Proper 17 (2025)

Paris Otterbein

*Opening Prayer

*Call to Worship

(Based on Psalm 81:1, 10-16)

Leader: “Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob.”

People: “I removed burdens from your shoulders; but you put weight on my neck.”

Leader: “If only my people would listen to me... I would feed them with the finest wheat.”

People: “Happy are those I choose, for they shall inherit the land. Amen.”

Hymn #25 Immortal Invisible

Scripture Reading

Proverbs 25:6-7 - Lucy

Proverbs 25:6–7 NIV

Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.

Sharing of Joys and Concerns

Hymn #433 Sweet Hour of Prayer

Silent Prayer

Pastoral Prayer

Lord's Prayer

Children's Message

Scripture Reading

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Hebrews 13:1–8 NIV

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:15–16 NIV

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Sermon

It is a very good thing to have faith. A very very good thing. To be able to confirm that time and place when you invited Jesus to come into your heart to live. To be able to stand with a body of believers and say, “I know I am a Christian. I am a follower of Jesus Christ” is a very, very good thing.

But what if a man says to his wife, “I love you. I remember the time and place we got married. I know that I am your husband and I love you.” But that is the only demonstration of his love she ever sees? How convinced do you think she is of his love. Every time she comes to him and asks him to do something, he says, “I love you. I remember the time and place we got married. I am your husband and I love you.” but he doesn’t do what she asks.

How long do you think she will believe he loves her? How long will it take until she sees his words as empty, as just words. She might hope her husband will eventually demonstrate his love in a tangible way because she wants to believe he loves her. But unlike the hopeful wife, God knows the heart.

And the writer to the Hebrews reminds them it’s not enough to simply be assured of their faith. Faith is to be affirmed but is also to be active. And the writer gives this church some practical ways for them to put action to their faith.

First, faith in action is demonstrated by love, as we see in vs. 1-3. Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Now, most of my life, I was an only child. But I watch my own kids and I see how they interact with one another. I see how they demonstrate their love and how they help each other and strengthen each other and when necessary call each other on the carpet. The writer in this section also reminds the church to show hospitality.

I just saw a story this past week of a young family. Mom and dad covered in tattoos attended the funeral of a family member. At the close of the service, the father said, we are going to start attending your church. Having heard this before, the pastor was doubtful but sure enough, on Sunday morning, here comes mom and dad and their little girl. They sat near the front, probably because those were the only seats available, but they sat in front of an elderly couple. And you know what that couple did? They didn’t judge, they didn’t condemn. They began to engage this couple in conversation. They began to talk to them regularly before and after the service. They got to know them. That’s the kind of church we need to be, we ought to be and I think for the most part we are.

And showing compassion falls in the category of demonstrating love. People do a lot of things that quite frankly I don’t understand. They make mistakes and poor choices. Honestly they sin and disobey God and they attempt to justify it. But you and I are NOT their judge. You and I are only people who can stand back and say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” I have no doubt there were times Jesus walking on this earth could have brought down the wrath of God but instead, He demonstrated compassion.

Secondly, faith in action is demonstrated by purity, in vs. 4-6. The writer calls the church to purity in their marital relationships. The world certainly has a lot of advice about marriage. But that advice deals with what makes me happy and satisfying myself. God’s Word, however, has a clear message about marriage. Put others first. Keep the marriage bed pure. Stay faithful in your relationship with your spouse.

But also pure in how you view money. But money is NOT the root of all evil. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. In other words, when you place money over the will of God in your life, you commit idolatry. When you value money more than your relationship with Christ, when you work to make money rather than finding ways to serve God.

Which flows into our being content with what we have. This is an area of purity as well. You can live life content with what you have or you can live life always hoping to have something else, something more. Which of these ways do you think honors God, puts Him first place? Which of these ways do you think God honors?

Thirdly, faith in action endures. In verses 7 and 8, the author points back to Hebrews 11. The hall of fame of faith. But it’s not simply a reminder of these men and women who lived in the Old Testament, he reminds this church to look at their modern day examples. Men and women, both living and dead, who have walked this path before us. Those men and women who held the hand of God and allowed Him to lead their lives. We too, like them, are to let go of our wisdom, understanding, and resources and follow Christ who is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Don’t just trust Jesus for the past. Trust Him for the present and the future.

Which leads us to the fourth way our faith takes action, listen again to verses 15-16, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Our recognition of God’s goodness in the lives of others and in our own lives leads us naturally to praise. You hear people who start to grumble and complain about everything you’ll find someone who doesn’t know how to praise. You can’t truly praise with a scowl on your face. You can’t really be thankful with a frown. You can’t really recognize all God has done for you and complain. It doesn’t work that way.

And when we recognize God’s goodness in our lives, it seems impossible to not share that with someone else. When we acknowledge all God has done for us, we want to help others. When I realize how blessed I am, I want to bless someone else. Maybe it’s just me, but when I hear someone has a problem, I have a tendency to want to find a way to fix it. I want to find a solution or a way to help them. And I don’t mean that to sound arrogant. “You have problem. I fix it.” It’s not that at all. It’s simply understanding that as a child of God, I have been blessed and it’s not so I can keep these things for myself, but to share them with others.

It’s important, so important to be able to affirm our faith. But our faith also needs to be active. It needs to be demonstrated. It needs to be lived out. It needs feet and hands. Because we want everyone we know and care about and everyone we don’t yet know but still care about to join us as we worship our “Everlasting God.”

Praise Song Everlasting God

Giving of Tithes and Offering

Doxology

Hymn #462 Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us

Savior Like A Shepherd Lead Us

*Benediction

Sanctuary