God is so Faithful
The live version can be listened to here
Gate Pa – Year A 18th
Sunday of Ordinary Time,
Readings:
Psalm
Psalm:
17:1-7,
15
First Reading: Gen
32:22-31
Second Reading:
Rom
9:1-5
Gospel:
Matt
14:13-21
What I want to say:
Explore
the importance of Romans 9 – 11 for our trust in God’s faithfulness
What I want to
happen:
to ask “do we really trust God’s
faithfulness? What stops us really trusting?
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
We are up to week four in our series looking
at Paul’s letter to the churches in Rome.
Need to acknowledge that there are other ways
of reading Paul from what I am offering.
But for me this makes most sense
makes most sense keep these three things in
mind as we read this letter – or any of the letters.
a. early church was a Jewish sect – small group
within Judaism
mostly church members were Jews
mostly understood gospel within Jewish way
seeing world and understanding history.
b. Paul is a Jew. Even after his conversion he
does not stop being a Jew
so getting into heaven was not the goal for
him
fulfilment of the covenants with Israel
through the messiah
all
about restoration of humanity to pre-fall state in Garden of Eden
before
Adam invited death into creation and humanity became slaves to sin and death –
and stopped worshipping the True God
renewal
of creation – which has groaned under the burden placed on it by Adam’s sin.
that is theological framework that Paul is
working out of.
Romans makes a lot more sense when read with
these glasses on.
c. Paul is writing to people he does not know
well
-
in a divided
church
-
divided between
Jewish Christians (this point are the norm for wider church)
o
and Gentile
Christians – growing in number and influence
-
offering way
understand what Jesus has done that allows them to live and work together
despite their huge differences.
2. Structure of Romans
we can see how Paul is offering this
understanding in how his letter is structured up to this point.
chapters 1-4 are all about the problem – story
of Adam and how humanity came to be under sin
all humanity – Gentile and Jew
chapters 5-8 – hearing from for the last few
weeks – God’s solution to this problem through the faithfulness of God to
covenant
how
God has fulfilled covenant through faithfulness of Jesus
and
how through faithfulness God invites all humanity to be part of the people
through whom God continues to work to restore humanity and renew creation.
finishes great statement we heard last week
What
then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32
He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not
with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against
God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus,
who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed
intercedes for us.[w] 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will
hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword? 36 As it is written,
“For
your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be
slaughtered.”
37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
raises really important question
what about Israel –
Is God still faithful to the covenant with
Israel
or have they been ditched because they failed
in their side of the deal
and if God is willing to ditch Israel
will God ditch us if we faith to live up to
our side?
3. Why the question
a really big and important question
for Paul – the Jew
we hear his anguish today as he begins his
answer to this
for Pauls readers – some of whom are Jews
for Gentiles who may then ask question is God
really trustworthy?
how fickle is this God?
Pauls answer is
which we will hear over the next few weeks is
essentially
yes God is faithful
Covenant holds despite all
God does not abandon God’s people
God does not abandon us.
4. Why this is important for us?
important for hearers and readers today
because we too often doubt God
come to believe that God has abandoned
creation
far too many Christians believe that God will
abandon them if they are not good enough
we say – if we are faithful then God is
faithful.
lives become filled with fear and doubt
look around and see world in turmoil and
wonder where God is in all this
loose hope
doubt the covenant is fulfilled
our lives become divorced from our trust in
God’s actions now
actions are little different from anyone else’s.
we do not mirror God’s compassion and
generosity in Christ
Paul is being very clear
God does not and will not abandon us
even
when we do not get it and do not live it
God does not and will not abandon humanity or
creation.
Despite all the evidence
The covenant is fulfilled
humanity is restored – but not completely yet
creation is renewed – but not completely yet
Do you believe this?
Do you trust this?
Do you live this?
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