1. Good Morning. Let’s pray. O Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to You O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Before we reflect upon this morning’s Scripture readings I’d like to check to see if anyone remembers what TCC is all about?
Do you remember the very short version: To seek and find God all about us and then to reveal Him to others!
Talk briefly about this . . . .
Play the “Who Is God” YouTube video . . .
So this morning we’re going to reflect on the question “Who Is God?” and as we do this we’re all going to be given the opportunity to think again about this question and perhaps deepen our understanding of God – so let’s do it! . . .
2. Opening Comments: As I reflected on today‘s Scripture Readings what struck me was that these verses are answering or asking the fundamental question “Who Is God?”
I saw this in our First Reading from the Book of Isaiah when the LORD said to Shebna who was master of the palace that He, God, was going to thrust him from office and put Eliakim, son of Hiliiah, in his place and that He, God was going to establish his authority in Jerusalem.
Here we witness an answer to the fundamental question of “Who Is God?” - In this instance He is a God who enters history and sovereignly exercises His personal will. Who is God? Ah! He’s the King of the World! He rules over the world with absolute sovereignty!
In our Psalm reading the words that struck me beyond our repeated response, “Lord, your love is eternal: do not forsake the work of your hands” were the words, “When I called, you answered me; you build up strength within me.”
Who is God? Ah He’s a God who answers our prayers and builds us up! He’s a God who is interested in our Psyche – in our psychology – in our state of mind. He reaches down and restores not only our peace but our strength!
Let me read that Psalm to you once again but this time from the NIV – I think it’s full text will bless us all:
Psa. 138:1 ¶ I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
Psa. 138:2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
Psa. 138:3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.
Psa. 138:4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth.
Psa. 138:5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great.
Psa. 138:6 ¶ Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.
Psa. 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.
Psa. 138:8 The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.
This Psalm was originally sung by David! Can you hear his heart singing with love for His Great God? Could you ever imagine writing or even singing such a psalm of praise?
What sort of encounter with God would it take to prompt you to write and sing such a song – and then offer it for posterity to sing for the rest of eternity?
What sort of songs – psalms do you think David is singing to God right now???
Now please turn briefly with me to our Gospel reading for today – The Gospel of Matthew chapter 16 beginning at verse 13.
In this reading we hear Jesus ask his disciples who the people thought He was. Do you remember their responses: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” And then Jesus turned to His precious disciples and asked a very direct question:
“But who do you say that I am?”
And Peter’s responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Ah! Who is God? In this case - who is God incarnate – God enfleshed – God the Son! Who is He? Ah! He’s the Christ – the Savior of the World, the Son of the living God.”
Not the dead God, or distant God or “sometime here and sometimes not” God!
He’s the living God!
Is God alive to you? What do I mean by that?
Turn to one of the women of the congregation and say – “Your husband is ‘living’ – is that correct? Yes???”
Absolutely! He’s alive! How do you know?
Explore what ‘living’ really means!
Is God that real to you? (Really dig down on this one). We spend time with someone who is alive to us. And when we forget them we’re a bit ashamed for to love someone is never to ignore them or think of them as not there – not alive to you . . . .
Is He alive to you or is He what? Not alive – what’s another word for that? . . . dead, lifeless, absent, not responsive, vacant, uncaring, unsympathetic, distant and so on!
But now please turn with me to our Second Reading from the Book of Romans chapter 11 beginning at verse 33.
Here we have one of the quintessential answers to who God is. In these verses we will hear the brilliant mind and surrendered heart of St. Paul trying to grasp in words how great –how magnificent our God really is.
As I read these words you may want to close your eyes and allow your own heart and mind to apprehend some of what St. Paul is describing:
First from the NIV:
Rom. 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
And now from the Message: the Paraphrase by Eugene Peterson:
Rom. 11:33 ¶ Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. 34 Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? 35 Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice?
· 36 ¶ Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Have you ever told God what to do?
Let me ask that question another way: Have you ever decided what you want and asked God to get it for you?
· Like a job promotion
· Money for a vacation
· Favor with a fellow worker-with a supervisor
· Favor with your husband or wife
· Change in your spouse
· Change in your son and daughter
Are any of us smart enough to tell God what to do?
