiven for not understanding the concept of “Get ready.” But it’s a lot harder to laugh it off when it happens to us adults. That’s basically what our gospel reading is about today.
In today’s reading from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples to carry on his work after his death. He’s been trying to help them to get ready and warn them not to miss the bus. But they, like my children, just don’t understand.
Last week we talked about having a foolish perspective on our lives. In “The Parable of the Rich Fool” (Luke 12:13-21). We talked about how we let greed control our lives because we too often forget that all our material wealth is just stuff.
We also learned that based on what the Bible says about foolishness, we could define a fool as someone who lives only for themselves and only for the moment. In these verses, Jesus is trying to remove our greed and worry by focusing our minds on the future that God has planned for us. In fact, the central message of Luke 12 can be summed up in verse 32.
So today I challenge every one of you to commit that verse to memory. Because if we really believed that one verse, it would change how we live our lives. It would change how we view the future. It would change our priorities and give us courage. But only if we see,The Future through Jesus’ eyes.”
So, before we read verse 32 again , let’s put it in context. Jesus’ ministry has become so popular that he and his disciples are being followed by a crowd of “many thousands” of people. The first verse of Luke 12 tells us that. The crowd is so rowdy that they are trampling each other. This would be the perfect moment for Jesus to perform a few miracles or a fire-breathing sermon. Anything to wow the crowd. But Jesus knows two things that his disciples don’t:
First, that popularity is not a measure of success in God’s eyes; obedience is.
And second, that he is on the way to Jerusalem and to his death on a cross.
So instead of impressing the crowd, Jesus addresses his disciples saying:
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Repeat after me. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Believe it! Memorize it! Share it!
Jesus knows that after his arrest and execution, his disciples will become religious outcasts and enemies of the state. Their lives will be in danger. And they will spend the rest of their lives facing persecution, beatings, imprisonment, and martyrdom as they spread Jesus’ message to the ends of the earth. So if they’re going to persevere through all this, they need to see, “The Future through Jesus’ Eyes”.
Imagine that for one day you could see your future through Jesus’ eyes. What would be different about it? What questions would it answer? One thing we know for sure, if we could see our future through Jesus’ eyes we would refuse to live in fear. We would, “wait in hope”, as a Psalmist wrote. Certain that, “ He is our help and our shield”,(Ps. 33:20). We would have the “faith”, the Hebrews writer wrote about. “Being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”(Heb. 11:1).
Consider this. I read a story about a computer glitch that affected a sports-betting site in Australia. Some customers on a website discovered that the site inadvertently was allowing fans to place bets on past horse races. What happens if you place a bet on a horse race that has already been won? You win a lot of money!
Instead of alerting the folks at the website to the glitch, these fans placed their bets and won some money. Most of these customers placed small bets just to test the system. Only one man placed a big enough bet to trigger an investigation by the website’s owners. What a temptation! He couldn’t lose! He already knew the outcomes of the races, so he had no fear of risking his money.
Jesus is telling his disciples here, “I already know the end of the story. I know the outcome of your race. He tells them, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” If we see, “The Future through Jesus Eyes”, we will have no fear of betting all we have and hopefully alerting others to the certainty that, God has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
If you were to read through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, you would see that almost every encounter with God, an angel of God, or Jesus begins with some variation of “Don’t be afraid!” It’s as common as you or I am beginning an encounter with the word “Hi!” That seems to be God’s favorite greeting: “Don’t be afraid!”
Jesus is telling the His Disciples and all Christians, that if we see, the future through His eyes, we need to “wait in hope”, to be sure of what we hope for, to stand firm in the faith that God is our Father, and we are chosen heirs to all the riches of God’s kingdom, as the psalmist wrote.
The riches of peace with God. Eternal life. The fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Treasures that will never wear out or fail. If you really believed this verse, it would change your life. So that’s the first thing Jesus is teaching us in this passage: if we could see our future through his eyes, we would refuse to live in fear.
The second thing Jesus is teaching us in this passage, is that when we see, “The Future through Jesus Eyes”, we will let go of the things that controls us. He says, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near, and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:33-34).
God cares passionately about the poor and needy. You can’t read through the Bible and miss that truth. So, giving what you have to provide for the needy is a Biblical mandate. But Jesus also came to set us free from the burdens and fears of this world. Once we’ve been set free, then we can focus our energies on creating God’s kingdom on this earth.
There is an old story about a court jester who was once given a magical wand, to keep him from foolish decisions by the nobleman he served. “Keep this,” said the nobleman, “until you find a greater fool than yourself.”
The jester put away the wand and kept it for many years. Never using it.
One day the nobleman lay dying. Calling the jester to his side he said, “I am going on a long journey.”
The jester asked, “Where to?”
The nobleman shrugged his shoulders. “For how long?” asked the jester.
“Forever,” replied the nobleman weakly.
“What provisions have you made for your journey?” asked the jester. “None,” answered the nobleman.
“Then,” said the jester, “Take this,” handing the nobleman his wand. “For you are a greater fool than I am.”
Who is the greater fool: the one who focuses his life on collecting and protecting stuff that will wear out, fail, and get eaten by moths? Or the one who spends his life sharing with Christ, the work of creating the kingdom of God on earth?
You may ask, how do we create the kingdom of God on earth? The last part of this passage tells us:
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.” (Luke 12:35-37)
The final thing Jesus is teaching us in this passage is that our service to others makes us ready. When we see “The Future though Jesus Eyes”, he comes to us and serves us, because “your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” When you serve the people around you with love and humility, you are dressed and ready, watching, waiting in hope and revealing your faith, and you’ll find that he’s serving you. That is the “Faith” the Hebrews writer wrote of: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
If you see, “The Future through Jesus’ eyes”, you are living out the purpose for which God made you. You will find yourself, believing that “your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
What would have to change in your life for you to be ready for service? What fears would you have to overcome? What priorities would you have to change? And what could God do through you if you let God use you without consulting you first? Yes, those are scary question. Jesus knew it would be. So remember his words that are as true for us today as they were for his disciples 2,000 years ago: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Amen?
In His Service,
Pastor Joe
Listen To Audio: Sermon 20220807
Listen To Audio: Service 08072022
Seldom do we know what God will ask of us each day. Many times, we are in the moment when we feel the nudging of God’s spirit to act.  As we spend time in His house today, may our souls be aligned with His, so that we may readily respond when He calls!  Come, let us worship God!
Call to Worship:L:  God calls us here today.
P:  We bring our full selves to God: our strengths and our weaknesses.
L:  God calls YOU here today.
P:  We offer all we are to God: our talents and our inadequacies.
L:  God calls every part of us to bring divine love and light into the world!
P:  We respond to that call, trusting that God is at work within us.Prayer of Confession:   God of Redemption, You call us to wash ourselves clean, so that our transgressions fall away.  May we cease doing evil, learn to do good, and seek justice.
You call us to rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow.  May we not forget these responsibilities you’ve set before us.  May we be obedient and willing followers, pleasing unto you.  Amen

