Ephesians 1:15-23: A Thanksgiving Prayer

A THANKSGIVING PRAYER

 

Happy Thanksgiving! I trust that you will have your fill of tryptophan and enjoy the nap that comes with it. For those of you who don’t know, turkey contains tryptophan, an amino acid that helps you relax and make you sleepy. So, eat up.

            Stories of American thanksgiving celebrations go back to the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock, and the first pilgrims who feasted with Native American friends. What’s true and what’s legend is hard to cipher in this story. But where do Canadians get our thanksgiving story? It actually predates the American story, the first thanksgiving dinner by Europeans in North America being held by Martin Frobisher and his crew in the Eastern Arctic in 1578. They ate a meal of salt beef, biscuits and mushy peas to celebrate and give thanks for their safe arrival in what is now Nunavut. Makes you thankful for turkey and stuffing…

            I’ve always balked at the insistence that churches celebrate Thanksgiving weekend with a special service. I contend that the follower of Jesus should make every day a day of thanks to our God. But I recognize that as humans we need these special days to remind us to be thankful and to verbally declare in this assembly that God is good. And it just so happens that our series on Ephesians today focuses on the theme of thanksgiving. 

            Last Sunday we studied verses 3-14, a single long sentence in the Greek. That’s right – no breaks. Paul got carried away explaining the blessings of God poured out on us. He follows that up with another long single sentence beginning with “For this reason…” Paul looks back at the blessings and thinking of the Ephesian believers says, “I’m so glad you get this…For this reason…” And Paul gives thanks for this church. 

            In our study of verses 15-23 of chapter one, I want to apply Paul’s thanksgiving prayer to our church and pray his prayer for you.

A Pastor Thanks God for the Church (1:15-16)

 

Paul was a missionary with a pastoral heart. God had called him to travel through Europe planting churches as he went. But he did not forget the churches after he left; he heard of their progress, their troubles, and their joys, and wrote to them to encourage them and to challenge them. 

            Take a look at the beginning of the letter to the Philippians, “I thank my God every time I remember you…”(1:3-4). And to the Colossians, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you…” (1:3-4). The same is true of his letters to the Thessalonians, Romans, Corinthians, and to his friend Philemon. In each letter, Paul gives God thanks for the faith that has taken root and expressed itself in love and fellowship among the congregants.

            It is entirely appropriate for a pastor to give thanks for the people of his congregation and to praise God for the faith we share. So, I am going to turn the tables on this “Pastor Appreciation” month and in the spirit of Paul, give thanks to God for you.

            Rosenort Fellowship Chapel has been an incredible blessing to Sharon and me these last three years. It is hard to know where to begin. I am afraid that if I start to get specific that you may feel left out of the categories I mention, and I don’t want that. We are thankful for each of you. I thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…

For the healing experience it has been to be your pastor…

For the unique community that is Rosenort and the way you come together to help each other…

For the friendships we have built with so many of you…

For the generosity you show for missions and other needs…

For the joy we have when we come together to eat and to share an activity…

For the way I have been welcomed at the coffee places in town… (where do I end? I am not deserving of this grace)

A Pastor’s Prayer for the Church (1:17-21)

 

Paul the pastor does not end his prayer with thanksgiving; he continues to pray that the church may build on these good things. He is not content to leave the church as it is but prays that they would experience more of what God has for them. Paul prays, “I keep asking…” What does he ask? So much…

That you may know God better (17) – This is my prayer for you too. I sincerely pray this over every one of you. “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of revelation and wisdom, so that you may know him better.”

            Knowing God is an endless journey. If you think you have God figured out, you have the wrong god. That’s not a discouraging statement because it means our God is awesome that we will never finish getting to know his love and mercy. This is why Paul prays that God would give the Ephesians the Spirit of revelation and wisdom. 

            In Greek it’s hard to know when to capitalize a word. Most scholars agree though that the Spirit here is not the human spirit but the Holy Spirit. We know from Jesus’ teaching in John 14-16 that the Holy Spirit’s main task is to make Jesus known. In the process of coming to know Jesus, you are coming to know God the Father (John 14:8-9). 

            AW Tozer in his book The Knowledge of the Holy Spirit, begins saying, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” I have also heard it said that how we pray reveals what we think about God. Knowing God is so important to our life journey.

            Jesus prayed for his disciples, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent,” (Jn. 17:3). The Ephesians knew God, but Paul wanted them to know him better. I know you know God, but I pray that you and I would know him better.

            Knowing God is never just intellectual understanding. It is also deeply personal, relational, and experienced together in community. We cannot know God in isolation because he has given us the church that we may know him through each other. 

            My son, and many young adults today, don’t have an experience of God they can look back to. He said that as far back as he can remember, he has never felt God. Feelings are important to the human psyche and experience, but we don’t begin there. Many of you know the “Faith Train” illustration – some may not. The Faith Train is driven by the power of “Facts” – Jesus died and rose again; this is followed by “Faith” – what do I do with this reality? Only then do we experience feelings about what we believe. And some days, we feel nothing. That’s okay, because the facts don’t change.

That you may know hope (18) – You may reflect that you have had the facts and the faith for a long time, but no feelings. Why do we not feel the gracious, omnipotent power of God that is now at work in us? Paul prays that believers would know the hope of God, but to know that hope he prays that “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened” – to see the spiritual realities around you. The eyes of our hearts tend to grow dull with the disappointments of life. It’s so difficult to hope when life gives you lemons.

