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The episodes are the weekly sermons from 922 Ministries (St. Peter and The CORE) of Appleton, Wisconsin.
#Blessed
Week 3 - The CORE
Pastor Bill Monday
Good morning. Oh, that's how I was starting my sermon. So if you would not interrupt, that would be actually it all truth that I was thinking about how we greet each other, and how cool is it?
I greet you “good morning” and you're so kind and generous to greet me. Good morning. Think about how we greet people, but we don't just say, good morning. We also say hello. We say, Hey, or maybe if you're a mixed crowd with people, you kind of know you ever do this. Hey, you You because you don't remember their name. Hey you, what's going on? Or we might think of other ways of saying glow pleased to meet you or one of my favorites, how you doing that? That's a friend's reference I've been binge-watching. Then never mind. I think about how we greet each other, I suppose, if we're thinking about a little bit around the world even or down. All around the world we might see things like howdy partner. I told my wife that I was going to say that she's from Texas. She's like yeah hey don't really say that much. So. Okay, how about overseas? We might say, bon jour or down south overseas, we might say something like buenos Diaz or deals or I guess when Pastor Mike gets back when I asked him how that really sounds probably should just stick to English for me, we got all sorts of ways of greeting people. Hola, Aloha, one of my favorites. When I was in Israel, I really picked up on this back in 2010, among the Jewish people, and the Messianic Jews that see Jesus as the Messiah. Do you know how they greet one another? They say. Shalom, shalom. Maybe of you the fans “The Chosen” TV show. Yeah, they say that again. And again when they greet each other that's how they greet each other in Jesus, stay shalom, shalom. Shalom is a Hebrew word. It means peace. And they say that when they greet each other, they say that, you know, throughout conversations that they have where they're showing encouragement for each other, they should say that when they say farewell, Shalom, peace. And it was believed that they say shalom. And this is why. I think it's the best of greetings, even better than something like. Hey boo. My wife says, don't say that to me either. So, okay.
One of the most beautiful ways that we can seriously greet people, and I wish they'd maybe we could start that today, even where we can just say, shalom. It's because it is attached to the blessing we've been considering. Did you know that? The very last word in the Hebrew for this great blessing that we get to hear every Sunday starting some 3500 years ago. The word is Shalom. God give you his Shalom is peace. Yes. And so, if you're just catching up with us today and you're unfamiliar with this historic, ancient blessing that we still in tradition carry on with today, let me just remind you of that. At the end of the service today, you're going to hear these words. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with his favor or turn his face toward you and give you his peace. Shalom. And we have this privilege as we've already, you know, for a couple weeks and
Pastor Michael did an excellent job of sharing. The first two lines today. I have the privilege of sharing a third line with you, but just to get our bearings. I want you to know what, I just shared with you and the blessing that greeting Shalom. There is nothing better. If you're taking notes, I would suggest to you. That the blessing is the greatest, it's the best greeting. The greatest encouragement in, give the Great. Is parting word. Three years. And it's because all that's packed into it, summarized by context with that last word, shalom. And I'm going to be jumping into the third part. So again, just a reminder key you missed the first two Sundays, check us out 922ministries.com and you can hear some beautiful messages by Pastor. Mike customer Michael the first two lines. Third line is, the Lord turn his face toward you or the Lord lift up his countenance upon you is kind of the old, old English way of saying it. It's a turn of a phrase and idiom which means more than just God looking at you. But what that really means is you've entered into a king's presence and it was good when the king looked favorably upon you. In fact, there was no greater honour than the king of all to look upon you with his countenance. Who's favored there. And when it's God, who's King, there's no greater favor.
So the Lord turn his face toward you, and then give you his peace. We're talking about in this blessing. This last part where it all is tied up so, well, together talking about the work of the holy spirit. So again, if you're taking notes as we've already heard before the holy spirit is at work and that Wine. Of course, throughout the whole blessing and it causes us to think for those that are new to the faith for those that maybe have been in the faith for quite a while but could use some refreshment and who of us couldn't, I would like to start off and maybe it'll be a little technical here about the Holy Spirit.
