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1 Peter 1:3-9 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

It is customary at services in which we honour loved ones to share a text of scripture and meditate on its words. Christians believe that the Bible is the word of God, and that it can help us when we go through times like this. When I thought of Margaret, I was drawn to this text from 1 Peter 1. I’m not sure why. I think it is because in this text Peter encourages believers to stay true to their faith for a long time when that faith would be tested. I can imagine that Margaret experienced many times during her 91 years that challenged her faith in Christ. She persevered and finished well. She had been born again to a living hope.

A Hope in God

Margaret was not always in total control of the things that happened to her in this life. She did not always hold the reins. But that’s alright. God held the reigns. The phrase that reminds me of that fact appears in verse 5: “by God’s power.” It is a fearful thing for most of us to be dependent – to rely on someone else, or to rely on circumstances to dictate where we will be, what we will do. It takes a very special kind of person to submit to God’s will and let him hold the reins – to let him call the shots. Margaret was that kind of person.

At some point in her life she responded to God’s call for her to surrender her will to his. When that happened, God “caused her to be born again” (3). God’s power drew her to himself, and God’s power caused her to be reconciled to him. God’s power began to sanctify her so that she would conform to the image of Christ. And God’s power gave her a new hope.

A Tested Hope

Over the years, the genuineness of Margaret’s faith has been tested by the circumstances God has allowed to come into her life. It happens to all of us. In verses 6-7 of this text, Peter talks about the Christians who have been grieved by various trials. He says that that happens “so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Margaret’s faith and her hope are precious things. They are more important to God than anything she ever owned, and more precious to him than anything she ever did. Yet God did allow the fire to come into her life. Just like gold is purified under fire, so Margaret’s hope was tested. It survived the fire. Margaret loved the LORD, and testified that she was thankful for the life he gave her. She came through the times of testing and proved more precious than gold.

In fact, it was some of those things that Margaret did not expect that she learned to appreciate all the more. It sometimes works out that way. The Bible says that “all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28 NET). You all probably know that my wife and I are here in New Zealand because David Burge – the pastor of this church – was stricken with Leukemia, and died in July. When we found out that David was sick, we wanted to come and help for his sake. God did not choose to heal David. But out of that tragedy, God did choose to give us the joy of getting to know the members of this church. Befriending Margaret and others like her is one reason that we will remember this time here with gratitude.

A Living Hope

The hope of a Christian is also described as a living hope (3). When we read the word hope in scripture, it rarely means something that you wish to happen. You might say, “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow” or “I hope to win LOTTO.” But when the Bible uses the word hope, it means something more substantial than just wishful thinking. For example, the Bible calls God “the hope of all the ends of the earth” (Psalm 65:5) and “the hope of Israel” (Jer. 7:13; Acts 28:20).

Usually the Bible uses the word hope to describe the destiny of the believer. When the apostle Paul was on trial before the Sanhedrin, he said it was because his hope was in the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6). He prayed that the Ephesians’ hearts would be enlightened so that they would know what the hope was to which they had been called (Eph. 1:18).

Christians have a destiny. It is that destiny which Paul calls the hope that is laid up for us in heaven (Col. 1:5). Peter calls it an inheritance that is kept in heaven for us (1 Pet. 1:4). Jesus will bring this inheritance back with him when he comes back to earth. That’s why Peter called it a “salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:5). When Christ comes back, the people who are going to matter are not the rich, the powerful, or the famous. The people who are going to matter then are those like Margaret, whose genuine faith is going to result in praise and glory and honour (1 Pet. 1:7).

Margaret’s Hope Can Be Ours

So, Margaret lies before us today as a challenge. She dares us to have the same hope that she had. She has fought the good fight, she has finished the race, and she has kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for her the hope, the destiny, the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to her on that Day, and not only to her but also to all who have loved his appearing ( 2 Tim. 4:7-8). Margaret’s hope can be our hope.

So, I am going to ask you to do something that Margaret did years ago, and it made an eternal difference in her life. I am going to ask you to give your life to Jesus Christ. If you want the hope that Margaret had, you will find it in Jesus. If you want the ability to turn the trials of your life into something more precious than gold, come to Jesus. If you want the joy that Margaret is going to experience when she hears her Saviour call her name, come to Jesus. If you want the crown of righteousness like the one custom fitted for Margaret, do as she did: surrender your heart to the king of kings.