 

God be with you ‘til we meet again, By His counsels guide, up-hold you, With His sheep securely fold you: God be with you ‘til we meet again

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Pastor Joe will be available at the church on Thursday Mornings from 9:00 to 11:00.  If you need to speak to him, contact Pastor Joe at 570-267-4570 (cell) or Email: joe.s.travis@gmail.com

Loose change goes to Local Mission.

Social Hour after Sunday Services TODAY.

Greeting cards for signature are in the Community Building.

Sunday School starts at 8:30am

Presbyterian Women will meet on Thursday, August 11th at 11 A.M.

Session will meet Wednesday, August 17, at 4:30

Men’s Breakfast Wednesday August 17th at 8:00

Newsletter deadline is Tuesday, August 30th.

We are looking for “Message in Music” for the summer months.

Ladies… You Are invited to our Advancing Watchwomen Retreat on September 16-18 at the Loft.  Cost $125.00.  Session has agreed to pay $60.00 toward fee for each lady.  Your Cost $65.00.  If someone doesn’t have the money, we have others who want to help out.  See Bonne.  Please Come and Be Blessed!  Fee includes 5 meals, 2 nights lodging (weather you stay overnight or not) 154 Rock Hill Road, Susquehanna, PA 18847 Bedding and towels not included.  Dress Casual.  Registration and Payment Due September 9th, 2022.

Choir members and those interested in joining, our first practice will be Thursday, September 1 at 1 o’clock at the church.  Please consider joining us in singing God’s praises!  We will begin singing during the church service on Sunday, October 2nd.

 

 

 

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