            John Piper gives three more reasons why we don’t “feel” the hope: 1) We are not aware of the blinding, deadening power of sin at work in our lives. God has conquered sin through Jesus for us and we are forgiven. But if we allow sin to control us, we can’t see God. 2) We are not aware of the power of Satan that is always coming at us to try and steal our joy, our victory. You need to claim God’s victory over Satan and sin (“Resist the devil and he will flee”). 3) We may not consider fully what happened to Jesus and his present role in the universe. He was raised from the grave to life and enthroned at the right hand of God. He rules!

            One thing Piper did not say was that we belong to God. “The hope to which he has called you” speaks of the riches of his glorious inheritance. The text is a bit mysterious; it does not speak of the inheritance we receive, but of the inheritance God receives – you and me. In other words, we belong to God.

That you may know God’s power (19-21) – Paul concludes his three-part request for the Ephesians to grow in knowledge by asking that somehow, they would perceive how powerful God is. In these verses, he calls it “his incomparable great power for us who believe,” then describes it by pointing to the resurrection. 

            Is there anything that compares to the power to give life to someone who was undeniably dead? We may imagine the power to lift a rocket off the launchpad, or the devastating destruction of a nuclear war. I had never heard of hypernovas before this week. It’s a type of stellar explosion with a luminosity 10 times greater than a supernova. When stars 150 times the size of our sun explodes, they produce the brightest light in the universe and produce energy to last 10 billion years. But the power of God to raise the dead…how do you compare anything to that? 

            Paul prays that the Ephesians would know three things: To know God better, to know the hope to which he has called you, and the immeasurable power of God toward us who believe. He’s not praying that we get the hope to which we were called or to get the power of God at work in you. God is yours to know. You have the calling to hope. You have the power of God at work in you. And Paul says, you don’t know them as you should know them and could know them. I want you to know them. I am praying that you know God better, know his hope better, and know his power in Christ Jesus better and better. Paul is praying that we would be spiritually experientially conscious of God’s power toward us as believers now.

 

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything, for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way (22-23).  

            One of the pleasures I have in the College course I am teaching this semester is revealing the missing element in today’s gospel. Much of evangelicalism focuses on the cross of Christ and the blood of his sacrifice. Our message of the gospel tends to rest there and not move on. What’s next? The resurrection of Jesus. This is so important to the vindication of who Jesus said he was and who he is now. But that’s not the missing piece. 

            Notice when Paul talks about the resurrection in v. 20, he goes on to say it is the same power that seated Jesus in the heavenly realms, far above all rule, authority, power and dominion and every name that is named. The part we miss in our gospel is that Jesus is King! He sits on the throne and rules (present tense). 

            Astonishingly, Paul concludes his prayer saying that this King is most experienced in the entire universe in his church, in his people. As Eugene Peterson puts it, “The Church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence,” (The Message). 

            This is why I am thankful for the church. I am thankful that the King of the universe chooses to reveal himself most fully in the church. I am thankful for you, for the faith you have in the Lord Jesus. And I continue to pray that the God of our Lord Jesus will give you the Spirit of revelation to know God even better.

 

                                                            AMEN

Ephesians 1:1-14: Together...in Christ

TOGETHER…IN CHRIST

 

As we begin this study of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, it is helpful to know a few things about the letter as we go deep. Some scholars question whether Paul wrote the letter because it doesn’t sound like him, and he doesn’t address a problem in the church like he normally does. Others say that Paul meant it as a circular letter, a letter meant to be read by several churches in the region. If Paul didn’t write it, who did? Bible experts would say that a student of Paul’s wrote in his name. I like the circular letter idea myself and believe that Paul wrote it.

            What’s the big picture of Ephesians? What was Paul’s overall message? It may best be described this way: God has a vision, a plan, to bring together people from all walks of life and ethnicities to be a single, holy family, who enjoy the peace of God and peace with each other. He is going to accomplish this vision through Jesus. Our response is required. We need to say “yes” to God and accept his plan for us and join his family. Then we need to walk as people who understand this calling. 

            The Ephesians did say yes to God, but they weren’t walking worthy of that calling. They were claiming God’s promises but living in their old sins. They weren’t living at peace with each other either. This is why Paul writes to them, to explain to them how the family of God lives and behaves in the world. This letter is written to persuade the Ephesians to change their thinking and thus their behavior.

            This is not just something that you do. You and I can’t transform our behavior on our own, God has to do it, and you have to allow him to do it. What God does, he does in Christ. That’s a phrase used 11 times in 1:3-14: “In Christ.” That phrase describes our union with Christ in and through baptism and our participation in his life. It speaks of how we share in the new life that Christ alone has made possible. 

            To begin our journey “Together,” we are going to focus in this text on what it means to be “in Christ.” 

In Christ, we are Chosen (1:3-6)

 

Paul begins with a three-fold expression of praise: “Blessed…blessed…blessing,” (3). It reminds me of the old expression, “Blessed to be a blessing.” God has richly blessed us in a variety of ways in this reality and in the spiritual reality or realm. This is why Paul writes, “Blessed be the God…” or “Praise be to God…” 

            The Greek word Paul uses is the root of the word we know as “eulogy.” We are familiar with “eulogies” as a speech someone gives at a funeral where they “speak well of” the deceased. That’s what “eulogy” means: “to speak well of.” Literally, it means “good word.” What Paul is getting at is this: We ought to bless God by speaking good words about him in response to how God has blessed us by doing good things for us. God has done great things; let’s give him praise.