Who is he? And how does this fit in? And what does he do? So, that's what we're going to tackle first. And it's really important that I think we have this conversation first about The Holy Spirit who's kind of the silent member of the Holy Trinity because if he's at work in this last line of blessing which pulls it all together, it would be good for us to know that he comes with all authorities. That what is imparted to you and blessing. It is trustworthy and true and it is life-changing. So who is Holy Spirit? I suppose as we look at our text before us in the scriptures we could agree with Hours and say, yeah, he is the third person of the Holy Trinity of the Trinity. So Church works there. First of all, Trinity. It's not a Bible word. You can look throughout the scriptures. You're not going to see the word Trinity there, but it's a beautiful shorthand that the church created to really summarize the meaning and how the Bible talks about God and His nature.
So the Trinity, I remember back learning first about the nature of the godhead Triune God, there's only one God, but three persons, so it's kind of one plus one plus one equals…One. Wait, one plus, one, plus one for kids in grade school don't work math that way. But when it comes to the things of God this is the equation, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit equals one God yet, the father is completely entirely God, Jesus is completely entirely God the holy spirit is completely entirely God distinct persons yet. There's only one God kind of makes your brain freeze up a little bit and it's a little early. Early. And you know what, it's a holiday weekend. So if you're like me, taking my eye, this is already beyond me. I would agree. It's behind me too. I don't understand how this works, but in childlike faith, we believe in what the Bible says about God, because Jesus is the revelation of God, he conquered death and what he says is true. All right, so I want to just share though that the Bible does only talk about one, God. Isaiah 43:10-11, just one passage that really sums it up very well. Isaiah the prophet Echoes, all the scriptures, which are in line and then agreements, here's what Isaiah says. Isaiah 43:10-11.
God is speaking says, you are my Witnesses your the people I've blessed, I put my name on you. I've claimed you, you're my witness is, declares the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen among the nations to draw people to you the nation of Israel from him, well, from which a savior will be born to you. And we are heirs where the spiritual Israel, but we put our faith in Jesus. So you're my servant whom I have chosen, so that You may consider and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no God was formed. And after me, none will come. Yes. I am the LORD and there is no savior, but me, it's kind of interesting thought here Jesus, we call and rightly. So our savior That is a Divine title that only belongs to God for God. Alone can redeem got alone, deserves the glory and Jesus Christ. The son of man is the Son of God, God incarnate. So rightly he deserves the glory, he's the Savior, no created being alone, could have that honor wWhen spies a steady that Jesus would share with us the nature of Holy Spirit which is right. There he is. He's God. And there's only one So then where do we find in the scriptures that the Holy Spirit whom Jesus would send for your comfort and for mine until we would make it home that he is truly God able to do such great things point us to Christ so that we might know the father, one God.
Maybe we could fill in the blanks here, the Holy Spirit, according to the scripture, according To Jesus is God, does God things and has God traits, got some passages that are then listed for us. We can take a look at 2 Corinthians 3:17. It directly says the spirit is the Lord. We're dealing with God and his work here, the spirits work in the blessing, or take a look at 1 Corinthians 2:11, which says the spirit knows the thoughts of God is is a man knows his own thoughts. And only, he so to the spirit knows the thoughts of God and has revealed these things to us. You can't know the thoughts of God, unless you're God. And his thoughts are many and he knows all things. The spirit knows all things and so what he communicates, and the blessing to you is trustworthy and Truth. Or if we took a look at Psalm 139, which is beautiful yet more time. Today, you could read the first 18 verses of a Psalm from David. That's that beautiful song that says, I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Guess who's a tribute to such work? It's the Holy Spirit where King, David says, where can I go from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you're there if I go to the depths of the deep you're there and all that the spirit has ordained is very days. All this thoughts. So precious to me it's all scribe to the spirit, having all the traits of God. Which is why Jesus said go and make disciples of all Nations. How so, how do we make followers of God, baptizing them, he just saw 4 of them today and the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. One God, one God.
