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by Rev. Russell F. WhaleySermons by Pastor Russ Whaley, Pioneer Memorial UMC, Pembina ND
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Taking the First Step
25/09/2007
Sorry folks -- no audio this week. Should be recording again next Sunday.
âTaking the First Stepâ Luke 16:1-13 September 23, 2007 The parable of the dishonest manager is a Bible story that has given scholars fits for centuries: Jesus seems to be praising the dishonest managerâs behavior. In general, this story has three ways that Jesus seems to be advocating for the disciples â all of which can be difficult to swallow, because they seem to contradict other things that He has said. (1) Are we to be âshrewd?â The first way starts with verse 8: ââFor the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.â (NIV) This seems to be a statement about how those who obey God can be naÃve about the workings of the world, and dealing with worldly people. You could draw the conclusion that Jesus is saying, while we shouldnât be dishonest, we should be shrewd in our dealings. The problem with this point of view is exposed is by looking at the Greek word translated as âshrewd,â which has also been used to describe the behavior of the snake who was the tempter in the garden of Eden. So, we will want to tread carefully with this interpretation! (2) The Things We Do Continuing to verse 9, depending on Jesusâ tone, this could be either a positive or a negative comment. (Again, we donât know what tone Jesus spoke these words with). If Jesus is speaking in a straightforward tone, heâs apparently saying that while all money corrupts, his followers should use it to do good and thus earn themselves a place in heaven (âeternal homesâ). This is worrisome, because it would seem that Jesus is giving a green light to âworks righteousness,â where the goodness of our deeds determines whether we get into heaven or not. Thatâs pretty âold covenant,â if you ask me! If Jesus were speaking sarcastically, he could have been saying that those who use money to gain friends like the dishonest manager did face final condemnation and another kind of eternal home, an unwelcome one. Hmmmm. (3) Faithful and Honest? Verse 10 offers more advice â that seems to make some sense: âWhoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.â (NIV) Sounds good â but didnât Jesus praise the manager for his dishonesty a few verses back? What to do with this parable? The bottom line is, this story is in the Bible, so we should consider what God can teach us through its details. It might not be as clear as weâd like it to be, but there is something in here that the children of light can adopt from the children of this age â but only for the right reasons. Letâs put this into context with a story that is just a story, though it could happen these days: A mom and a dad were sitting in the family room when their two children, ages 10 and 12, walk in. âWeâve got a question,â Chris, the younger one announces. âWe know you two are worth about 800 grand, we were wondering when we get our shares.â OH MY GOODNESS! This is quite a shock. The parents had never talked to your children about any financial arrangements more than when to expect their allowances. The other thing was, this â800 grandâ that they mentioned was remarkably close to their actual worth! So the parents were sitting there, trying to catch a breath and decide what to say when Frank, the older child, says, âI told Chris that we each get our 400 Gâs when we turn 18, but he says we have to wait until you both die. Whoâs right?â After a painful silence, the father finally says, âJust who says we are worth that kind of money?â âNobody told us,â Frank responds. âWe used Google and looked it up on the Internet.â Brings you into the modern age, doesnât it? Keep in mind, this story is just a story â but what it illustrates is very possible. You no longer have to be a member of Forbes 400 or Fortune 500 to show up in databases. If you have stock options, a high salary or significant business sales, thereâs a good chance that at least some of that data is available online. Some kids have discovered that they can find those reports by sifting through the filings of the Securities and Exchange Commission to locate the info, or using real estate Web sites like Zillow.com to calculate the value of the family homestead and vacation homes. Even if the kids canât find a specific mention of their parents, they can still look up average salaries in the professions of their parents and make an educated guess. Nowadays, kids can be pretty shrewd â at an early age! Were the Internet been around in New Testament times, the dishonest manager would surely have used it to his advantage. Living well on his income from the rich manâs properties, but not doing his duties diligently, heâs affecting the returns his boss is expecting. And the boss knows something is going on. The portfolio is taking a dive. But the manager is a shrewd dude â so shrewd that even the boss is impressed! Maybe the teaching of this parable is that initiative is a good thing that we can learn from the children of this world â because it can increase the strength of the church in a way that is pleasing to God. Initiative has a