            What has God done for us? Firstly, note that God is the initiator of this movement. He decided to do this; he started it. Secondly, what God has done, he did in Christ. That means that Jesus was the agent or the means of what he did. So, through Christ, God reconciled the world to himself. We know there was a breach in the relationship between God and humanity because of Adam’s sin. From our end, this was irreparable. But God in Christ made reunion possible. 

            That sounds very technical, I admit, so let’s use Paul’s word to warm this up: God chose us! He chose us before the creation of the world to be in his family. Before Adam and Eve sinned, God chose us. He placed his stamp of ownership on us so that no matter how far we wandered from his goodness, he would always work to bring us back. 

            God’s plan for us is that we would be “holy and blameless.” In my own journey I find it impossible to be holy and blameless. I’m sure you do too. We are supposed to be “saints,” but that brings up images of Mother Theresa and Billy Graham. We shudder to compare ourselves with such as these. But the saints of the NT are not perfect people; they are people like us. Saints are people who face struggles and difficulties, who have troubles at home, at work, and everywhere else. The key to this conundrum always comes back to “in Christ.” We are called to be “holy and blameless” in Christ, in what Christ has done for us. 

            Paul uses another word to emphasize our chosenness: “he predestined us for adoption” There is a lot of debate about that word “predestined.” Calvinists see it as God choosing some for salvation and others for hell. They would say that before Creation, God already had in mind who he would save through Jesus. Those who believe in Free Will disagree saying Christ is the One Chosen and we who believe in Jesus get to participate in his election and Sonship. 

            These words “Chosen” and “Predestined” were not meant to be a matter of debate. This is a reason to praise God! By his will he chose us, he did it, and he was pleased to do it. We get to be in God’s family. 

 

In Christ, we are Redeemed (1:7-10)

 

Redemption sounds like a “churchy” word unless we are cashing in a coupon. Fair enough. It is a rather technical term. Redemption is also called manumission. It means to free slaves from captivity. We could also use it in the sense of paying a ransom for kidnap victim. 

            If God paid a ransom for our release, who did he pay it to? This is where it gets tricky. If we say that Satan demanded payment for our release from his slimy hands, then that gives Satan the upper hand on God. It puts him in the driver’s seat. We can’t say that. To say Jesus is our ransom, our redemption is not a matter of “from whom” but “from what.” 

            The “from what” is our bondage to sin. Later in chapter 2, Paul writes of how we were dead in our sins because we followed “the course of this world” and we followed “the prince of the power of the air” and “lived in the passions of the flesh.” We were in serious bondage folks. We were under Satan’s power and trapped living in the cycle of sin, shame, and guilt with no way out. 

            But God had a secret plan. Paul called it a mystery. In verse 9 it says, “making known to us the mystery of his will.” Mystery in Greek always conveys a sense of secrecy, but in this verse it’s not a secret. I can keep a secret, but not from Sharon (or not very long). I did not throw her a surprise birthday party because we just don’t do the secret thing. God can’t keep a secret. God loves to reveal his mysteries to us. So much for a secret plan. 

            The plan has two parts. First, through King Jesus, his death and resurrection “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” Jesus’ blood pays the price to free us from our bondage to sin. We are free to be God’s children now. We know this, right?

            The second part is not as well known. Through King Jesus the plan includes the world as we know it “to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth,” (10b). Other translations prefer “to gather up all things in him” or “to bring everything together under the authority of Christ.” In essence, it means “to bring to unity, sum up.” Like summing up a verbal argument. In other words, Jesus is the final word. He sums up our existence by reconciling us to God AND putting everything in the universe back in the right place. In Jesus, the final word, the whole universe is restored. 

            To the politicians and their promises, the person who does not call Jesus “King,” this is a mystery. It is a puzzle they cannot solve. If humanity cannot figure out peace in the Middle East, then there is no hope, they say. But in Jesus, all things are made right when he comes.

 

In Christ, we are Heirs (1:11-14)

 

There are many things that divide people today: race, nationality, Conservative or Liberal, rich and poor. I watched a movie a few weeks ago about a future civil war in the US. These reporters were trying to say they weren’t the enemy by claiming to be “American.” The man with the gun and a slow southern drawl replied, “What kind of American?” 

            The division in the ancient world was between Jew and Gentile. Jews were God’s chosen people; Gentiles were idol worshipers. But now Paul is talking about how in Christ, God is bringing everything together, including Jew and Gentile. 

            There is a curious shift in these verses indicated by “we” and “you.” Paul stands with his Jewish heritage when he says, “In him we have obtained an inheritance…we who were the first to hope in Christ…” The “we” refers to the Jews. They were the race through whom the Savior of the world has come. They had the scriptures. They had the advantages of prophecy and insight into this mystery. And they were the first to believe in Jesus.

            Then comes the “you also” part. “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him…” (13). Paul now speaks to the Gentiles and affirms them that they are part of the chosen people too. Both Jew and Gentile have been chosen to be part of the new family of God. We know this because God would not place his seal on Gentiles unless he chose to possess them. They are sealed, branded as it were, with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. This is the evidence that we belong to Christ, and a guarantee that we will one day fully realize what it means to be in God’s family. 