Are you tired of carrying life’s burdens? Jesus said “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28 NLT). Are you spiritually thirsty? Jesus said “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37 NIV). Are you afraid to be a Christian because you might fail? Jesus said “the one who comes to me I will never send away” (John 6:37 NET). Margaret found the peace that you may be looking for. She was born again to a living hope. Because Jesus lives, she also will live. Because Jesus lives, her life matters.

It is fitting that we honour Margaret today. She was a wonderful lady, and we will all miss her. It is fitting also that we carry fond memories of Margaret into the rest of our lives. One of the things that I will remember is how Margaret reacted when she learned that she might not recover from the consequences of her recent accident. She was thankful for the life that the LORD had given her. She was ready if it was her time. It was her time. I am thankful for having met this beautiful, courageous lady.

 

Amos 6:1-8 ESV

“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes! 2 Pass over to Calneh, and see, and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory, 3 O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence? 4 “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, 5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, 6 who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! 7 Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.” 8 The Lord GOD has sworn by himself, declares the LORD, the God of hosts: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds, and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.”

One of the functions of the prophets is to help the people see how they actually look to God. It is so easy for us to compare ourselves to others. We tend to defend our actions, while at the same time we might criticize others who are doing the same things. We also tend to defend our inaction – our lack of activity. We go on, business as usual until some catastrophe happens – and hopefully God can use it to get our attention. In Amos’ day, Israel had been hit by an earthquake. Amos tried to get his audience to see that even worse things were yet to come.

Amos prophesied during the reigns of king Uzziah of Judah and king Jeroboam II of Israel. That dates his ministry between 767-753 B.C.

 

 

 

Amos had been a shepherd and he also tended an orchard in the Southern kingdom. At some point in his life, he was called into the prophetic ministry, and sent to the Northern kingdom. His first prophecies were about the doom of the nations that surrounded Israel, so he was probably well received for a while. But as his message started hitting closer to home, he was probably not too well received. He probably saw the people of God as stray sheep that needed to be brought back because they were in danger of being destroyed.

Amos was sent to Israel and found it to be prosperous and hypocritical. Jeroboam I had replaced all the priests and Levites since they had loyalty to Judah. The religion he set up was for show only. The people had grown complacent, and believed that they were immune to disaster because the LORD was on their side.

His message was also a warning to Judah as well, because they were guilty of the same attitudes.

In verse 1 of today’s text, Amos mentions two mountains: Zion, which represents the kingdom of Judah, and the Mountain of Samaria – which is Mount Gerazim, and it represents the kingdom of Israel. Amos pronounces a prophetic Woe upon the mountains. It is a way of saying that these two lofty high places are going to fall. Other nations are going to invade, destroy, and plunder the lands and kill and enslave the people.

Amos knows that the people of Israel are saying, “God would never bring disaster on us … We are his people.” What they mean is, “We have it under control. Nobody is going to challenge us.”

In verse 2, Amos mentions Calneh, Hamath and Gath. These were three stronghold cities of the surrounding nations. They trusted in their fortifications. Amos is reminding Israel and Judah that when God judges, no human strength can protect from it.

Amos says that the people are “at ease.” They “feel secure.” They are lying on their ornate ivory beds, and stretching themselves out on couches. Judgment is coming when there will be no rest.

They are eating lambs and calves and drinking wine in bowls when judgment is coming and there will be no food or drink.

They are singing and making music and inventing musical instruments (entertaining themselves) when they should be mourning over their coming ruin.

 

Can I ask you to do something? Would you stop what you are doing sometime today, and in the privacy of your own heart can you ask yourself these questions?

 

 

1.How different am I from my non-Christian neighbours?

2.Where am I placing my trust?

3.Do I spend more time pleasing myself than seeking God?

LORD, give us a heart like the heart of Amos. Help us to see what other people do not see. Make us different from the nations around us. Help us to put our trust in you, and not in ourselves. Help us to spend our time seeking you instead of entertaining ourselves.

 

Jonah 2:1-10 ESV

Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; Yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ 5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head 6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. 8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” 10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

This is the second in a series of 16 sermons based on messages from the writing prophets. The prophets are like a gold mine. They are filled with precious treasure, but getting to that treasure takes some digging and a lot of hard work. To understand the message of a prophet, you have to know the background of the prophet and the people he spoke to. You also have to a reasonable grasp of world history to know when a prophecy has begun to be fulfilled. You also need to know the LORD because the messages from the prophets are meant to be understood and applied by believers whether they have been fulfilled or not.

