December 26, 2004: Lessons: Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:5-12

Sermon Title: Looking for God in All the Right Places

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INTRODUCTION:
  1. Stuart Hamblin wrote a marvelous song that invites us to answer an important question:

HOW BIG IS GOD

Though men may strive to go beyond the reef of space
To walk beyond the distance shining stars
This world's a room so small within my Master's house
The open sky's but a portion of his yard
How big is God how big and wide is his domain
To try to tell these lips can only start
He's big enough to rule the mighty universe yet small enough to live within my heart

As winter chill may cause the tiny seed to fall to lie asleep till wake by summer's rain
The heart grown cold will warm and trod with life anew
The Master's touch will bring the glow again
How big is God. how big and wide is his domain
To try to tell these lips can only start
He's big enough to rule the mighty universe yet small enough to live within my heart

    1. How big is God? Here is a somewhat humorous story.

Four women were sitting discussing their sons.

The first proudly stated that her son was a bishop, so when he enters a room, people address him as "Reverend Father."

The second, not to be outdone, said that her son is a cardinal, so when he enters the room, people address him as "Your Grace."

The third quietly stated that her son was the pope, so when he enters the room, the people say: "Your Holiness."

The fourth woman said: "Well my son is 7 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 430 pounds, and when he walks into a room people say: "My God!"

    1. My God does not stand 7 feet 2 inches tall and weigh 430 pounds.

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MAIN BODY:

  1. What do you want in a god?
  2. Before you begin to answer that question consider these questions.
    1. What do you want in an automobile

Commercial for a Toyota Camry (1)

Life doesn't stand still. One minute you're off to work, the next, you're on your way to play. So you need a car that can take you wherever life goes. The 2005 Camry is that car. It's sophisticated, but not stuffy. It's also comfortable and safe, and goes like a double espresso. What's more, there's a Camry that's perfect for whatever point you're at. Whether you opt for the Standard model, the value-packed LE, the sporty SE, or the luxurious XLE, the Camry is the right way to get where you're going.

    1. What do you want in a home?

Newspaper ad for Real Estate - Sale, Home News, December 22, 2004

Cozy Coon rock Haven! This charming 3 bedroom, 2 bath home was originally the Coon Rock Haven Church beck in 1887. Now completely redone as a home with a lot to offer. Well over 1500 sq. ft., cathedral ceilings, loft, master walk-in closet, 1st floor laundry, 2 car garage and 1 acre of land. #1371750...$136,000 Rhonda Rott, Owner/Broker, Century 21. You could also see our friend, Marty L'Herault.

    1. Now, What do you want in a god?
      1. Everyone has something or some that is worshiped.
      2. If we create specifications for a home or a car, why not a god?
      3. This is a question that I have sought for years to answer for myself.
        1. My god is not 7 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 430 pounds.
        2. That god is too small.

J. B. Philips a number of years ago wrote a book titled: "Your God Is Too Small"

"There are doubtless many reasons for the degeneration of Christianity into churchiness, and the narrowing of the Gospel for all mankind into a set of approved beliefs; but the chief cause must be the worship of an inadequate god -- a cramped and regulated god who is a 'good churchman' according to the formulas of the worshipper. For actual behaviour infallibly betrays the real object of the man's worship. All Christians, whatever their Church, would of course instantly repudiate the idea that their god was a super-example of their own denomination, and it is not suggested that the worship is conscious. Nevertheless, beneath the conscious critical level of the mind it is perfectly possible for the Anglo-Catholic, for example, to conceive God as particularly pleased with Anglo-Catholicism, doubtful about Evangelicalism, and frankly displeased by all forms of Nonconformity... The ultra-low Churchman on the other hand must admit, if he is honest, that the God whom he worships disapproves most strongly of vestments, incense, and candles on the altar. The tragedy of these examples -- which could be reproduced ad nauseam any day of the week -- is not difference of opinion, which will probably be with us till the Day of Judgment, but the outrageous folly and damnable sin of trying to regard God as the Party Leader of a particular point of view." (2)

    1. The problems with small gods are their inadequacies.
      1. We very often don't know what to do with them.
      2. This may be very troublesome.

Speaking of trouble on the water... (3)

One summer, down on Lake Isabella, located in the high desert, an hour east of Bakersfield, California, some folks, new to boating, were having a problem. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get their brand-new 22-foot Bayliner to perform. It wouldn't get on a plane at all, and it was very sluggish in almost every maneuver, no matter how much power was applied.

After about an hour of trying to make it go, they putted over to a nearby marina, thinking someone there could tell them what was wrong. A thorough topside check revealed everything in perfect working order. The engine ran fine, the outdrive went up and down, the prop was the correct size and pitch.

So, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath. He came up choking on water, he was laughing so hard.

Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer.

      1. Small gods may not only be troublesome, they may also be powerless.

"On a kitchen wall was a beautifully taxidermied sea gull with wings stretched as if in full flight. The wooden board on which the bird was mounted read, 'Whenever I try to fly, someone stands on my wings." (4)

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  1. My God is more that 7 feet 2 inches tall and weighs more that 430 pounds.
    1. Check out what Isaiah proclaims in Isaiah 52:9-10

9    Break forth together into singing,
        you ruins of Jerusalem;
      for the LORD has comforted his people,
        he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10  The LORD has bared his holy arm
        before the eyes of all the nations;
      and all the ends of the earth shall see
        the salvation of our God.

    1. What does the writer of Hebrews communicate in Hebrews 1.8-12

8But of the Son he says,
        "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
            and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.
9       You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
        therefore God, your God, has anointed you
            with the oil of gladness beyond your companions."
10And,
        "In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,
            and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11     they will perish, but you remain;
            they will all wear out like clothing;
12     like a cloak you will roll them up,
            and like clothing they will be changed.
        But you are the same,
            and your years will never end."

    1. What are you looking for in a god?
      1. Why do we go to Moses instead of Jesus?
      2. Why do we seek law instead of love?
      3. What do we emphasize obedience instead of mercy?
      4. Why is there an intolerance for the non-conformist.
      5. Why is there resistance to change?
      6. It depends on your point of view and what you are attempting to construct.

Many people are like the woman, married to the wealthy Texan, who confessed:

"I didn't want to marry him for his money, but how else was I going to get it?"

      1. Again J. B. Philips wrote:

"God may thunder His commands from Mount Sinai and men may fear, yet remain at heart exactly as they were before. But let a man once see his God down in the arena as a Man, -- suffering, tempted, sweating, and agonized, finally dying a criminal's death - and he is a hard man indeed who is untouched." (5)

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  1. To answer my own question I looked not only at the lesson for this morning, but also at what Jesus had to say about shepherding and himself in John 10.1-16

John 10:1-16, NRSVA

1"Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." 6Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away--and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

    1. I was especially struck by verse 10.

10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

      1. Who is the thief.
        1. The established purpose of the thief is to:
          1. steal
          2. kill
          3. destroy
        2. If your god steals, than he/she is not God
        3. If your god kills, than he/she is not God
        4. If your god destroys, that he/she is not God
        5. Stealing life, killing life, destroying any capacity for improving or enjoying life are not the actions of the God of Jesus Christ..
      2. By contrast Jesus comes to give life and that abundantly.
        1. We do not have to rehearse the abundance that Jesus make possible.
        2. It might take longer than the time we have for this worship service.
    1. So, what we have is illustrated the differences between people's sometimes gods, and God.
    2. This is why my God is more than 7 feet 2 inches tall and weighs more than 430 pounds.

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CONCLUSION

  1. Many people look for God in all the wrong places.

Henri Nouwen in Mornings with Henri, wrote:

It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life. Jesus asks, "Do you love me?" We ask, "Can we sit at your right hand and your left hand in your Kingdom?" (Mt. 20:21)...We have been tempted to replace love with power. (6)

    1. Is he right, that maybe this is the wrong way to search out God?
    2. What are the right places?
    3. It all depends on your point of view.

The success of The Phantom Tollbooth is that Norton Juster knows that the child in us can always learn. In the story is a boy named Milo, who travels the Kingdom of Knowledge. Everywhere he goes, Milo learns life-lessons from a bewildering set of bemusing characters. Here is a lesson from Alec Bings at the Point of View:

"From here that looks like a bucket of water," Alec said, pointing to a bucket of water, "but from an ant's point of view it's a vast ocean, from an elephant's, just a cool drink, and to a fish, of course, it's home. So, you see, the way you see things depends a great deal on where you look at them from."

    1. How big is your god?
    2. Who is your god?
    3. Where are you going to find God?
    4. What are you going to do with him, once he is discovered?

"God is the one we meet," a great theologian said, "when we dare to be foolish, when we love without the certainty that we will be loved in return, when we remain true to our convictions...Just where we are, living quite ordinarily, carrying on patiently, it is here precisely that we can experience the coming of the kingdom of God." (7)

1. Retrieved from http://www.toyota.com/camry/

2. J. B. Phillips Your God is too Small

3. "Help! I'm sinking!" Homiletics Magazine, January 16, 2005, Text file: JAN1605A.TXT. Used with permission

4. R. Robert Cueni, The Vital Church Leader [Nashville: Abingdon, 1990], 26).

5. Ibid

6. Henri Nouwen in Mornings with Henri J. M. Nouwen, quoted in Christianity Today, February 8, 1999, 72.

7. Karl Rahner

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