            Before you and I were sealed in the Holy Spirit we did two things: First, we heard the word of truth – the gospel, the good news of how God was saving people. Second, you gave allegiance to Jesus as King. Belief alone is not enough because it’s not just believing that something is true. Believing is more like allegiance, like pledging loyalty to King Jesus and his way of living. The gospel is something you obey. You submit to Jesus as King. Then God seals you with the Holy Spirit. 

            God does this for his glory. Look at v. 6 “to the praise of his glorious grace…” and v. 12, “to the praise of his glory,” and at v. 14, “to the praise of his glory.” This is the chief purpose of our lives. This is the reason God chose us before the creation of the world to be his family. He transformed us from rebels steeped in sin to children of God. You and I bring glory to God. And we do this by living a life that reflects King Jesus. 

 

Rick Warren, in his book The Purpose Driven Life, explains from the outset what the purpose of your life is: 

It’s not about you. 

The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.

            Consider what God has done for this specific purpose in Christ:

·      He has “blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (3). 

·      “he chose us in him before the creation of the world” (4). 

·      “he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ,” (5).

·      “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,” (7)

·      He made “known to us the mystery of his will…in Christ” (9).

·      He is uniting all things together in Christ (10).

·      “In him we have obtained an inheritance” (11).

·      “In him (you) were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,” (13). 

            For these reasons, we live to the praise of his glory. What does it mean to live for the glory of God? 

            If you have been moved by the Spirit to hunger for more of what God has in store for you in this life, keep reading the letter to the Ephesians. For now, what Paul has done is introduce us to our amazing God and why we ought to worship him…in Christ!!

 

                                                            AMEN

 

 

Prayer

Our Father, we pray that you will take away the dimness from our vision, the dullness from our understanding, and help us to comprehend these great themes which have changed the history of the world again and again as men and women have grasped them. Save us from the danger of taking them for granted or of giving them no attention. But help us, Lord, young and old alike, to think deeply and seriously about these great statements, to understand that this is the way that you are acting, this is the course of your movement through history. Lord, help us by thy grace to rejoice, to lay hold of what you have done for us, and to respond by being instruments in your hand; in Jesus' name we ask, Amen.

 

Why Are We Here? Rosenort's 150th Anniversary Celebration

WHY ARE WE HERE?

Rosenort’s 150^th Anniversary Celebration

Rosenort EMC

 

Why are we here? 

That’s a deep and philosophical question; maybe it’s too heavy for a celebration.

Why are we here? 

            Because the delegate David Klassen found some land and established a village near here. It may amuse you to know as a child hearing the story of his coming to Canada and having been raised on stories of the Wild West, I believed that David and the other delegate, while exploring some land, were chased by hostile Indians. I imagined them spurring their horses to get away with arrows flying about them. That’s not what happened. But it makes for a good movie.

Why are we here?

            To celebrate 150 years of settlement in this rich, fertile community and the blessings of God we have known here. When our people’s privileges in Russia to teach, preach, and speak in German were eroding, when our young men were being conscripted to join the Imperial Army, they found a new land, a Promised Land in Canada where they could worship and live in freedom. Is that a good answer?

Why are we here? 

            Psalm 145 clearly tells us why we have been placed here, even why we were created. We have been placed on the earth to be personally blown away by the glory of God. And when we have stopped to consider the faithfulness of God and have been blown away by the glory of God, we want to live for that glory and not our own. 

Why are we here? 

            We are here, not to wipe the dust off our history, but to declare to God and to those who will listen, that our God is worthy of praise and honor and glory. 

 

To Praise God! (1-2)

 

We don’t know the circumstances which prompted David to write this psalm, but it must have been a good day. Some of David’s psalms cry out for justice, for God’s answer to his melancholy. Not in this psalm; this is a psalm of praise.

            David the king acknowledges that God is the true King, and he provides us with the biblical answer to the question “Why are we here?” He says, “I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Everyday I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever,” (1-2).

            To “extol” is to praise enthusiastically. It is not a mental assent to the good things of God; it is not a murmur or whisper of thanksgiving; it is an obvious and exuberant “hallelujah” that everyone can see. David declares, “I will loudly exclaim the value and worth of the King of the Universe!” 

            The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks the question, “What is the chief end of man?” And the answer is, “To glorify God and enjoy him forever.” You and I were created to bring glory to God. There is no higher calling. 

            How we bring glory to God can be contrasted by the microscope – telescope analogy. Glorify and magnify are very similar terms, but the instruments in question are very different. A microscope magnifies little, teeny things and makes them bigger than they are, while a telescope makes gigantic things that to the naked eye look more like what they are. To glorify God like a microscope is like grasping and groping to find something, anything to praise God for, while to glorify God like a telescope is to search the immensity of God and find that you can barely begin to explore the ways in which God has revealed himself to you in your life. 

            Your life, your parenting, your job, how you behave, the way you worship, the way you handle life – everyone should read from your life, “God is great!” 

The Reasons are Innumerable (3)

 

The reasons to praise God are innumerable. David testifies to this when he himself says, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable,” (3). 

            The NIV is closer in this text using “his greatness no one can fathom.” Fathom is a word that gives us a nautical picture to work with. A fathom is a sailor’s measurement of depth. If something is unfathomable, it means you can lower a depth-finder deeper and deeper and never reach the bottom. That’s the greatness of God. His glory is so great we will spend a billion years in eternity researching the glory of God and we will have just begun to begin. 