 

I place Jonah’s prophecies early, which is why I place it during the first time period. I think he prophesied after the time of Elisha, but before the fall of Nineveh. This was a time when Nineveh posed less of a threat to Israel than it would later. From Nineveh’s standpoint, it was a time when they would be more inclined to listen to a message of deliverance from a prophet from Israel. The date was about 760 BC.

Jonah was a reluctant prophet. God had called him to go to Nineveh. He knew the LORD and he knew the message, and he knew his audience. His problem was he didn’t want to do what God wanted him to do. So, chapter 1 of Jonah tells us:

Jonah 1:3-17 NLT

But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the LORD. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the LORD by sailing to Tarshish. 4 But the LORD hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. 6 So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.” 7 Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. 8 “Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?” 9 Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” 10 The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the LORD. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. 11 And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?” 12 “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.” 13 Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. 14 Then they cried out to the LORD, Jonah’s God. “O LORD,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O LORD, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.” 15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16 The sailors were awestruck by the LORD’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him. 17 Now the LORD had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah prophesied to the city of Nineveh which was a great distance North and East of Israel and Judah. He was from Gath Hepher near Nazareth in the Northern kingdom of Israel. He did have a message for Nineveh, but most of the messages of Jonah were to Jonah.

 

 

Jonah had to get to the point of death before he would surrender to the LORD’s will. Verse 7 says “As my life was slipping away, I remembered the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple.” He remembered who God is. He remembered the call of God on his life. He knew that he had failed God. Jonah recognized in one brief lucid moment that his will was not supreme, that he was not sovereign. God is.

 

 

Jonah repented. Verse 2 records his prayer “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.” Sheol is the place where dead people go to await the resurrection. Jonah was in the belly of Sheol before he was in the belly of the whale. What Jonah was saying was that he was in the ocean, about to drown. That is when he found time to pray.

 

The whale was actually God’s answer to Jonah’s prayer. Jonah said that God answered him (2). He rejoiced that God chose to rescue him. He rejoiced that God was giving him the chance to return to the center of God’s will. People do not always get that chance. Sometimes disaster strikes and God does not provide a miracle to rescue us. But when he does, suddenly all those reasons you once had to escape from his will do not seem sound anymore. The correct response to the challenges God has place before you is to rejoice that God has given you life to face those challenges.

Three days in a fish gave Jonah the chance to recommit his life to doing the LORD’s will. He thought about the unbelievers in Nineveh who were trapped in slavery to idol worship. He realized that they did not have hope in God’s steadfast love like he did (8). He decided to go back to God’s temple and rededicate himself to serving the LORD as a prophet (4, 9).

 

Jonah’s story is real. What happened to him really happened. God allowed it to happen because he loved the people of Nineveh and wanted Jonah to preach to them. God also allowed it to happened because he loved Jonah, and wanted to call him back to himself. The message also speaks to you and me, when we decide to turn our back on God’s call for our lives.

In times of great distress, God is there with an answer.

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LORD. Help us to serve you with unwavering commitment. In times when we are reluctant to follow you, save us from ourselves, and turn us around. Help us to surrender to your will.

Auckland Botanic Gardens in Manukau is a place where Penny and I visit frequently. There are all kinds of beautiful trees and flowers, and lots of space to walk. It is just up the road from the church in Takanini where we work, so we sometimes just drop in for lunch and a quick walk on work days.

The lanes meander through exhibits of trees and flowers from various locations. Not all of the plants are blooming at the same time, so every time we walk the experience is a little different. I usually think to bring the camera so that I can capture the color. The pics make great backgrounds for my computer desktop.

Some of the hiking (tramping) trails go by green fields. I love the fields in New Zealand. They seem to go on forever. The clouds are also glorious here. Clouds remind me that Jesus is coming. The whole experience also helps Penny and me get over the fact that we are so far away from our family in the States. Cities remind us of the differences between the two countries. Landscapes remind us of the similarities.

Occasionally we will run across a plant like this one – one which we have never seen before. I am amazed at the variety of plant life on this planet. It seems like God wants to tell us that we will never get bored throughout eternity because he knows how to keep us guessing what he’s going to do next!

Joel 2:25-32 ESV
I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. 26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. 27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. 28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.

This is the second in a series of 16 sermons based on messages from the writing prophets. The prophets are like a gold mine. They are filled with precious treasure, but getting to that treasure takes some digging and a lot of hard work. To understand the message of a prophet, you have to know the background of the prophet and the people he spoke to. You also have to have a reasonable grasp of world history to know when a prophecy has begun to be fulfilled. You also need to know the LORD because the messages from the prophets are meant to be understood and applied by believers whether they have been fulfilled or not.