definite role in the life of the church. Thereâs every reason to use our best and strongest abilities, including our initiative, for kingdom purposes. Think of how often we speak of wanting our memberships to grow, of reaching further into our community, and of making sure that the unchurched hear the gospel. Now think of what percentage of our membership really take that to heart and put it into practice. In this sense, we who walk in Godâs light would do well to adopt the persistent initiative of the children of this age. Hereâs another way to think on this: the manager resorted to drastic action in an urgent situation. The church needs to take drastic action to make sure it does the work of the kingdom of God. Thereâs a story about a husband and wife who were out in their car on some errand, with the husband doing the driving. The wife was sitting at the other end of the bench seat, by the passenger door, and she was in a pensive mood. She said to her husband, âRemember when we were first dating? When we went anywhere in your old car, we sat as close together as we possibly could. Sometimes you even put your arm around me. What has happened to us? Our relationship doesnât seem as close as it used to.â The husband considered that, and then he said, âWell, I havenât moved.â If we think of God still sitting in the same place â meaning that he has not withdrawn from us â and we feel some loss in the closeness, then we can better understand who needs to make some movement. God took the first step. Now, we must take the initiative and respond â and get the gospel where it is needed the most. Take the initiative, and make the invitation to someone who needs to respond. Will you do this, today? Sources consulted: âSmooth Operator,â Homiletics, September 2007 ACCS, Vol. NT.III, Luke (IVP, 2003) NIV KeyWord Study Bible (AMG, 1996) Bock, Darrell L. Luke (Zondervan, 1996)
The Great "What-If"
17/09/2007
I have a story for you. Two New York entrepreneurs decided to see if some money might be made by introducing bungee-jumping to Mexico. They fronted some venture capital to build a platform, where people who like "extreme sports" could dive off and spring up and down as they do in the states.
When it came time for the trial run, the two entrepreneurs climbed up the platform and looked down on the gathering crowd. They knew what they had to "do," but decided to shoot fingers to see who got to "do it." The entrepreneur who "won" (or "lost," depending on how you look at it) put on the harness and dove off. When he came up the first time, his partner noticed that his nose was bloody. When he came up the second time, it was obvious that one eye was turning black. When he came up a third time, part of his ear was missing. He yelled out, "Are you okay?" On his way down a fourth time, his partner yelled back, "What's a piÃata?" Those two entrepreneurs didnât take into account the differences of perspective from New York to Mexico. For some folks, bungee jumping is, wellâ just bungee jumping. But for a lot of folks in Mexico, when you have something bouncing around on a string (no matter how large the package or how long the string is), you get a stick and hit it to see what falls out! There is an important difference of perspective that sets the Christian apart from the world he or she lives in. The truth is, though you and I live in this world, our spiritual commitments dictate that we operate from a different perspective â one that acknowledges that we are only here for a while. We are passing through on our journey to eternity with our Lord. If we live out our faith in the way that the Bible teaches it, then we have to take into account that we wonât see things that the way the world does; we will not live the way the world accepts as ânormal.â What does it mean to live out your faith in this different perspective from that of the world? If you are really serious about considering that question, there is no way that you can avoid Hebrews 11. The verses we are studying today provide a summary of the Christian faith that teaches two things. First, it brings together the New Testament and the Old Testament and demonstrates why the Old Testament is relevant to our story as disciples of the New Covenant. Secondly, it provides examples of faith that will help us stay away from the kind of faith that really only trusts in one thing: ourselves and our abilities. This faith in ourselves is the kind of faith that will fail the final test every time because it only has the form of true religion and none of the substance of true religion. Whatâs the difference? True religion arises from living faith that is focused on the world to come. This faith is concerned about making new disciples for Jesus Christ ALL the time, regardless of the cost. The person with the faith of true religion will always live out that faith with a bold confidence in Godâs reality. What does that mean â âGodâs reality?â Letâs turn to the examples in todayâs reading: Â the story of Abraham teaches us that home is wherever God is â and wherever God leads us. No matter where God was calling him on that nomadic pathway, Abraham was confident that he was exactly where he was supposed to be, which is why everywhere he went he built altars to God, holy structures, like at Bethel â âan Altar to the LORDâ (Genesis 12:8). Â Noah lived within the reality that his life was always in Godâs hands â and the fate of the world is always in Godâs hands. Â Abel and Enoch remembered that pleasing God is important â verse 6 says, âWithout faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.