            This is something Paul begins to pray for the Ephesian believers when he prays that they “may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth…” (3:18). He was trying to have them understand the love of God in Christ but gets lost in his musings so that he doesn’t even finish his thought. He can’t. Paul considered God in Christ and seems to have left his readers hanging. But he goes on to pray that they know the love of Christ which is ironically beyond knowing. 

            To count God’s blessings is as Matt Maher sings beyond our ability to count. “One, two, three, up to infinity. I’d run out of numbers before I could thank you for everything. God I’m still counting my blessings.” 

            Where do we begin? David Klassen brought 30 families to a hot, muggy, mosquito-infested flood plain and said, “We’re home.” Follow that with the coldest winter on record in Manitoba and you can see why no one wanted to live here. Fast-forward 150 years and we have reaped the blessings of these pioneers and live quite comfortably with our A/C and our Thermacells. And it’s quite easy to dismiss the distant reality that if Klassen and the Mennonites hadn’t moved, we would be living in the middle of a warzone in Ukraine. 

            One, two, three, up to infinity…

Praising God Teaches the Next Generation (4, 11-12)

 

Praising God must have been a public event for David and his people. Or at least he envisioned that praise would involve rehearsing the stories of God’s faithfulness in the homes as grandparents related them to the younger generation. David wrote, “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts,” (4). A little while later, David repeats this charge to share these stories of God’s activities, “They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds and the glorious splendour of your kingdom,” (11-12).        

            To praise God goes beyond singing songs and declaring “How great thou art…” The Mennonites of David Klassen’s day had a morbid fascination with the Martyr’s Mirror. Between the Bible and the Mirror, these pages were fodder for sermons. Why rehearse the stories of men and women who suffered and died for their faith? What encouragement could be gained from such profound defeats? I believe they saw in the martyr stories the power to face anything; they saw that a person could trust in God with the last drop of blood believing in a better world to come with Christ as King. So, they shared these stories boldly. 

            When evangelical fervor was awakened in the Kleine Gemeinde (EMC) and the missionary spirit renewed, the Rosenort Church led the way with missionaries. I recall the story of Ben Eidse wanting to be a teacher and his father replying, “A teacher? I would rather you be a farmer.” And then Eidse decided to be a missionary, his father replied, “A missionary? I would rather you be a teacher.” But Eidse had been touched by the true evangelical spirit and convicted that people needed to know Jesus Christ. And the only way they would know Christ is if he stepped up and went to Congo.

            The same could be said of Frank and Marge Kroeker when they went to Paraguay. They and many others forged ahead and were determined to “speak of the glory of God’s kingdom and tell of his power to save” through Jesus’ work on the cross. We need to tell these stories and how God has been faithful to the community of believers in Rosenort. 

 

His Works Speak for Themselves (5-7, 10)

 

David knew that these stories of God’s goodness needed to be told and retold. As Jesus entered triumphantly into Jerusalem, the crowds praised the Lord for sending Messiah. But the Jews told Jesus to rebuke them. Jesus replied, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out,” (Lk. 19:40). 

            David said, “On the glorious splendour of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness,” (5-6). And then later, he writes of God’s deeds, “All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!” (10). In a manner of speaking, David echoes Jesus saying that God’s work speaks for itself. How many times have we viewed the wonders of creation and thought, “How great is our God!” Stand at the lip of the Grand Canyon, stare down from the Alps, or gaze upon the great big sky of Manitoba, and tell me you are not in awe of our Creator. 

            But Paul reflects on God’s greatest work and declares, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them,” (Eph. 2:10). WE are his workmanship. God has done an amazing thing through Jesus in taking sinners and transforming us into his children! 

            As a professor of Anabaptist History, I have the opportunity to share the stories of our ancestors who took a bold step to baptize adults at a time when the church was stagnating. 500 years of faithfulness. We have a heritage of faith that has been passed down to us and we must not forget it. I hear often from my students that they dread a history course; they fear it will be boring facts and dates. When the course is done and the stories of God’s work in faithful people has been shared, their eyes are alight with the drama of our Anabaptist/Mennonite journey. It’s not history; it’s God at work. And you and I are the beneficiaries of this heritage of faith. 

 

The Character of God Calls Us to Praise (8-9)

 

Why do we praise God? His character, his person speaks to us in a profoundly loving way. David repeats a phrase we have heard before: “The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made,” (8-9). 

            I wondered, “Where have we heard that before?” So, I searched and found it in an ancient text, in Exodus. Moses wanted to see God. But God said that he couldn’t see God and live. God placed Moses in the cleft of a rock, covered him with the shadow of his hand, and passed by that place speaking these words that David quoted. 

            For centuries that hand covered the people so that they could not fully see God. Then Jesus came. And Paul interpreted his coming like this: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,” (2 Co. 4:6). God has taken his hand away and we see Jesus who is God in the flesh, gracious and merciful, abounding in love. 

            We have seen him because we see his works. Look around. 

 

Why are we here? 

            In the world? We are here to praise the living God and to tell of his works to people who need to know him. We are the evidence of Christ’s transforming work that changed us from sinners to saints.

Why are we here? 

            In Rosenort? After 150 years, we can look back and see a little bit of what God has been doing. The story is grander than our little blip in history, but our part is significant. I believe we have been brought to this place as a faint reflection of the Promised Land. We have been brought here to grow in faith, to prosper from the land, and to take that prosperity and send workers into the field to join Christ in the true harvest.

            I know that it is tempting to think that you earned the prosperity of these times. But don’t be fooled, God gave you the riches of this place and said, “Now, be faithful.” 