So again. Mind is kind of freezing up a little bit because God's nature is so far beyond us, three persons. In one God, how does that work? Maybe I could say it best with the Samus words. I Psalm 145 verse 3, Here, the psalmist says, “great is the Lord and most worthy of Praise His greatness. no one can fathom. We can't even begin to understand the nature of God or his work. Because it's beyond us. So I can't wait till we get to heaven. Let me see God as he is. Some have said his complicated as the Trinity might be. I wonder if that moment if we'll have that aha and see that there's nothing more simple. So, in the holy spirit, right now that we've established he truly is God, I think we can dive into his work, which he gets real practical because we're going to see at the end of this blessing. How much God has really loved us. God is not just saved us.
But he saved us from amazing things every day yet divine amazing things. So what is his work in blessing us. How many of you are moviegoers you like watching movies? Anybody out there? Yeah. Anybody see Mario yet the Mario movie. I thought that was amazing. Maybe it's because in the 80s there was the first video game Super Mario Brothers, and all that, but actually the storyline wasn't very deep. I won't spoil it but Mario gets the kingdom, save and never mind. Okay, said, when spoiling thousand loses. Okay. Never mind. Okay. I won't spoil it but great family movie. I and I don't really promote a lot of movies, but I thought, It was worth seeing, or, maybe you're seeing, or have already seen Guardians of the Galaxy Three. I'm looking forward to seeing that one. I love movies because the story lines that have the struggle and have the hero and have those things that need rescuing and saving. Those kind of action movies or even comedies that lend itself to someone comes in and saves the day. It's amazing. Well, how about we think about the story of human history as a movie? If our salvation history were a movie, you ever think about the characters involved?
Well, from the first line of the blessing we could say, God the Father is very much the producer of it all, he gives us every good gift, he keeps us in that right place, right? Time, spiritually, he's not going to lose us. The Lord bless you and keep you. And now, the star appears that's Jesus. He is the center, the stage and the Lord, he lets us Light Shine from his beautiful face and that is Christ, the perfect representation of the father. You see, Jesus, you see the father, he's gracious to you and me, right? He rescues. There was the challenge. We are lost to sin and death and the devil. But here comes Jesus. He lives a perfect life for us. He dies our death for us. He rises from the grave for us. Rescues us. Not by works, but by his grace. Now he says, the spirit to us the spirit who always keeps the spotlight on Jesus. I suppose we could say the spirit who is the writer and the director of it all. Even the cameraman who keeps us focused on Jesus. And so, this is where the third part of the blessing comes in.
The Lord right that he would look with favor on you or because of Christ whose the center's the star and he would give you peace.
Just so we know that this is the spirits work. I'd like to pick up on a great summary truth. What the spirit is done to you, what the spirit has done to me. Because so often I think from day to day, we forget that the spirit unseen is with you by blessing of God, and that's everything and it changes every moment even our eternity I love this passage. How is the spirit blessing us? What is he up to? Well, Ephesians 2:8-10 summarizes, the spirits work very well. Paul says, it is by Grace you have been saved, the second line of the blessing. It's through faith through trust that the spirit is worked in you and hearing the word. And when you were baptized and continues to strengthen, when you come to the Lord's supper, and it's not from yourselves, it is a gift of God. Not by works so that no one can boast. And then he goes on to say and we are God's handiwork. His Divine handiwork in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do now. He's already speaking to the third line of the blessing, how so well, let's define terms here. The third line is the Lord look on you with his favor. Let's talk about favor. You are favored by God king of all through son, Jesus Christ. Who sent you a spirit? That means you are God's Divine handiwork. It's a masterpiece. Can I ask you this? When you got up this morning, how many of you presented yourself into the mirror? And you were like, there's God's Divine handiwork right there my friends. Perfection incarnate, God's Masterpiece ready to conquer the world. Anybody that's not good for you sir. We need to learn from your example, it isn't. Is how I feel when I get up in the morning. A lot of times when they call, is that another wrinkle, another gray hair goodness, I am old
But dear friends. God doesn't want you to see yourself that way and I know it's really hard because your feelings might say, otherwise, your thoughts, might say otherwise, what you see as empirical evidence might say otherwise, but God is saying by the blessing, I have looked upon you with all my favor. There's nothing greater in all creation then what I've put together in you. For you bear the marks of my son. You are favored, favored. We will spend all day talking about what that means. But for time sake, And just to be real efficient with this beautiful aspect of blessing, God is saying in the last line because of his Redemptive work and all the gifts, he gives and how he keeps us. You are saved and saved for something amazing.