â (NIV) Now, we get to the âGreat What If?â This is the point where we will often stumble in our quest to live a biblical faith. âI suppose I could live that wayâ but what ifâ â my friends canât or wonât understand, and I will end up alone? â the town I live in will think Iâm weird and shut me out? â God calls me to go someplace else to serve Him, and I have to leave everything behind? â I canât measure up to the standard of faith, or the examples the Bible gives me? Those are perfectly valid questions. We will all struggle with them at some time, probably more than once. Here are some answers to any of the âwhat-ifsâ: Â Weâre not called to be superheroes, weâre just called to be faithful. The heroes of the faith that we read about in the Bible are for our inspiration, not necessarily for us to duplicate. God calls each of us to live boldly by faith â with all of our warts, worries, and shortcomings â as we are. Thatâs why God provides grace greater than our sins â thatâs why itâs grace, after all! Thatâs not weird at all! Â Weâre not called to follow blindly; weâre just called to follow faithfully. Just because youâre a believer doesnât mean you have to surrender your ability to think. Â Faith involves God doing extraordinary things in the lives of ordinary people. Every one of the faith heroes named in todayâs reading had a very human side to them â go read the stories, and youâll see. Yet, God did powerful things through them even as they were searching and struggling for holiness. This means that you and I are equally eligible to be included in Godâs workings. Â Faith works in many situations â and you have to be content knowing that you are being faithful, even though you may not see the results immediately. Faith carries us through times of victory and times of trial. We need not become paralyzed with the fears of what might or might not happen if we are faithful. God is with us always, and He is very patient â and He doesnât want anyone to perish. So, live with the perspective of the faithful: remember who you are, and where your journey will take you. Following Godâs lead may indeed bring you to a new point on the map, but it will more likely lead you to shift more in your relationship with God and move toward new understanding and growth, changing your heart and mind toward Godâs direction in the process. It starts with a first step, not with a particular destination laid out. Faith is an open-ended ticket, an invitation, an adventure that starts but never ends â even when you do! If you think about it, the church is really a travel agency, helping people book their place on the journey of faith, inviting them to follow God wherever he might lead â to a foreign country, to the back alleys of the city, to their next-door neighbor, or even just to a new way of living. One thing about this trip thatâs for sure â youâll lose your life in the service of God and Godâs people. But, as Jesus would say, thatâs the best way to save it! So donât worry about the âGreat What-If!â Sources consulted: Faith Treks; Homiletics, August 8, 2004 The Faith 500; Homiletics, August 12, 2001 Life Is Difficult, butâ; Homiletics, August 9, 1998 By Faith Living; Homiletics, August 13, 1995 Craddock, Fred B.; The Letter to the Hebrews (NIB Vol. XII); Abingdon, 1998 Guthrie, George H.; Hebrews; Zondervan, 1998 Lane, William L.; Hebrews (WBC Vol. 47-A); Word, Inc., 1991Following Jesus with Your Life
10/09/2007
Christian discipleship is something that requires that Jesus be the discipleâs primary allegiance; in other words, God wants to have priority in all areas of our lives.
How do we put this into effective practice? Part of discipleship is discerning what God desires of us. We do this by being involved in the community of faith, by giving and receiving encouragement in the community; by offering prayer alone and with others, and listening to Godâs voice. Have you ever made a commitment to an organization or another group without first finding out what would be expected of you? Have you ever gotten burned because you didnât read the fine print? If you will closely consider what Jesus says in this teaching and elsewhere, you shouldnât be surprised by the requirements. In this passage, Jesus seems very much to be trying to get the crowds to understand what it means to follow Him with their lives and not just their feet! This passage must have seemed just as harsh to the crowds who first heard it as it does to us today a paradox â on the one hand, we are to love our enemies without question; but on the other, we are to hate our families because they are an obstacle to eternal life? This isnât really paradox âitâs hyperbole (making something more noticeable than usual). When it came to understanding what Jesus was truly teaching, the crowds didnât do very well. They were pleased and amazed when He performed miracles. When he said profound things, they would quote Him. The crowds were very good at following Jesus: with their FEET. But when Jesus stopped being warm and cuddly, they were less interested in what He had to say. We donât have a record of what exactly it was that put Jesus in His pulpit that day. Jesus was always much more patient with folks in a one-on-one, or small-group situation. But with the crowds especially, Heâs a straight-shooter who gives it to you exactly how it is. Jesus could have used the âkid glovesâ approach to discipleship: âItâs pretty painless being a disciple. Show up at church a few Sundays a month; love your spouse and your kids; be sure youâre to work on time, and be nice to your neighbors.