Zion UMC

⁹ What do workers gain from their toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-14

Ecclesiastes means “preacher.” The author seems clearly to be King Solomon so the dating of this book is nearly one thousand years before the birth of Jesus. Solomon was granted the gift of wisdom by God but unfortunately he squandered a great percentage of such in the pursuit of earthly wisdom ad experiences rather than fellowship with God. The far reaching theme and message of this book is that life can become a search characterized as vanity (folly) if your focus is on the temporal and not the eternal.

The Biblical story reveals that it is God who gives work to mankind. Such is to be a fulfillment of life. The entrance of sin into the world transformed work into toil and produced a hardness to life that was not the original intention.

There are two striking characteristics in life that are revealed in the 3^rd chapter of this book. The first is that He “put eternity in the heart of man.” Within the heart, a combination of the soul and spirit, is the awareness that the soul of man is eternal. Who we are as individuals will never die. We therefore are spiritual beings confined at this moment in a physical body.

The second point speaks to a major issue of our day. Did we merely evolve from a lower form of life rather than being created by God as the ultimate of His creature genius as portrayed by the Bible? Prior to the age of Charles Darwin man looked at nature and saw God. Now we are told to look and only see chance. God says through Solomon that man can never figure this out. Its unfolding is by Biblical revelation only. God must tell us.

¹ LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

   You have set your glory
in the heavens.
² Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
³ When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them^]

 ⁵ You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their  feet:
⁷ all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
⁸ the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

 ⁹ LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8:1-9

The 8^th Psalm is a hymn of praise declaring God as the Creator of all including mankind. He has made man to be a little less than that of the heavenly beings. God has gifted him with both glory and honor and has created him in the very image of God. This image allows him to think and reason, give love and receive it and to glorify God. It is God’s desire to fellowship with man but only on His terms. This fellowship allows us to be in harmony with God despite the great disparity in our natures. Simply, God is Creator and we are the created. All of this is for the glory of God.

3^rd Scripture/ Blue Ribbon

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.   ²⁸ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Matthew 16:24-28

The revelation within the Old Testament prepares us for the coming of Jesus of Nazareth that we accept as God’s Messiah. It is our understanding that the Anointed One of God comes to deal with the aspect of sin that has marred God’s creation and mankind as well. The barrier between men and between man and God has been destroyed by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The benefit of the work of Jesus is claimed by accepting Him as the Savior of mankind. Faith in Jesus makes it possible for sinful man’s eternal soul to go into the presence of God in eternity. The options are only two. Following earthly life, we are either granted an eternal residence in the presence of God or denied such. The choice of which it will be must be made in this lifetime.

Jesus instructs all of us who desire to come unto Him to deny ourselves and to pick up our cross and follow Him. The understanding is quite clear. The cross picked up by Jesus led to His sacrifice of His life so that others could live eternally in the presence of God. Our cross is not likely to require our physical death but does require that we gift our lives to God and to neighbor. In keeping it we lose it, in giving it away we gain it, all for God’s glory. That is why we are here.

What Have You Done?

¹ King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. ² While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father^[a] had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. ³ So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

 ⁵ Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. ⁶ His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.

 ⁷ The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers^[b] and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

 Daniel 5:1-7

The scene is one of merriment at a party given by a pagan king, Belshazzar, 2^nd in command of the Babylonian Empire.

In a move perhaps born of pride, he calls for the golden goblets that had been taken years before from the Jewish Temple at Jerusalem. These goblets had been sanctified and therefore set aside for the worship of the God of the Hebrews. In view of this sacrilege, the figure of a human hand appeared and wrote on the wall “Mene, mene, tekel, parsin.”  None of the wise men of Babylon could interpret it, so Daniel, a captured Hebrew, rendered the interpretation. Simply it meant, “You have been weighed in the scales and have been found wanting.” God moves quickly by the power of the Persian army to conquer Babylon as an immediate judgment.

Despite the lack of Biblical knowledge in our day, “the hand-writing is on the wall” is spoken of frequently. It is a statement inferring judgment for past shortcomings or actions.

Another saying known by most everyone is “The Buck Stops Here” This motto or declaration sat on the desk of President Harry Truman in 1945 at the end of WWII.  Germany had been defeated but Japan showed no desire to surrender. President Truman gave the order to drop 2 Atomic Bombs on separate cities in Japan. The Japanese surrender quickly followed. Protestors over the years have uttered “What have you done?”  The carnage of atomic warfare stopped the war and prevented even a greater loss of life.

⁷ Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

   Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. ⁸ He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. ⁹ So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. ¹⁰ Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.

 ¹¹ “What have you done?” asked Samuel.

   Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, ¹² I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

1 Samuel 13:7b-12

Once the Children of Israel occupied the Promised Land they were unlike their neighbors since they had no king. They clamored for one and the Prophet Samuel anointed Saul as their King. He was both tall and shy and initially very humble. The shyness quickly evaporated and was replaced with pride and self-importance. The scripture from 1st Samuel finds Saul waiting impatiently on the arrival of the Prophet Samuel to ask God’s blessing on his military undertaking. Samuel’s delay prompts Saul to assume an office for which he is not qualified. He performs the duties of a prophet or a priest in the religious ritual of sacrifice. Samuel’s question is “What have you done?” As a result of his disobedience, the kingship is taken from him and given to David the son of Jesse who God identifies as a “man after his own heart.” Such a man or woman would seek the activity that God both requires and demands.