            Now the world is coming to us, to tiny Rosenort. We have seen in the past years how people of different ethnicities have joined us in our village. This community was established in faith, and we must continue to be a beacon of faith to our new neighbors. They have come to share in our prosperity, but the true riches of our faith – that’s what they really need. They need the Jesus who has done a good work in us. How will we respond to these challenges? 

            At age 22, Jim Elliot had a promising ministry in front of him in the United States. He probably could have been a very successful pastor or evangelist or teacher. His parents were not very excited about his call to go to the Quichuas in South America. They wrote and told him so. He answered bluntly.

"I do not wonder that you were saddened at the word of my going to South America," he replied on August 8. "This is nothing else than what the Lord Jesus warned us of when He told the disciples that they must become so infatuated with the kingdom and following Him that all other allegiances must become as though they were not. And He never excluded the family tie. In fact, those loves that we regard as closest, He told us must become as hate in comparison with our desires to uphold His cause. Grieve not, then, if your sons seem to desert you, but rejoice, rather, seeing the will of God done gladly. Remember how the Psalmist described children? He said that they were as an heritage from the Lord, and that every man should be happy who had his quiver full of them. And what is a quiver full of but arrows? And what are arrows for but to shoot? So, with the strong arms of prayer, draw the bowstring back and let the arrows fly - all of them, straight at the Enemy's hosts.

"Give of thy sons to bear the message glorious, give of thy wealth to speed them on their way, pour out thy soul for them in prayer victorious, and all thou spendest Jesus will repay."

(Elisabeth Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot, [New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers: 1958] p. 132; hymn quote from "Oh, Zion Haste")

            We have a quiver full of arrows: faith, wealth, prayer, opportunity, and sons and daughters. Let us pray and let the arrows fly.

            This is why we are here!

 

 

                                                AMEN

Covenant Membership Sunday

COVENANT PROMISES:

PARTNERING TOGETHER

 

“Fellowship” has taken on a companion word that detracts from its original meaning: coffee! Following a rousing time of worship or Bible study, we love to come down from that high with a relaxing “coffee fellowship.” Our common misunderstanding is that fellowship means “visiting” with a coffee cup in hand. 

            That’s not what “fellowship” means. 

            The biblical understanding of “fellowship” comes from the Greek word “koinonia.” It is translated “fellowship” in your Bibles, but it means “partnership.” 

            J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring illustrates this. Nine unlikely characters from different races (Hobbit, Elf, Dwarf, Wizard, and Human) come together in a partnership to accomplish a herculean task. They can’t do it alone; they need each other. In a significant scene, the nine heroes covenant together to form a fellowship dedicated to their singular task: to destroy the ring (representing evil) and preserve the world they inhabit.

            That sounds like the church. We come from different backgrounds and ethnicities to find unity under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. With our unique gifts, we partner together to resist the evil of our world and advance the values and truths of the kingdom of God. We are the Rosenort Fellowship. We know we can’t live the Christian life alone, so we covenant together to form this fellowship of believers to be salt and light in our part of the world.

            To be a true fellowship united in Jesus Christ, we need to covenant together.  I want to unpack the biblical theme of covenant with you this morning so that we understand what this Covenanting Service involves for you and me. Then we will enter or renew our covenant with each other.

 

 

What is a Covenant?

A covenant is commonly used in legal, social, religious and theological contexts. I like to emphasize the relational aspect of covenant. Contract sounds cold. We cannot forget the relationship that underlies the agreement. The meaning of covenant is “coming together.” 

Think of the covenant of marriage: a covenant between a husband and wife helps to establish the basis of the relationship, conditions that help the spouses to thrive, promises that give hope to the couple for a happy future. And there are consequences if those conditions are unmet. 

Why is covenant important to us? Because the covenants provide a framework for how we understand the Bible and how it works together. Those 66 books we call “the Bible” hang together brilliantly because of the covenants. God enters one formal partnership (covenant) after another with various humans to rescue the world. Through these covenants, we find the story of the Bible driving forward until the climax is reached in Jesus. “To tell the story of God redeeming humanity through Jesus is to tell the whole story of God’s covenantal relationship with humans,” (Bible Project).

So, a covenant is a relationship between two partners who make binding promises to each other and work together to reach a common goal. They are often accompanied by signs. We must remember that covenant is relational and personal (like the marriage example). 

 

Why God Partners with Human Beings

The covenantal story begins when God created human beings in his image to partner with him in spreading his good rule throughout the world. “Covenant” is not used in Genesis 1, but the idea lingers in the background. 

            God invites Adam and Eve to be his representatives by ruling over the earth. They would enjoy God’s blessings so long as they do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (note the conditions). In this test of covenantal faithfulness, they failed. They ate from the tree and brought a curse on humanity and the world. We would be trapped in the spiral of sin and self-destruction if God had not intervened to restore his partnership with humanity through covenants.

            There are five covenants that build upon one another to bring about the salvation of the world…

 

The Five Major Covenants of the Bible

 

The Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9:11-13) – By the time of Noah, sin has enveloped the whole world, and evil has corrupted everything and everyone. In response, God sends a flood to restore Creation and begin again with Noah’s family. 

            After the flood, God enters a formal relationship with Noah and all living creatures promising that he will never again flood the earth. “I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth,” (11). Then God gives the sign of the rainbow as a reminder of this covenant. God will preserve the world no matter how bad humanity becomes and promises to rescue humanity and creation through the “offspring of the woman” (Gen. 3:15). God’s covenant in this instance is unconditional, meaning that God will keep his promise regardless of human compliance or sin. 