â Sounds like some TV preachers, doesnât it? But he didnât. He puts discipleship in terms of priorities: a discipleâs focus must be so evidently on Christ and kingdom that by comparison itâs as if they hate their family. This doesnât mean that we are to literally hate our mother or father; it doesnât mean that our kids FINALLY have biblical license to despise that little brother or sister who vexes them so! What it does mean is that our preparations for the life of the kingdom must not place a higher priority on earthly relationships than heavenly relationships. Hereâs a way you could think how your priorities measure up: Compare the amount of quality time do you spend with your family with quality time with God? Or, compare the amount of money you spend on family vacations and gifts compared to contributions to kingdom causes? In terms of the kingdomâs passion for justice â what priority is given to family comfort, compared to the comfort of the poor and marginalized that we know exist around us? Those are some tough questions to consider. There are many of us who value our families to a degree that we would gladly sacrifice anything for their health and safety. Jesus says He wants that kind of response from His disciples for the things of the Kingdom of God. Another way of looking at âKingdom commitmentâ could be in our pocketbooks: how much it financially costs to be a Christian. Add up the amount of money you spend on tithing, supporting missionaries and Christian charities; things here at the church, and other things like buying books and paying for kidsâ camps, and so on. It really adds up! Non believers donât spend money that way. The question Jesus is raising is not about how much it costs us, itâs about whether or not it costs us enough. Jesusâ comments to the âfan clubâ that followed Him from place to place and cheered him as He did âcoolâ things, about building towers and going to war, were intended to highlight their shallow view of how much sacrifice goes into vibrant faith. To love Jesus means loving money, possessions and comfort so little that we give uncomfortable amounts of it away. We say, âLord, I canât afford it.â And Jesus responds, âYou must.â The most powerful statement in todayâs passage is verse 27: âWhoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.â Please note: Jesus doesnât say we âmay not be His disciples,â He says we CANNOT be His disciples. Jesus isnât teaching that we must be perfect before we are saved. Salvation comes by Godâs grace, and the gifts and blessings He gives us are the things that make it possible to become what He has called us to be. What Jesus IS teaching, is that we have to be willing to put all of ourselves into becoming disciples. The evidence of willingness is a complete change of our priorities, values, and pursuits as we become new creations in Christ. Here are some questions you can ask of yourself to âtake your temperatureâ as a disciple, and think about how youâre coming along on the road to perfection in Godâs grace: On a 1 to 10 scale, how would you rate your own discipleship after Jesus right now?What things keep this number from being higher?
What habits, actions or attitudes would help that area of your life?
What changes can you make to start living out those habits, actions and attitudes?
Whom do you need to share these things with so they can help you and pray for you?
Godâs call to us is to follow Jesus with our entire LIFE. Itâs what allows us to truly be cross-bearers â and itâs what makes the journey truly worthwhile. Sources consulted: âGrunting Allowed,â Homiletics, September 2007 NIV KeyWord Study Bible (AMG, 1996) ACCS, Volume III (IVP, 2003) Bock, Darrell L. Luke (Zondervan, 1996) Culpepper, Alan R. The Gospel of Luke (Abingdon, 1995)
A Persevering, Practical Faith
03/09/2007
Faith in theory is one thingâ faith practiced in reality is another. What is it that we each should be doing every day, as followers of Christ Jesus?
Whatâs in the Verses? âLoving each other as brothersâThe common bond between all believers created by the blood of Christ cannot help but create the ties of family in the Body: love your fellow Christians. âEntertaining strangersââ
A parallel to Ge 18:1ff and Ge 19:1ff (Abraham and Lot visited by angels). This is not so much that we should always be hospitable on the off-chance that God is watching (or has sent an angel to watch us), but because God is pleased when believers are hospitable. Hospitality is an essential element to spreading the Christian faith throughout our world. Prisoners must be actively sought out by Christians because compassion is an essential part of Christian living.