Praise God. You are our favored and you're not like the rest of the world that hasn't yet been blessed. Oh, God wants to bless all people. He gave the world, his son but you know that you see that you've received him. And so now you are different. You are a new Humanity. You and Christ are a new way to be to human where you actually love God. And you love others, and what you do, and what you say, it has impact, and I'm talking Divine impact. And I'm talking not just for this world, but for the next. Truly you can stand before the mirror everyday with sins. Forgiven being a masterpiece and Perfection incarnate because God said, so you have his favor? That reminds me though of our struggle to see that how we don't always think that way. It reminds me of a story of an old sheep rancher down in Texas. In the early 1920s, Mr. Yates. It was during the Great Depression and Mr. Yates like, so many didn't have a dime left. You need all this land in West, Texas, and he didn't know what to do. He's ready to file bankruptcy, and lose it all. But then finally, some people came through seismographic crew for an oil company and they asked if they could have some permission to just dig on his land, they work. They were looking for oil Reserves.
This is sure What's It Gonna Hurt and so they dug and they dug down about 1115 feet and they struck gold. Well, Black Gold, Texas Tea thinking Beverly Hillbillies, right? That's, that's when they strike. And you obviously struck just that one well, thousand barrels a day at about at that time. Forty, three dollars a barrel in one day in one strike he made three point five million dollars and would make the same the next day and the next day. And the next day and they dug more Wells on his property. And It produced more. In fact, they give an estimate for this next 30 Years. From that first strike, he would actually have wells producing 125 thousand barrels a day for 30 years. In fact, it is still producing oil to this day and it was formerly owned by Marathon Oil Company. Can you imagine that? Could you imagine living being penniless, feeling worthless? Thank you. Have no hope. Just beneath the surface. There's this reservoir of life,wealth and prosperity. Call the Holy Spirit. Could you all's in you? You've been favored. This was we can relate to that Mr. Yates couldn't Because every day I wake up and I feel less than I have, forgotten the blessing.
God Is So favored you, you Christ is the proof and you have a spirit who was a deposit, making you the very holy of holies the temple of God, you are favored. Which is why the Apostle Peter said it this way, he 2 Peter 1:4. Peter recognizing that you've been graced by God's we daily work and Jesus. He says so participate in the divine nature restored to you. You bear God's image again unlike the rest of the world. Because in that Divine image, which is what you are, you escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires, your Sinful Nature has been crucified with Christ in the waters of baptism. You bear the spirit, you've got this Reservoir now inside you Springs of Living Water, you are so favored. Raise your hand if you believe that. Amen. Praise God. You believe it. I pray, you believe it every day because you have been blessed. Now then what about this work? That comes out of this, because you have been given a great resource, you are new and you can love God and you can love others. Well, guess what? Your saved favored for something. And you'll need a lot of peace with the work. That's ahead.