 

The Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 17:4-8) – Even after the flood, sin continues to infest the world. Humanity continues to do its own thing and ignore the God who created them. How is God going to restore his good world?

            God calls Abraham into another covenant relationship. Slowly, over the course of his life (Gen 12, 15, 17), Abraham is led to understand what God is going to do. This covenant is the most central to the biblical story of redemption. God calls out Abraham to be the father of a huge family that will bless the world for generations to come. “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations…And I will establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant..." (4, 7). God promises to give his people a land and to be their God. 

            The sign of this covenant is circumcision which is to be a reminder to Abraham and his children that they are set apart for God. While the covenant is primarily unconditional, there is a conditional part: Abraham needs to believe that God will do this. And Abraham does believe and is called the father of those who have faith. 

            What is particularly significant is that Abraham will be a blessing to all the nations. Though it is not said “how,” Abraham’s family means something good for the world.

 

The Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 31:12-18) – Through Abraham’s one and only son, Isaac, Abraham’s family increases in the land of Egypt numbering probably 2 million. But they are under the boot of Pharaoh who feels threatened by God’s people. They cry out to God and God calls Moses to lead his people out of the slavery of Egypt to the land of Promise. 

            They escape Pharaoh and his army through miraculous means and end up at Mount Sinai. On the mountain, God reveals himself to Moses and revisits the promises made to Abraham. With Moses as representative of the people of God, God makes a covenant with them. God promises to make them a nation of priests who will represent God to the world. 

            It is here at Mount Sinai that God gives his people the law that is meant to transform them into a people unique in all the world. This covenant is conditional, meaning there is something that the people need to do: obey the law. If they do, there will be blessings; if they don’t, there are curses. A sign of this obedience to the covenant is keeping the Sabbath. The Lord said, “Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you…that you may know that I, the LORD sanctify you,” (13b).

The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:12-16) – God’s people enter the Promised Land, but after a time they forget the covenant at Mount Sinai and want a king like other nations. We know about the first king, Saul, and how that went badly. Then God chooses a man to be king who was a “man after God’s own heart.” David establishes the kingdom of Israel and wants to build God a temple. The Lord responds by making a covenant with David.

            The Lord promises David, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever,” (16). The promise is an everlasting legacy, and the sign will be that someone in David’s family will sit on his throne forever. 

 

The Messianic Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) – God continued to keep his end of the covenants even if his people failed to keep their end of the partnership. But somebody had to fulfill the human side of the agreement so that God could repair his relationship with his people. Amid the sin and rebellion of humankind, God made a covenant with the people that would be an everlasting covenant.

            The LORD said, “Behold, the days are coming,  declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah…(see 31-34).” Before this time, the law had been external, a harsh taskmaster that stood over the people and reminded them they were sinners. But now, the LORD would make the law internal, a more natural inclination to obey that came from within. God would forgive their sins, and a David-like king would rule over them forever.

            Jesus is the climax of this covenant promise. Jesus fulfills all the covenant promises. Where humanity failed to keep their part of the partnership, the man Jesus Christ, is a blessing to all nations, he is obedient to the whole law, he is the perfect son of David, king of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus succeeded at every point where humanity failed.

            The sign of this covenant is the bread and the cup. These signs remind us of the faithfulness of Christ and the unconditional promise that he has made us children of the Father in heaven.

 

Our Covenant at Rosenort Fellowship…

 

What do these covenants have to do with covenant membership at RFC?

            I have a dream… (sounds like MLK) …I have a dream that we would agree to partner together to follow Jesus Christ. I have a dream that those who pursue a life with Jesus would partner together to be a community of followers who love each other, encourage one another in faith, help each other when one falls in sin, pray for each other when we suffer, remind each other of the power of Christ when we feel weak. I have a dream that people of all walks of life and ethnicities could come together and agree on Jesus, that he is our Savior, and he is our LORD. 

            By covenanting together, we are agreeing that the story of redemption that I have just outlined is our story. We are the continuation of that story. We are blessed through Abraham; we are the representatives of God in this world pressing on to make this world better through the gospel of Jesus; we are priests in the kingdom of the Son of David ministering to a fallen world, bringing healing and love and shalom. 

            I have a dream that we would be a community that stands out against the coldness and bitterness of our world. I have a dream that a person who seeks God would know that they may belong to this covenant people.

            Do you share my dream?

 

 The following Covenant stipulations are found in our Church handbook. If you would like a copy to study further, please contact our office. 

The Covenant	Biblical Reference	Promised Blessing	Conditions	Sign
Noahic	Genesis 9:11-13	God will never again flood the earth	Unconditional	Rainbow
Abrahamic	Genesis 17:4-8	Abraham will be the father of many peoples, he will inherit the land, and will be a blessing to the world	Unconditional	Circumcision
Mosaic	Exodus 31:12-18	Israel will be a holy nation of priests who will represent Yahweh to the world	Conditional	Obey the law and commandments; keep the Sabbath
Davidic	2 Samuel 7:12-16	David’s name will be great and one of his descendants will sit on his throne forever	Unconditional	Throne of David
Messianic	Jeremiah 31:31:34; Luke 22:19-22	The law will be written on the hearts of God’s people, their sins forgiven, and will enjoy the reign of David’s Son	Unconditional	The Bread and the Cup

 

            Why Covenant with RFC (Rosenort Fellowship Chapel)?CHURCH COVENANT

A. Rationale

We believe that the church is a community of faith bound together by the covenant of Jesus Christ. Believers are in a covenant relationship with God and with each other. Jesus taught that the Christian life could be best nurtured and expressed when an individual commits himself or herself to a group of Christ-followers, the body of Christ.