⁶ Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ For we live by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:6-10

Living by faith in the Christian life requires that you embrace two main characteristics of faith. One is salvific in nature and depends upon one’s complete reliance upon Jesus as the Savior from the consequences of sin. If you have confessed your sin, followed the difficult teachings of Jesus and such has caused you to love both God and neighbor, your sins were dealt with 2000 years ago on the bleeding, abused and dying body and soul of Jesus of Nazareth. His sacrifice is sufficient to free us from penalty of our sins. Sanctifying faith is learned in the experience of trusting God to lead us in this realm to prepare us for the next. As the result, we escape a personal judgment for sin and pursue fellowship with God to His glory.

The judgment seat of Christ of 2^nd Corinthians 5 is not for sin. Why? By seeking Jesus as Savior, following Him in obedience, and being transformed to love both God and neighbor, He has confirmed that we have accepted Him as such and know that our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

The question asked of the true followers of Christ is “What have you done?” with the spiritual gifts that Christ gave you when your soul was reborn in His image? Did you hide your gift or gifts in the ground or did you apply them for the glory of God? Your heavenly eternal reward is dependent upon “What have you done?” Failure in this opportunity does not condemn one to a separation from God for eternity. However it does lessen the reward for the follower of Jesus in the Kingdom of God.

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

 ³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

 ⁶ And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” ⁷ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

Genesis 1:1-8

So begins the compilation, the book, that we call the Bible. In actuality it is more than a simple book but is a combining of 66 separate books, composed by more than 40 different authors over a period of 1600 years. Whether you call me ‘Charles’, ‘Wender’, ‘Preacher’ or ‘Doctor’ you may be saying to yourself, “You have told us this before.” If you have this thought, you are absolutely correct. I want you to hear it enough so that you can recall this for it serves as a steady foundation from which to launch your faith in God.

Why is a foundation for your faith in God so important? It certainly is not an important topic for government, entertainment and education which may oppose such either actively or in a passive fashion. Very simply, peace in this life is dependent upon your relationship with God. What is imperative to discover is that we in truth are spiritual beings housed in a physical body and not vice versa. This concept turns the wisdom of the world upside down.

What is the first of concepts that we should be told about the Book of Genesis? Like all of the books of the Bible, they are spiritually inspired by God. Moses as the author for the first 5 books was not there when God “created the heavens and the earth” but he was inspired by God to provide the recording .Moses is responsible for the style but the message is God’s. Another way to look at this is that this is the recorded autobiography of God. Firmly grasp that Moses is not alone when he declares God to be Creator for the same theme extends throughout the length of this book. Many confirm God to be Creator based on spiritual inspiration. We, therefore, are challenged to march with Moses, King David, Jesus of Nazareth, Peter, Paul and others rather than Charles Darwin. Lines are clearly drawn in the sand. Both camps cannot be correct.

¹² “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

   ¹⁴ “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

   ¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

 ¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

 ¹⁸ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. ¹⁹ And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

 ²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

   Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

 ²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

 Revelation 22:12-21

The Bible closes with the Revelation of Jesus the Christ by the work of John. Note that Jesus says He “is coming soon.” 2000 years have passed since then and many say He is not returning. Those who make this statement are apt to be in the camp of Darwin assuring us that time is going nowhere. A little musing is appropriate at this point. Genesis is written with the author standing on earth and looking upward to God. The Revelation of Jesus is written from the view point of Christ looking from Heaven down to earth. “Soon” has a different understanding when viewed from Heaven. There are no clocks in eternity.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

 ¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

 ¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

   “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

 ¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

   Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

 ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

   She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

 ¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

 ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

John 20:11-18

 

Of all the events between the beginning and ending of the Bible, none rivals that of the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. It is from the lips of a woman, one who was previously mentally ill, that we hear the first post resurrection sermon. Its brevity is unexpected, “I have seen the Lord.” The tone for the whole of salvation is established. At the time of this writing, women were not allowed to enter testimony in a court of law. You would likewise assume that Mary of Magdala was not likely to be considered as a creditable witness based on her mental status before her liberation by Jesus. Why not choose the assembled Sanhedrin before whom Jesus was tried to first see Jesus? Wouldn’t their testimony have more weight that that of a previously unstable women? The answer is “no” and reveals a critical understanding concerning the Creating God.

The men of the Sanhedrin were confident in who they were. Without truly understanding who God is, they felt entitled to be acceptable to God.  They were rule keepers and public followers of ritual but their fellowship involved the mind only. They surely would have reasoned that Jesus was the Son of God. However, the impact on their souls would have been small. The issue of disobedience, sin against God, would not be resolved and the estrangement of man from God would have persisted.

Key is that we must understand that God is Creator of all, we have offended Him with our disobedience and we are powerless to do anything about it. As in the eyes of a powerful hymn of the church, we must “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”, confess our sins and seek mercy. So approached, God gifts the faith to believe that Jesus is Lord and salvation of the soul results. God requires the ‘all’ of us and not merely our intellects.