Sermons

Introduction:

Our God is not only the Creator of the whole universe and each of us, but He is my Shepherd. The blessings we receive as His sheep include Comfort, Protection, and Guidance. The responsibility we have is to follow Him and share those blessings with others.

The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 91:

¹He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High 
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 
² I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge 
and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." 

We come this morning to worship the Most High, our Almighty God. We come to bring praises and glory to our one and only true refuge, our fortress. We come, as with every Sunday morning, to express our gratitude and faith in our God. 

As the worship team and I thought about this day, we all agreed we needed to address the disasters that happened on Tuesday in New York and Washington D.C. The tragic losses of life in both locales touch us deeply not only as Americans, but as human beings. And as human beings we come before our Creator seeking his Comfort, Protection, Guidance, wisdom, and mercy.

Let us bow our heads and pray to our God together:

Our Heavenly Father, the Lord Almighty, we come to You with a desire to worship You with all of our heart. We come by faith. We pray desiring that Your will be done in our world, country, and hearts.
We come not fully understanding what has happened in our country this past week. And yet because we are limited and finite, we come to you our Creator at this time. As the writer of Hebrews says,

Heb 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

…we come to your throne for your mercy and grace not only for our needs, but the needs of our country and the individuals so deeply affected by the disasters. It is in times like these we recognize more than ever before that You are the only one who can truly help us.

May You bless this time of prayer and worship, in Your Son's Name, Amen.

Theme: Comfort
The images we have seen this past week may be burned in our memories for the rest of our lives. Some headlines read, "Nightmare." Others have called the events "surreal" or dreamlike. On Friday President Bush called on the nation to observe a day of Prayer and Remembrance. Many tears were shed. I found my eyes still welling up with tears listening to the service held at the National Cathedral in Washington.

Whenever I think of how the pictures I see are not Hollywood movies or computer games, I am struck with a deep sadness and sorrow. I mourn the losses of people I never knew personally, but people God loved dearly.

When I hear of one company, which lost 700 of 1000 of their employees, I mourn. When we hear of family members calling their loved ones, trapped at the top of the building or in an airliner, I mourn. When I think of the families who lost sons, daughters, moms, dads, brothers and sisters, I mourn.

Jesus, in the beatitudes, taught His disciples, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4) This mourning is an intense heart crushing sorrow, but it is fundamentally a deep sorrow over the wickedness and sin in the world that brings terror, slavery, and oppression. When we mourn, we see how imperfect the world has become since Adam and Eve's fall. We observe how broken lives break other lives.

When Herod ordered the deaths of all boys under two to try to kill Jesus, the tragedy caused Matthew to reflect on the prophet Jeremiah 2:17

Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." 

But that Son Who escaped, Jesus the Christ, would bring comfort. It was Jesus who fulfilled the prophecy of the Isaiah from chapter 61:1-2

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me 
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives 
and release from darkness for the prisoners, 
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor 
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn…

And Paul would remind us that God is the God of all comfort:

2 Cor 1:3-5
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

We will continue with songs and a special time of prayer for the situations in New York and Washington D.C. As we do, let us be comforted by our God. And let us seek, through, our prayers, God's comfort for those in need.

Theme: Protection
This week we have been reminded of many tragedies of the recent past. These can bring us despair that nowhere is safe, or drive us to a God in whom we can find our security.
We thought of Columbine where we wondered if our students and children are safe at school;
We thought of the Oklahoma City Bombings where America's heartland was not immune to terrorism;
And We wondered how the symbols of American Freedom and Might and the secure way of life we have come to know was shattered in a day.

An ABC news poll said that 87% of Americans express worry that another attack could happen-a good number believing it could now happen to them. That same morning Lori faced a car coming head on to hers as she drove Lydia to school. She had all three children with her. That car swerved at the very last second. Our life is that frail, that insecure.

Ron Wilson, the SFO spokeperson, said, "If a person is intent on doing evil, he or she will find a way. We will do our best to stop it." All week I heard that nowhere is 100% safe or secure.

Physical security was not the only security stripped away. In the face of death, any worldly security is weak and meaningless. In the face of our mortality, security in our jobs, our academic careers, our finances, and our skills are useless.

Recently Nightline re-aired interviews with a Professor Morrie Schwartz who was in 1995 dying of Lou Gehrig's disease. His reflection on life and death has impressed me over the past few days. He said that maybe the divide between life and death is not as far as we think it is. In America the mindset is to deny that death is going to come, and to put it off. But maybe instead of being a deep chasm, the distance from life and death is just a short bridge to cross over. 

This week we watched in horror as thousands of victims crossed that bridge from life to death. And the horrific scenes reminded us that we too are not as far from the other side as we once thought or wanted to believe.

But our safety and security ultimately rests not in the things of man, but in the person of God. Our LORD is a Shepherd to us just as we are His sheep. Just as sheep have to trust their Shepherd with their very life and livelihood, we are reminded of that same relationship with our LORD.

Sheep in Palestine would be led to the high mountain meadows in the summer. The good shepherd would know the route to take them. There would be no other way but through the mountainside valleys. And when Autumn came, the sheep would be pushed back down to the lower elevations. They would once again need to come through the valleys.

David, a shepherd before he was a king, wrote the famous psalm 23. Let's read it together…

Psalm 23 
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, 
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness 
for his name's sake. 
4 Even though I walk 
through the valley of the shadow of death, 
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. 