Yet we do it all of the time don’t we? Consciously or sub-consciously perhaps.
I wonder if any of us are willing to admit that God has disappointed us?
We’ve asked for something – not for us but for someone else – a healing, a job, an answer to a plaguing unresolved question in our lives.
But God hasn’t answered so we’ve started to ignore Him – we’ve begun to suspect – even believe – that God is not really there for us.
Heck if there is a God he’s far away: more interested in more interesting people than me – smarter, more involved in big issues – I’m nothing to God – just one of the multitude!
Or maybe we’ve asked God for help and He hasn’t come through with the goods.
So what’s the use of a God who doesn’t come through with the goods?
Ah! Let me quote St. Paul once again:
34 Is there . . . Anyone smart enough to tell God what to do? 35 Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice?
· 36 ¶ Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Or in the words of the New International Bible:
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
So often – probably most often – you and I presume to know what’s best for us and others and so we ask God to do it!
But He doesn’t do anything!
So what’s the natural human response to that?
Forget you God – I’ll do it myself thank you very much!
And so we ‘play God’ in our lives or worse still in the lives of others!
If we’re charismatic – we “claim a blessing!”
If we’re evangelical – we claim a scripture principle and thrust it into the hands of others and with great solemnity and arrogance challenge them to “stand on it to!”
God wrote it and stands behind it! You can claim it and it will happen!
There’s no mystery here – just believe- have faith and stand on His promises!
Good advice . . . if you have a humble and trusting heart but if, like most of us, you want God to baptize that you want – you’re “stand on the promise of God” is more like a DEMAND and less like humble faith!
Look this is who God is:
· 36 ¶ Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Or put perhaps a little more elegantly:
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
As St. Luke so eloquently put it – we live and more and have our very being in Him!” (Acts 17:28)
Listen to the great Prophet Isaiah:
Is. 46:9 … I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
In my Bible I have written in these words after “I am God” AND YOU ARE NOT!
It seems obvious and an unnecessary addition but I found it essential to write this in:
“ AND YOU ARE NOT!”
Why is this an absolutely essential statement for all of us?
Because our egos – our inner being that wants to play God is ever seeking to usurp God!
We want to play God in our lives and in the lives of others don’t we?
Now perhaps you’re not relating to what I’m saying. Perhaps you have never been revealed with your own inner desire to play God!
To you I say – “Wake up” - PWhere have you been? Where is your God given gift of introspection – the ability to listen to yourself as if from a distance?
To look up and listen to yourself – your own inner chatter – chatter which inexorably tries to play God not only in your life but also unfortunately in the lives of your spouse, your children, your Priest, your friends and even your enemies.
Look – you and I are made in the image of God. Amongst many other things this means that we have the magnificent capacity to act responsibly – to act from ourselves with either good or less than good intentions.
This last few days I was in Denver. I’m on a committee seeking a new CEO for the Waterstone Foundation and two of the people present had attended a recent conference put on by Willow Creek Church and one of the preachers had blessed both of them. This preacher – wise man – had argued that there are 3 types of people in this world: The wise, the foolish and the evil!”
I think he’s right – my friends certainly did – I would only add that most of us are swinging between the wise and the foolish and perhaps the evil.
So were do you want to spend your time between now and “heart stop day?” The evil isn’t an option for a Christian so if you choose that you’d better not keep on coming to Church because sooner or later one or more of us are going to sniff you out!
So we’re left with being a fool or a holy wise man or woman!
Who do YOU want to BE?
Ah! Did anyone see what I just did?
I changed the focus from “Who is God?” to “Who are You and I?”
You see, I’m convinced that we human beings know that there is a God and have chosen one of three options:
To let Him be God and to love, honor and seek to obey Him!
Or we’ve tried, unsuccessfully I might add, to convert Him to our plan, our opinions etc for us and those around us . . .
Or we’ve either recognized that there is a God and rejected Him and chosen against Him or we’ve simply ignored Him altogether!
So – the other and perhaps equally important question is this, “Who are you?” and I want to add here, “most of the time?”
Who are you and I . . . most of the time?
