Why does God remain relevant today?

People often change to remain relevant: An example of people changing are their hairstyles. In the 1980s, men and women used way too much Aquanet hairspray to stylize their hair. Today, hairstyles are less flammable and family and friends can breath. See, change can be good.

- Slide of Jason and Schaunna from the 1980s

vs Now- Yet, God doesn’t change, He is the same in the Old and New Testament, and today. Hebrews 13:8

Hebrews 13:8 CSB

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

So if God and his standards for people does not change, why does he remain relevant?

We should want to have a daily relationship with him through Jesus Christ. Why? He loves us and wants to walk with us through our life to help us so we don’t have to do this alone. What does this look like exactly? Spending time in His Word,, having honest conversations with Him, and most importantly letting go of our pride, giving ourselves completely over to him in trust. Mary Magdalene gives two examples of someone who put her love for Jesus first in her life. Luke 10:38-39

Luke 10:38–39 ESV

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.

John 12:3 NRSV

3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Matthew 5:3 NRSV

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What does this mean? In 2004 Billy Graham’s Q&A page on his website explained replace “poor” with humble. He continues by saying “when we come to God we must realize our own sin and our spiritual emptiness and poverty. We must not be self-satisfied or proud in our hearts, thinking we don’t really need God. If we are (prideful), God cannot bless us.

Ed Cole simply tells us “God’s love is unconditional, God’s promises are conditional” and “If you are obedient, God will bless you with his promises.”

The Book of James says it more bluntly:

James 4:6 NRSV

6 But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

So how many people in our congregation are pridefully stubborn? You don’t have to raise your hand if you don’t want to. Remember “If we are (prideful), God cannot bless us.” I’ll give a recent example of being pridefully stubborn: First and foremost I’m a man, secondly I’m high functioning developmentally disabled who tries to be as independent as possible. I was at Walmart on Trinity Parkway shopping for my new apartment. Before entering the store, I told my direct support professional that I would not need any help with shopping for my apartment, that she could wait in the car. Not ten minutes later, and 3 items in the electric shopping cart did I realize I did need help and humbly asked my DSP to come in to help me. Similarly I have had to learn to ask God for help in my life. I have had to change my way of thinking. Over the years with my walk with God, he’s had to remind me HE sits on the throne and removes me from it by teaching me humility and to trust in him in all aspects in my life. A lesson that gets repeated.

An example is I try to direct the show called my life. For three years I tried to control the aspect of trying to improve my hearing instead of seeking God. I was instead seeking doctors, politicians and advocates. After recognizing I was chasing a medical device for three years with no fruit to bare, I finally stopped and realized God was telling me to put my focus and trust on him. As a co-facilitator of a Maximized Manhood class, I have been at times chasing students to do their work or come back to class, more specifically students who were close to graduating. I struggled with the fact that they quit when they were so close. I tried encouragement and tough love. Eventually God taught me it’s okay to let go and to give grace. As followers of God, we must continuously learn to humble ourselves daily, and be obedient to God. Our stubborn disobedience can trigger storms in our lives that not just affect us, but those around us as well. Jonah learned all too well of this lesson when he decided against preaching at Ninevah, out of fear of preaching God’s message to wicked people.

Jonah 1:3 NRSV

3 But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

Jonah 1:4–5 NRSV

4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep.

Jonah 1:6 NRSV

6 The captain came and said to him, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.”

Jonah was an ordinary man (human), who happened to be called upon by God. Jonah had the same struggles we do today, including fear, anger and stubbornness, yet learned from his mistakes. He was also a man who received God’s grace and divine teachings. Here we see in this story multiple forms of fear and pride, out of not being obedient to God. Running away, hiding, sleeping can be forms of hiding from our responsibilities, hiding from God and hiding from those around us. Other examples can be staying in front of electronics all day (tv, computer, phone), hiding behind novels, drug and alcohol addiction, staying deep in our work, or trying to keep busy with housework like Martha, who is mentioned in the Gospels. We must learn to come out of hiding when we’re facing storms. This requires humbling ourselves, submitting our fears to God and reaching out truthfully to others. Jesus Christ teaches us while in the Garden of Gethsemane what this humble submission looks like.

Matthew 26:39 (NRSV)

39 “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.”

Matthew 26:42 CSB

42 Again, a second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Unlike Jonah, Jesus Christ knew that what he was sent to do by God, it was going to be a difficult task ahead, it would be both spiritually and physically painful and emotionally draining. Yet Jesus obediently accepted what God wanted him to do.

There is an age old adage that Jesus Christ is the perfect role model, as he faced challenges that men and women to this date face. The best example is facing the multiple temptations of sin.

Matthew 4:1–10 NRSV

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ”

Ed Cole explains that these temptations that Jesus Christ faced were lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life. “All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the father, but is of the world. Jesus fought these basic temptations.” from Real Man by Ed Cole

Again, you’re asking why is this relevant in our lives today? Jesus modeled how to successfully overcome temptation, using scripture, prayer and a relationship with God. It’s putting our trust in him and putting his word in our heart.

The best modern day example of this in action is the Celebrate Recovery program in multiple churches across the United States, including at First Baptist Church in Lodi. People are not just getting healed from their hurts, habits and hang ups, but they’re also learning to replace these things with a deeper understanding of what it looks like to love Jesus, and learning to love themselves like Jesus loves them. Eventually they learn to love their others who are just entering CR, and learning to love “their neighbors.”

So when is God’s Word not relevant today? Any time the Las Vegas Raiders play

Ecclesiastes 4:9 NRSV

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.

This scripture is more relevant for the Green Bay Packers…and maybe the 49ers. I would encourage everyone here and online to dive deeper into your relationship with God, and read his Word. There’s many stories in the old testament and new testament that reveal stories of people like you and me who have gone through struggles but found faith in God to walk them through it. There are more stories about what Jesus Christ went through as the son of man when he was here on earth that will inspire you as well. The Bible teaches us that history repeats itself, and no sin or struggle is new to us, and we can find comfort in God to help us through it.

Prayer Father God, my prayer today is for relationships to go deeper with you and your son. That people get to know you on a more intimate level, that they learn to trust you so that they can surrender their lives in entirety to you. I pray over the communion today, that our people recognize you love your people so much, that we honor in memory of Jesus taking our sins upon the cross in exchange for your grace and love. I pray this in Jesus Christ’s name, our Lord and Savior, Amen.