Which is exactly why Jesus encourages us to that ancient blessing to know you have peace. Like a Define a little bit with that peace means. So that's how the blessing ends, the blessing ends, and God's peace. He yours. I want to read to you a little bit of Jesus words because he was thinking about that blessing the night when he would be betrayed and go on to win our salvation and John chapter 14 26-27. This is where Jesus promises the Holy Spirit and not by accident.
Connecting him to peace. Jesus says, “But the advocate. The Holy Spirit, whom the father will send. In my name, he will give you peace peace which would denote refuge and what to do with the victors spoils And so God says, in his son, I will give you the advocate.” I love this and this is picking up on the idea of peace that word, advocate in the Greek, is para Cola or paraclete. It means he is sending someone to walk alongside call. You alongside him for battle.
And that's the picture in you. And I when we leave this place, after we receive the blessing, guess what is beautiful is a day it is today, you're going off to war. Not with people, not with flesh and blood, but with the forces of Darkness, that keep these people in prison who don't know, Jesus, who have not yet been blessed. And God is making you a warrior an ambassador of his kingdom to further his kingdom by proclamation participating with God's Divine work of the spirit to win. Souls by your life and your words by sharing Jesus nothing more beautiful, You have been so favored. So Jesus says, look The Advocate, the paraclete the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name will teach you all things and will remind you everything. I've said to you, that your loved your mind, I've paid the price. So peace. I leave with you, the Greek word Iraina but that's the Hebrew equivalent. Shalom. My Shalom, I give you, I do not give to you as the world gives because that always fails.
So, do not let your hearts be troubled to not be afraid. You've got a refuge in the blessing. You got a refuge in Christ promised. You got the spirit with you and you are Waging War and you have refuge and you are already Victorious. And the spoils are coming your way more, souls to know him and be blessed with you. So, go out and conquer the world. Because that's your call. You can do it. That is giving you peace Shalom, which is the end of the war. It's already been won and not only that but Shalom meant blessing upon blessing upon blessing. There is nothing you lack, but you have and in abundance, how good is it to know that?
When you look in the mirror and you feel like you're not favorite and when you go out and you speak the word of Jesus and it is not welcome. And when you have broken this in relationships, and you think there's no hope there is always hope. Because friends, you've been blessed by the spirit. He's your paraclete. He comes alongside you. He lifts you carries you into battle and out.
Friends, that's the blessing.
And now the concluding word. God said 3,500 years ago claiming a people who are not a people to be his own and you are and I are part of that holy crown. He says, when they are blessed. Number 6:27. When you Aaron in the Levites, put my name on the Israelites spiritual Israel, that's us. Oh, I will bless them. There's a lot to it. We spent three weeks on the blessing. So, let me just sum it up this way, then, because we say it, every Sunday, they don't want you to forget all the beauty that's there. When you hear the blessing today and every Sunday to follow, I want you to remember that he is claimed you by putting his name on nor that entails. The fathers weren't the son? The Holy Spirit. There's only one God I want you to imagine yourself like a little child. I don't care what age you are. I want you to see yourself like a little child, who has the most loving, father of all, who is Superman, who can do all things. When you hear the blessing, bow your head and imagine God picking you up like a little child, and kiss you on the forehead.
Keeping you for the night. Giving you his shining face, protective care and rescue. Nothing can harm you even if something harms you, he gives you Grace. You look just like Jesus to him. And then the morning comes and he picks us out of that crib and he gives us another kiss. He looks with favor on you And now he invites you into his kingdom work. While the day still shines. He says. Your mind son, my daughter. I have great work for you to do. It is difficult. It is hard. It's called the sufferings of Christ. You are Jesus, hands and feet in a world that hated the light. But I go with you, my spirit goes with you. You will prevail. For you bear, my name. You are my adopted child know all that is mine is yours. And I will bless you.
I pray that you remember that every time you hear it, Because friends, I'm looking at a people that have never been more blessed. Can you? God, be praised. Amen.