2019 March 31 - Sermon on joy
Joshua 5:9-12 New International Version (NIV)
9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.
10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.
Luke 15:11-32 New International Version (NIV) The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Hymns:
1. Chorus - Rejoice in the Lord always
2. 655 - Give me oil in my lamp
3. 78 - This is the day that the Lord has made
4. 651 - Guide me O thou great Redeemer
5. 376 - Shine Jesus shine (Lord the light of your love is shining)
Good morning. Let us pray. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be acceptable to You, O Christ, our Strength and our Redeemer, amen.
1. Both readings teach us to return to God.
a. In the book of Joshua, the safe arrival in Canaan meant that the disgrace associated with Israel’s slavery in Egypt had been undone. They became truly free people. It was not escaping Egypt that made them free; it was their renewed relationship with God. Moses had to deal with a lot of grumbling during those forty years. The nation turned away from God several times, and each time Moses had to bring them back. However, Moses was not alone. The Spirit of God was with him, guiding him and, by extension, all of Israel. The Spirit taught them how to worship God, how to manage their daily lives, and how to ask forgiveness. In short, the Spirit created a relationship between Israel and their God.
b. In the parable of the prodigal son, when the son returns to the father, the disgrace associated with his slavery is also undone. He was a truly free man. Being wealthy did not transform the son into a free man; returning to his father and receiving forgiveness set him free. There is another son in this parable: the obedient boy who had stayed with his father all that time. In this parable, both sons have a broken relationship with their father. The first, because he wasted his inheritance. The second, because he envied the relationship his worthless brother had with his father. In other words, the obedient son was guilty of hubris, which is arrogant pride. This caused a division between the father and the obedient son, who refuses to share his family’s joy because he is jealous and angry. The father attempts reconciliation, saying that they are celebrating because the prodigal son returned. We do not know what happened next. Did the obedient son let go of his pride? Did he continue being stubbornly self-righteous? Either way, the parable teaches us to share God’s joy when a sinner comes to their senses and returns to God.
c. In our daily lives, when we return to Jesus, the disgrace associated with our sin is undone. We are truly free. Doing whatever we want does not make us free people; believing in Jesus and serving others is true freedom. In this modern world, we value personal freedom very highly. One good thing that has come out of this are the numerous laws enforcing human rights like never before in history. Under the law, people across the world are freer than the last generation. Unfortunately, many people associate freedom with material things. We are not free when we have power, position and prestige. We are free when we love one another. Looking after each other gives us joy.
2. Both readings teach us that the things of this world are temporary, but the Kingdom of God is eternal.
a. In the book of Joshua, the Manna was only a stopgap measure, designed to end after forty years. When the nation of Israel settled permanently in Canaan, the Promised Land, God forgave their sins. This act foreshadows the establishment of God’s Kingdom in this world. It hasn’t happened yet, but one day it will. Unlike the kingdoms of this world, God’s Kingdom will last forever.
b. In the parable of the prodigal son, the wealth he received from his parent was only a stopgap measure until he could generate his own, and to make matters worse, the son squandered all of it. The son returns to the father who forgives him, then there is celebration. There is joy.
c. In our daily lives, our property is a stopgap measure, designed to end when we leave this world. That is why we must look for eternal things. We can carry faith, hope and love with us into the next world. This is possible through Christ. We invest all our faith and hope in Him, and He teaches us to love one another. Christ is the foundation of God’s Kingdom.
3. Both readings teach us that God always fulfils His promises.
a. In the book of Joshua, Israel entering Canaan was a partial fulfillment of the covenant God gave Moses, known as the Mosaic Covenant. God would continue fulfilling that covenant until the Israelites became a kingdom of priests. His relationship with Israel would continue, making new covenants as time passed, and He would fulfil each one of them.
b. In the parable of the prodigal son, when the father gives the son his share of the property, it symbolised God’s covenants throughout the ages with Israel. It was a promise of love. That love did not end because the son squandered the inheritance. Instead, that love continued when the son returned to the father. The love continued because the father never stopped loving the son. At the beginning of the story, giving the boy his share of wealth was merely a small expression of that love. The promise of love endures all things.
c. In our daily lives, God already loves us. He has already made us numerous promises, and Jesus Christ our Lord embodies every single one of them. We do not have to be ‘good enough’ to inherit God’s Kingdom; in fact, we can never be good enough. Through His obedience on the cross, only Jesus is good enough. We rely on Him for everything. He is the one who removes our sin, whose blood washes us clean, whose power raises us up to the Kingdom. We must believe in Him, and if we do, God will fulfil every promise ever made to us. Jesus is the source of our joy.
Finally, what is joy? I am not speaking of happiness. Happiness is fleeting, both literally and figuratively. One moment you’re up, the next you’re down. I am speaking of unshakable joy that no worldly circumstance can take away from you. This unshakable joy is rooted in Christ. Jesus has done many things for us:
1. Christ took on human flesh and lived among us.
2. Jesus willingly gave His life on the cross for our sins.
3. All creation will recognise Jesus Christ as Lord.
4. Jesus made us citizens of His heavenly kingdom.
5. Christ will return for His people.
6. God will usher in a new heaven and new earth for us to dwell in.
As the hymn says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of Earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” Jesus has already overcome the world, but today He invites us to participate in the redemption of this world. Love’s redeeming work is done; Jesus finished the work God the Father gave Him to do. We are not the ones who offer the world salvation. What we do in this world to help the needy, the unwanted and the unloved, we do out of gratitude for Christ, who lives in them. He will save His people whether we love them or not. Remember the obedient son from the parable of the prodigal son, who was jealous that the father chose to forgive the prodigal son. Jesus is the one who chooses to save others, not us. We are merely workers in the vineyard; as a church, we are here to cater to physical and mental needs. Christ alone offers spiritual redemption. We just point others toward Him. Everyone must have a personal relationship with Christ. He dwells within us.
The grace of God is His undeserved and unconditional love for us, which stems from the heart of God: Jesus Christ. Like the prodigal son, we celebrate with joy in this house because of that grace. God invites everyone, even proud people like the obedient son, to join in this joyous celebration. Let us work in this world to bring everyone into this joyous celebration of life with the love of God within us.
So let us find our joy in Him. He will never disappoint us, because unlike our circumstances, Jesus Christ never changes. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. Amen. Let us pray. Lord, You are the source of our faith, hope and love. Teach us how to love one another, that our joy may be full. Amen.