I place Joel’s prophecies early, which is why I place it during the first time period. I think he prophesied during the reign of king Joash of Judah, but his book was probably written during the time Joash still young and in seclusion, and the kingdom of Judah was being run by the high priest. The date was about 835 BC.

The name Joel means Jahveh is God. When Michelangelo painted his picture of Joel on the Sistine chapel, he had him looking at a small scroll. Someone has said that that represents his being inspired by God to say something new. Many of these new things that Joel said were repeated by the prophets who came after him. Joel’s message was very relevant to his local situation, but it looked way beyond that local situation to events that would take centuries to occur.

Joel prophesied to the nation of Judah after the kingdom had been divided. Yet, you may have noticed that Joel used the name “Israel” in his prophecy.

“You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel” (27).

That was no mistake. He looked so far into the future that by the time his prophecies would be fulfilled, Judah and Israel would be one nation again.

Judah had been hit by a major natural disaster: a series of locust plagues that wiped out the nation’s economy and led to system-wide depression and famine. It was hard to imagine things getting any worse. But Joel does not ride into town with his white horse and tell everybody “there, there, everything is going to get better now.” No, Joel’s message is more like “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” The plague of locusts which came from the north is going to be followed by swarms of armies coming from the same direction. We know from history that those armies came from Assyria, then Babylon, the Persia, then Greece, then Rome.

But Joel’s message is not all bad news. In verse 32 he says “there shall be those who escape.” He also says “among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.” It was a message for Judah to hang on to their faith and God will bring them through all those bad times. Then, God is going to move.

He’s going to do three things: He’s going to restore the years that that the locusts AND THE ARMIES have taken. He’s going to undo the damage. He’s also going to cause a spiritual revolution that will affect the whole nation, not just a few prophets here and there. And just before he does these things he will announce it with some miracles.

So the key to understanding Joel’s words here is that he is giving the predictions in reverse order. Look at verse 30. God is going to show wonders. That means he’s going to do a lot of miracles to let people know something significant is happening. Those wonders are going to be in the heavens and on the earth.

I think that Joel is pointing to Jesus’ life and ministry. The ultimate wonders that Joel mentions took place on the day of his crucifixion. He was being put to death at the same time the temple sacrifices were being prepared, and an eclipse took place that turned the sun to darkness.

Now look at verse 31. Notice the phrase “BEFORE the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.”

When you see “the day of the LORD” in the prophets, it is the same as saying “when God strikes.” So Joel is saying that he is going to cause a strong and significant spiritual revolution immediately after the death of Christ.

In Joel’s day, God poured out his Spirit on a few select prophets. If you wanted to know what God thinks, you would have to search out one of the prophets. But Joel predicts that when God strikes, EVERY believer will have his message. The Holy Spirit will gift and empower all believers regardless of gender, age, or social status.

In Acts 2:16-21 (At Pentecost Peter said) … “this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel” and then he quotes Joel 2:28-32. He recognized that this was the beginning of the spiritual revolution that God had predicted through Joel. That revolution is still going on. The Christian church which began in 30AD is part of God’s fulfillment of a prophecy Joel gave 800 years before that.

The Holy Spirit’s ministry through us is also the key to how God will choose to work beginning on that crucial day. In Joel 2:32, the prophet had predicted that this revolution would begin among the survivors in Jerusalem, but that it would be available to “EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD.”

Years later Paul would say in Romans 10:12-13 “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For (and then he quotes Joel) “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ”

Now, as I understand it, the first thing that Joel predicted will actually be the last thing fulfilled. ALREADY we have seen a time of great miracles BY CHRIST ending with the crucifixion OF CHRIST. ALREADY we have seen a time of great spiritual revolution beginning at Jerusalem but reaching out to all the cities and nations of the planet.

But Joel predicts that Jerusalem will experience a tremendous spiritual and material renewal. It will experience a time when the present famine and the future wars will all be in the past. Israel will know God, and worship him exclusively. In fact, God will be in the midst of Israel (27) and they will know it.

Joel’s message for you and me today is not to let the present spoil your vision of the future. It may take a long time before you actually see God at work in your life and family. But keep trusting in him. He has a plan, and he is going to fulfil his promises to you. When he begins to act, you will know it. Trust him during the locust swarms of your life. Trust him even during the cataclysmic invasions you will experience. He will never take anything away from you that he does not plan on restoring.
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LORD, help us to trust you during the trying times, and cooperate with your Holy Spirit ministering salvation to all we can reach. In Jesus’ name. Amen.