May 4, 2014
Stetson Memorial United Methodist
Church
Sermon
Series on “The Names of God”
Sermon
17 of series-
“The
Sacred Names of God: El Kanna”
Exodus
34:10-14 NIV Bible
Deuteronomy
4:23-24 NIV Bible
1
John 3:1-7 Common English Bible
Spangler,
Ann: Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide
Let
us pray… (Pray for God to illuminate His word and that we would have the open
eyes, hearts and minds to conceive and receive it)
A reading from Deuteronomy chapter
4 verses 23-24…listen for a Word from God to you and me the people of God…
23 Be careful not to forget the
covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves
an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. 24 For the
Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Have you ever been jealous about
anything? Maybe someone who seems to have it all or someone who seems to get
all the breaks in life…good breaks that is. Maybe someone who got that big
promotion instead of you…even though you know you are more qualified than they
are. Having 3 daughters has been interesting…especially when the “green eyed
monster” decides to make a visit. Either someone is able to stay up later than
someone else…maybe someone gets something and the others didn’t…someone seems
to get all/more of mom’s or dad’s attention… The list can go on. Three have
even been time when I have felt jealous regarding my children. Times when they
spent more time at a friend’s house with their mom…they come home and tell me how
cool this mom is or that mom is…stuff like that. Things that make me feel they
are happier with other people than with me. I can kind of understand how God
must feel when we decide that we “like other things better than Him…when we put
the god’s of the word before Him.”
Scripture compares God’s jealousy to
what a husband feels when his wife has been unfaithful. No wonder the first of
the Ten Commandments prohibits the worship of other gods. The Lord is our
Jealous God…El Kanna, who cannot
endure unfaithfulness.
Shakespeare
described jealousy as a “green-eyed monster.” Mark Twain called it the
“trademark of small minds.” Robert Heinlein labeled it a “symptom of neurotic
insecurity.” But these are descriptions of human jealousy will only confuse you if you
try to apply them to God, whose jealousy might better be described by the words
of the English poet Joseph Addison: “Jealousy is that pain which a man feels
from the apprehension that he is not equally beloved by the person whom he
entirely loves.” This is the kind of jealousy that impels God to pursue us,
despite our evasions, our indifference, or our waywardness.
We are so
wayward at times why would our God be Jealous for us? Why would He pursue us
and bring us back? Because we are His children…as I said I have been jealous at times when my girls have talked highly
about other mothers to me. How must God feel when His children go to idols and
forget about Him? 1 John 3:1-7 tells us what it means to be a child of
God…let me read it from the Common English bible for you…
See what kind of love the Father has given to us in
that we should be called God’s children, and that is what we are! Because the
world didn’t recognize him, it doesn’t recognize us.
Dear friends, now we are God’s children, and it
hasn’t yet appeared what we will be. We know that when he appears we will be
like him because we’ll see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him
purifies himself even as he is pure. Every person who practices sin commits an
act of rebellion, and sin is rebellion. You know that he appeared to take away
sins, and there is no sin in him. Every person who remains in relationship to
him does not sin. Any person who sins has not seen him or known him. Little
children, make sure no one deceives you. The person who practices righteousness
is righteous, in the same way that Jesus is righteous.
What does it
mean to be children of God…are there thing that are our responsibility as
children of God…:
a.
God Loves us (vs.
1)® He calls us His children. We are considered children
and co-heirs with Christ. We are adopted into the family of God through the
blood of Lord Jesus Christ. How do we know this? Because of the Cross and the
Resurrection of Jesus…because God’s Word tells us…because of faith and because
of the witness of the Holy Spirit within us. Pure undeserved grace given to us from God
b.
We are to be
like him (vs. 2)® since we are children of God we will be like Him
because we will see Him as He is. We have this hope in our hearts and we purify
ourselves by the renewing of our hearts. We renew ourselves by the living word
of God and having a relationship with Him and our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. As
we become more in the image of Christ we become more like who God has called us
to be.
c.
We are not to
sin (vs. 6)® Now there are some that believe since they are
under grace they can do whatever they want and God will forgive them because
they are “a child of God.” This is partly true as in God does forgive us but we
are called to remain in our relationship with God and not sin. If we keep
sinning and not even trying in this relationship have we truly seen God…do we
really know Him and His plan for our lives?
Real faith
arises from contact with the living God, who by his own definition is jealous
for our attention, our devotion, our love. He’s not interested in competing
with other deities. He neither shares his glory nor compromises his holiness.
This is our Jealous God, the one who loves us with an everlasting,
all-consuming love.
So…how are we
doing as we try to become the likeness of Christ? Are we causing Dad to be
jealous or are we giving Dad our attention? Are we are looking up to our Big
Brother, wanting to be just like Him or are we going our own way? Are we
striving to be more like Him each day? We have a jealous God that loves us with
a passion. We have a God who will not put up with our putting other gods before
Him…the god of money…the god of
possessions…the god of envy…the list deities goes on. How will you respond
to the call to new life of being the mirror image of our Brother and Savior,
Jesus Christ? Will you lay aside the deities of the world and follow the One
true God? The choice is ours to make. Which will you choose?
Let
us pray… (Pray to El Kanna)
Lord,
you are holy beyond my understanding, perfect in a way I cannot perceive. Help
me to catch a glimpse of your glory and to grow more zealous for your name,
that I might exalt it by the way I live and the way I love. Send your refining
fire to heal and purge my heart and send your all-consuming love to lead me
home.
(Spangler, Ann
(2008-09-09). Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide (p. 122). Zondervan.
Kindle Edition.)
AMEN!
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