The New Testament clearly teaches commitment and accountability within a local body of Christ-followers. In the context of this local body, we look for ways to encourage commitment and reflect what it means to be part of the local and visible church.

A covenant commitment to a church community is necessary for the following reasons:

1. A Biblical Reason: The New Testament reveals that local churches were a reality and a necessity.

   • Romans 16:1, 5 “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae...Greet also the church in their house...”

   • 1 Corinthians 1:2 “To the church of God that is in Corinth...”

   • Galatians 1:2 “To the churches of Galatia...”

   • 1 Thessalonians 1:2 “To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus

     Christ...”

2. A Cultural Reason: Community counters the trend of society.

• In an age of isolation and individualism where commitment to a marriage, a job, or a family is at a low point in society, a covenant community offers an alternative to “going it alone.” We believe that committing oneself to a body of believers makes a person stronger in character and in faith.

3. A Practical Reason: It reveals who the church community can depend upon.

• Covenant commitment identifies our church family. Just as sports teams have rosters and schools have an enrolment, church communities need a tangible way of identifying those who have chosen to belong to the local body.

4. A Personal Reason: It produces spiritual growth.

• The New Testament places a major emphasis on the need for Christians to be accountable to each other for spiritual growth. By committing ourselves to the body of believers, we face challenges or crises together. When we work together with others who are committed to Christ, we grow in our spiritual life.

B. Our Commitment to Each Other at RFC

Recognizing the awesome responsibility of being the church, the group of people who corporately make up the body of Christ, we, the RFC Church family, covenant to provide you:

1. The Opportunity to Fellowship

1. RFC is a community where you can belong.

2. RFC is a community where you will be cared for.

3. RFC is a community where you will be held accountable in your faith walk.

4. RFC is a community with whom you can worship the Lord.

5. “So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another,” Romans

   12:5.

6. “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a

   spirit of gentleness...Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ,” Galatians 6:1-2.

JUNE 2024

17

g. “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,” Ephesians 5:19.

2. The Opportunity to Serve

   1. In the area of your giftedness.

   2. In the church community and in the constituency.

   3. “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them...” Romans 12:6a.

   4. “...as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the

      household of faith,” Galatians 6:10.

3. The Opportunity to Learn

   1. Through preaching and teaching.

   2. For spiritual growth and guidance in daily living.

   3. “Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete

      patience and teaching,” 2 Timothy 4:2

   4. “Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how

      you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus,” 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2.

4. The Opportunity to Receive Spiritual Care and Nurture

   1. Through instruction and Believer’s Baptism.

   2. Through participation in communion.

   3. Through visitation and prayer in times of special needs.

   4. In preparation for and during significant life events (weddings, funerals, etc.).

   5. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him,

      anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,” James 5:14.

   6. “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread

      and the prayers,” Acts 2:42.

C. Your Commitment to the RFC Family

Having received Christ as my Lord and Savior and having been baptized upon the confession of my faith in him, I feel led by the Holy Spirit to unite with the RFC Church family. In doing so, I humbly commit myself to God and to this community of believers to:

1. Guard the Unity of My Church

   1. By acting in love toward other members.

   2. By refusing to gossip.

   3. By following the leaders.

   4. By accepting and supporting corporate decisions.

   • “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another,

     in accord with Christ Jesus,” Romans 15:5

   • “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as first

     the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear,” Ephesians 4:29.

2. Share Responsibility for the Growth of My Church

   1. By praying for its growth.

   2. By inviting the unchurched to attend.

   3. By warmly welcoming those who visit.

   • “...Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.” Luke 14:23.

   • “...welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God,” Romans 15:7.

JUNE 2024

18

3. Serve in the Ministry of My Church

   1. By living a godly life.

   2. By discovering and using my gifts and talents.

   3. By developing a servant’s heart.

   4. By serving for God’s glory and not the praise of people.

   • “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace...” 1

     Peter 4:10

   • “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this in

     mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus...taking the form of a servant,” Philippians 2:4-5, 7.

4. Support My Church in Practical Ways

   1. With my time, by attending faithfully.

   2. With my resources, by serving where possible.

   3. With my finances, by giving regularly.

   • “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one

     another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching,” Hebrews 10:25.

   • “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and

     builds itself up in love, as each part does its work,” Ephesians 4:15-16.

   • “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his

     income...” 1 Corinthians 16:2.

     My Covenant with Christ and RFC:

     With my signature below, I declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, that the Bible is the very Word of God, and that salvation is only through the Lord Jesus Christ. I have repented of my sins and have received cleansing and forgiveness through faith in the shed blood of Christ. In obedience to Christ and because I desire to publicly proclaim my faith, I have been baptized as a believer.

     Trusting in the Holy Spirit for guidance, I seek to lead a consistent Christian life, honoring Christ in all my relationships. I am in agreement with the statement of faith and practices of RFC, as well as the RFC church covenant statement, to the extent that I am prepared to covenant with the RFC, becoming an active covenant member. I commit myself to support RFC through prayer, regular worship, giving, and service.