5 You prepare a table before me 
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. 
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me 
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD 
forever.

David understood the treks to the high country would bring much peril and danger: rivers in flood, rockslides, avalanches, predators like wolves that would raid the flock, or weather elements like sleet and hail (Keller, 83). The Shepherd would risk his own safety along the way to make sure the sheep could get to the higher pastures. He took them through the valleys because they would provide the best route, forage, and water.

The Valley David talks about in verse 4 is the "Valley of the Shadow of Death." This valley is the darkest, most feared valley as the walls of the ravines would block out much of the light (Keil & Delitsch). As the "LORD my Shepherd" takes us to the higher ground of our faith, we too will walk through the most feared and scariest of places and adversities in life. It is in these valleys our God teaches us to depend on Him. Phillip Keller says in A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23: 

Somehow, in a serene quiet way I am assured all will turn out well for my best because He is with me in the valley and things are under His control…Knowing Him in this new and intimate manner makes life much more bearable than before" (85).

But our Lord Himself has walked the path of suffering, for this path went through the Cross. And He is with us in these valleys full of potential for evil.

Along the path to higher spiritual ground, He comforts us with His rod and staff-with the means available to Him to protect, guide, and discipline us. In Him we can find our security in the midst of evil, in the midst of uncertainty, and in the midst of suffering.

When we understand that God will be with us through the suffering, and not above or below it. Then, we can say with confidence,

Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble. 
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way 
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 
3 though its waters roar and foam 
and the mountains quake with their surging.

We can be safe in the care of our Great Shepherd even in the face of death. For even in death, our dwelling is in the house of the LORD forever.

Theme: Repentance
This weekend the nation is trying to ramp back up to normal, but it hardly feels like normal. There are no football, baseball, soccer, hockey or other professional sports being played. Airports are still getting back to a regular schedule. Leaders and commentators across the country have called on the nation to take the time to both mourn and reflect. Some have called it a time of soul-searching.

During this time of soul-searching, we cannot help but think about our priorities, our beliefs, our values, and our lifestyle. Our own brothers and sisters have talked about how they now see the value of reconciling with family members and co-workers, of putting aside their differences with people, of cherishing their family, of building up their faith in Christ, and of sharing Christ's message of Hope to the world. We must not less this moment to reflect on our lives pass by.

Billy Graham, in his address to the National Prayer and Remembrance service on Friday, spoke about how people getting on those airplanes and going to their offices had no idea their lives would end that Tuesday morning, September 11th. We can go through our days and weeks without a second thought about how truly precious each moment and breath God has given us. Last second cell phone calls cannot make up for missed opportunities to prioritize, care, love, sacrifice, and serve. We expect September 17th, 18th, and 19th to come, but there are no guarantees.

I would like to share a reflection to the week's tragedies. It is a first reaction, written on Tuesday afternoon by a Christian brother:

We felt that we have been shaken out of our complacency. We were complacent that tomorrow will come, that I will have a job, that we will see our (church) friends every week, that our kids will grow up and have kids of their own, that we
will retire in comfort, that we will die a natural death... However, as we have all seen, really none of these is guaranteed.

We have concluded that we truly need to give thanks to God each day merely for the fact that we are alive. More than that, we need to "seize the moment" to do
what is important. So what is important to us? I will quote the pastor who married us. He said "There are three things that are important as they last forever: God, His Word, and His people."

James 4:13-16
¹³ Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." ¹⁶ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Lori's first reaction to the tragedies was to be humbled and repent. Repentance is simply changing direction-usually a U-turn or an about face. Changing the direction of our life takes humility. Today, and in the coming days of our reflection and soul-searching, we can take opportunities to humble ourselves and make U-turns in our life.

1. If we have felt that we wanted to know God, but other activities always taken priority, we can open ourselves to Him.

2. If we have wanted to become more giving and helpful, but have been caught in our own world, we can begin to come out.

3. If we have desired to share God's love through supporting and caring for those around you, Christian or not, then today is the day to begin.

Or perhaps God will guide us along other paths I have not mentioned-but it will be a new path, a new way He will show you and I. Next week I will specifically address how we can be a blessing to others. 

Conclusion:
I would like to close with a passage from 1 Peter 3:8-15

⁸ Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. ⁹ Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. ¹⁰ For, 

"Whoever would love life 
and see good days 
must keep his tongue from evil 
and his lips from deceitful speech. 
¹¹ He must turn from evil and do good; 
he must seek peace and pursue it. 
¹² For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous 
and his ears are attentive to their prayer, 
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." 

¹³ Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 

As bad as the terrorists have been, let's counter by being and doing good. In and through us, may God bless the peoples of America with spiritual renewal and blessings.

Prayer:
Our God and Father, we have come to you today seeking your Comfort in a time of Mourning, seeking your Security in a time of Uncertainty, and seeking your Guidance in a time of Repentance. May you not only give us knowledge as to how to live, but the wisdom to live as Your followers. 

We pray that Your work in our hearts will become a testimony to the world. We desire what you desire, that all the peoples of the earth come near to You and Follow You.

Even in the midst of suffering, you bring blessing. You will turn our mourning into dancing for the war against evil and sin has been won on the Cross of Christ. Our Hope is in His return, in the Christ bringing the world under His rule, and in our eternal, peaceful dwelling in Your restored Kingdom. Until then, our dear Father, we cry, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. Amen. (2 Thess 3:16)

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