âThe marriage bedâ
A euphemism for sexual intercourse. Historical note: in the first century chastity was a novel concept; any many considered it an unreasonable demand of the faith. In short, sexual sinners are likely to go their own way, not truly caring for others and careless in all of their relationships. However, when God judges the purity and righteousness of their lives, they will be found lacking. âLove of moneyâ
Sexual impurity and (financial) covetousness come from the same root sin: lust. speaks to the person who pursues selfish aims (whether sexual or financial) without regard to the rights of others. The essential teaching is that one needs to unlearn the insecurities that drive him or her to this behavior because God is completely reliable â Godâs people are secure no matter what. ââ I will not be afraid â â
A declaration of confidence that continues the thought of Verse 5; âIf God is for us, who can be against us?â âLeaders who spoke the word of God to youâ
The âWord of Godâ is the totality of the Christian message (not just the Bible); this is a reminder that the message is of divine origin. Also, the believers are encouraged to follow the example of faithful leaders in the Body so that, when they are tempted to fall away in unbelief, they can stand strong. âJesus Christ is the sameââ
We should not ever fear that Christ will be different for us than He was for the believers in the past. Christ will be the same for all time, even into the future which we cannot know about. The life of the believer is based upon this certainty. 15. ââthe sacrifice of praiseââ Since a loving God is working out His purposes all the time, there is no time when the believer should not offer praise â the acknowledgement of Christ. 16. Sacrifices pleasing to God Even though Christians do not have animals to sacrifice, this does not mean we have nothing to offer. Because God looks to Christians to take (follow) Christ's way, He expects them to make their response by offering praise, good deeds, and works of love and charity. How can we apply this to daily life? Show hospitality to strangers: you may be entertaining angels. You never know whom youâre talking to, or what doors a casual conversation might open. (And keep in mind, the attitude you present to the world is contagious! If youâre cranky, the people around you will likely be cranky too, or just avoid you.
Consider paying a visit to the jail. One of the things we often forget is that Christian faith was largely formed behind bars. Remember that Jesus, Paul and many of the apostles were prisoners at one time. Another thing you could do is write letters to political leaders calling for justice and freedom for those unjustly accused and imprisoned.
If youâre married, work on your marriage. Even those of us with GOOD marriages can always find something to work on.
Be content with where you are, and donât lust over what you donât haveâ and practice generosity. Since God has provided for us and âwill never leave ... or forsakeâ us, we should live as stewards of Godâs resources rather than hoarding for ourselves. Giving money to the church, tithing, being generous to those in need â all of these are ways of managing Godâs gifts to us and benefiting others.
Remember our leaders in prayer: the writer of Hebrews reminds us that encouragement of leaders benefits everyone. If you write your congressman to give him heck about something, remember to write and encourage him (or her), too.
The point of all of this is, followers of Jesus have always been called to do these things from generation to generation. Christ has been âthe same yesterday and today and foreverâ (v. 8) and his call to serving others follows that pattern. Disciples of Christ see every day as an opportunity to offer a âsacrifice of praiseâ through words of encouragement and actions that speak of Christ at work within us. This being Labor Day weekend, many have Monday off and are glad for it. But we should not take a day off from representing Christ in the world. Sources consulted: âD1NT,â Homiletics, September 2, 2007 NIV KeyWord Study Bible (AMG, 1996) Craddock, Fred B. The Letter to the Hebrews (Abingdon, 1998) Guthrie, George H. Hebrews. (Zondervan, 1998)
True Worship
27/08/2007
I want for us to spend time thinking about worship today â but I want to make sure you know what I mean by that. This passage from Hebrew IS about worship; but itâs not about the style of worship that you or I might prefer over other styles of worship. Itâs not about how we express ourselves, but about the substance of true worship. This passage contains teaching on what God considers true worship.
One of the biggest comparisons that the writer of Hebrews offers in this passage is contrasting the past with the future. As a matter of fact, we arenât far from a very well-known verse, Hebrews 13:8: âJesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.â (NIV) This teaching begins with a comparison of two mountains. Even though the writer doesnât refer to the first mountain by name, we know that it is Sinai as it appears in Exodus 19-20: a mountain of doom, gloom, and unapproachable holiness. If even an animal touched the mountain, it had to be killed (Exodus 19:12,13). This mountain was SO scary that even Moses, Godâs chosen spokesman, was rattled to his bones. The second mountain is completely different. Look in verses 22-24 for the symbols that describe it:  A heavenly city, the city of the living God  A city where thousands upon thousands of angels meet in joyous assembly  The church of the firstborn whose names are written in heaven; where the spirits of the perfected righteous and Jesus live  Where a better word is spoken. This is a place where you feel welcome, where you are not afraid to approach â a place that we anticipate going to. The point that the writer is making here is that our anticipation for this wonderful place should not only be something gleaming in our future. It should light our days, NOW. Donât let the doom and gloom of the past rule your future! The point of comparing these mountains for you is not to say that God has changed. We should have a healthy fear of God, for He is the Creator who calls us into life and also to the end of our life. The difference that weâre supposed to see is that Godâs covenant has changed. In the new covenant struck with the blood of Jesus Christ, God wants to be approached in a way thatâs made possible only by grace. The bottom line is that God is available and like priests, we can all enter the most holy place to encounter him. Now, with that out of the way, letâs get to the questions of the day: Is your relationship with God a thing of legalistic works and impersonal piety? Do you view God as remote and unapproachable, a God whoâs not really interested in you? Or, do you see God as a God who desires intimacy with us, inviting us to live the joyous life of the new Zion? One of the ways that we access God is through our worship â because worship is where God calls His people, and asks for a response. In worship, God speaks, we listen, we sing, and God listens. We âgive thanksâ since we âare receiving a kingdomâ (v.28) â those are ongoing present tense verbs. Worship extends outside of 15 minutes of singing â in fact, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Worship is never an event; rather, itâs a lifestyle. Itâs a posture, an attitude, an ongoing recognition of the need to respond to God for how he continues to bless us. This is the reason that ultimately in our churches, styles of worship are only means to an end. The true ends of worship are not whether we like it mild or wild â this is worship of worship. This is important to understand in our preference-driven society, because the church is squarely in the middle of the tug-of-war for the hearts and the minds of the people that is going on in every corner of life. In a day and age where the âmost entertainingâ most often gets the biggest response, we the church need to encourage people to come and worship and then live worshipful lives â that are not entirely based on their personal preferences, but based on what God considers true worship. Joy Davidman wrote a book over fifty years ago called Smoke on the Mountain.[1] In this book, she tells a story about a Martian anthropology student sent to Earth for an assignment. This student was to observe the United States for a week, and write a report. The student wrote in his notes on Sunday morning that these Earthlings must be sun worshipers, with one day in seven set aside for religious observance. These loud and rowdy religious rituals are held in the open, drawing large crowds to arenas or bodies of water. The mystics of the tradition address a holy ball â a solar symbol â by themselves, sometimes in groups of three or four with clubs in open fields. Other worshipers lay beside a body of water after hurling themselves in ecstasy into the waves; afterwards, they anoint themselves with holy oil, and lay flat on the ground, surrendering themselves to the holy sun. The Martian student went on to comment that not everyone was doing this on Sunday. There was a small group of unbelievers who rejected sun worship by dressing soberly, and gathering behind closed doors in buildings that were obviously constructed to keep the sunlight out. They show none of the joy of the sun worshipers â in fact, their minds âseem devoid of thought or emotion.â Sounds like things havenât changed much in a long time! Have you ever notice that some folks, when describing the kind of church they are looking for, sound about the same as they do when placing an order at a restaurant? This is what weâre dealing with! We have to meet this by helping people learn to understand what worship really is, and help them learn HOW to worship in a true way. In our busy world, people are so busy that involvement in the community of faith gets shoved to the back burner way too often. Life is hard enough that we get so preoccupied with meeting our physical needs that we get distracted from important spiritual issues â and our souls are in danger because of it. As I said earlier, âWorship is never an event; rather, itâs a lifestyle. Itâs a posture, an attitude, an ongoing recognition of the need to respond to God for how he continues to bless us.â God has given us all grace as a motivation to persevere. How many people know, and accept and live this now? How many stay away from church because they are afraid of being judged? We can help with that! Worship of God is about our access and our need to respond to Godâs calling and blessing. Nothing more. So then, shall we worship, and teach others to do the same? Sources consulted: âWild or Mild?â Homiletics, August 2007 The KeyWord Study Bible (AMG, 1996) NIV Bible Commentary, Vol. 2 (Zondervan, 1994) Guthrie, George H. Hebrews (Zondervan, 1998) [1] Joy Davidman, Smoke on the Mountain: An Interpretation of the Ten Commandments (Westminster, 1954).