A Love Letter from God
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Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
What a day of delight, not expected in so many ways, a day of surprise. So precious because not taken for granted. No of course when it comes to love. Free gift. The text you’ve chosen anticipated such a a surprise with God’s people - in exile, long time,
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
Those who sowed in tears have reaped in joy. God sends His people this love letter, yo have chosen the heart of it as the wedding text for your marriage. And like God’s people in the OT in exile, you too have known times that have been less than ideal. Struck me incredibly realistic and Rob in premarital voice of wisdom. Not going to dwell on those times , but s important that you understand the context of your text because the hope the rock solid truth is set on this background of the brokenness of this world, and brokenness that all of us are involved in. What does God’s grace do there, what do people try to do there.
There are two reactions to tough times that are very unhelpful and in fact fatal. The first is the quite understandable - denial and despair. So many marriages and so many families have this picture perfect ideal of how marriage and family should be - often it includes nothing but their needs for intimacy met their way, their pleasures, their time frame - and when they realize their pipe dream - thought marriage or family would complete their lives - they in a sense give up. Well that is what many of these Israelites in exile did, God life isn’t what I want it to be - so we give up - either give me the perfect life, or I don’t believe in you won’t seek you. You can’t possibly have beautiful plan in the midst of my brokenness.
And that is where the first instruction in God’s love letter to you comes in:
Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.
Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.
Jeremiah says, seek the peace of the city that you are living in. In the circumstances less than ideal, look for my hand of blessing - I hope everyone here - can look at these two and see that’s what they have done - remember David Walters and I visiting in your home last summer discuss and support - amazed at our family and your role in it Sonia - not self-pity, not anger, not sadness - delight and a seeking the Lord in the middle of where you are. And Rob to see you give yourself to new fellowship here, to begin those patterns of hearing God’s Word - reading it at the table of praying. To see God bless you father son relationship with Benjamin.
Never forget one of the first pastoral visits I eve made - some one in great financial and medical distress. This family looked at me and said- lemon of a life right now for us, but when life gives you lemons, by God’s grace you get busy making lemon aid. You’ve done that well, and in fact that’s a calling for all of us, not to wait for God to magically make our lives be without struggle or difficulty, but to seek him in the middle of it.
But why this now then? I imagine you’ve asked yourself this too. Too families blending together - lot of challenges, couldn't just continue man and a woman being friends. Wouldn’t that be easier. Got your family thing going on here, you got your family thing on there - we are just gone have our friendship thing separate from that! Well actually that could theoretically work - some sort of platonic friendship - but actually a lot like what the false prophets telling Judah at that time.
But why this now then?
This is the second peace of advice God gives you in this love letter to His people.
For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,
Back then it was a lie about “a perfect life” waiting for them if they would just go back to Jerusalem, and skip the plans God has for them in the time of brokenness. But God says not my plans but pipe dreams. Well this world has a whole host of pipe dreams about relationships. One is that you have marriage without a vision for a household, another is that you can have marriage with no hope for children, another that you can have intimacy and pleasure in each other as an end itself, not as part of a bigger goal. That’s not God’s will for you, says God in this letter. What is and that’s the third instruction in God’s love letter to you on this wedding Day and that is your text.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Why this day, why marriage for Sonia and Rob, God’s word declares that He had a purpose for Judah and they had to listen to Him stick to His plan, and then they would no his blessing. Well today you stand before God in a place like that and you are asking for His plan - plan for marriage! And before we spell that out for you and your families blending together. I want you all to take comfort in these words spoken by God to His people.
He knows the plans for you. In one sense you come with such experience to this marriage, in another you are little like Simon and Valanna so young, can’t know what the future holds and have plans but don’t know them inside out, never travelled this path with this person, with these people as family. But listen God does, like - dark corners here, but even the dark is light to the Lord, Before word is on your mouth he knows it completely; all the days written in His book before one of them came to be. He’s got a plan for this too, not just for your salvation, but also for your marriage. He knowing all about your pat - made provision to protect you - hardness of heart that caused break down of marriage hardship in your home, and he is the Lord of this institution called marriage that you have been called to again - in remarriage. And it is a brand new beginning that God has a plan for!
In the same way that God met you and saved you, in the same He was present when the brokenness was so bad , thought where are you God, he didn’t abandon you. Look at that promise in v.10 I will visit you … Emmanuel in the middle of the struggle. Emmanuel not just a Christmas name of God, but God our Saviour ever with His people - you need this real promise today - Sonia Rob, Amber Ashley Abigail Amelia Benjamin
What is God’s plan here today - Listen to it from a God is making you life companions in a covenanted way before him and listen how he does that:
Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.
And so he says, don’t be faithless - Gods’s Spirit has made you one - already have children and the way your marriage models the love of God for His people - be a sign of the bigger love in your life with which God’s for you - and your kids adult and children are to see the way you do household - devoted to God - so that they pursue the same blessing!
God’s is seeking not only that you walk in marital bliss off into the sunset, but that you now establish a home - a warm home full of laughter, and joy, tears and companionship, faithful commitment - But it can’t just be God that is doing the seeking. No look at the verse in the love letter that God gives you on your wedding day, and your family on this day of commitment before the LORD>
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
I love that verse so much I once wrote a song about it along time ago. Here is a promise for you - seek the LORD together in this family, seek him in the ordinary - as you do life together - Master of Life and promising - But you got to do the seeking together. Ashley, Amber, Abigail, and Amelia, Benjamin, this will take your commitment in different ways, different relationships - but permission to let each other in your life - seek God in decisions, share burdens and joys, seek direction .
A blended family an opportunity that world needs to see - seek the Lord in this and God says in the middle of it , I will restore and gather you - your home will be in me. In so many ways our families are relationships for this earth, husband wife, mother, father, son daughter, bothers and sister - wont’ need to relate like that in heaven, something more dear. But on earth - so that we can understand what God’s love is like - gives us these relationships, but as come to know Jesus - see a love that will outlast and transcend family relationships - family of God. That is the ultimate plan and the ultimate thoughts that God has for you in this love letter.
He sent Jesus Christ to carry us home together from the exile of this broken world, to His kingdom. And what we are celebrating today, is that this marriage, this family is a sign post that points in all the ways you love and take care and commit to each other - it points to the family that will never end, and the marriage of the wedding feast of the Lamb.
And that Rob and Sonia that your marriage can reflect that love, and that the love God is calling out of you and calling you into in this family - Ashley Amber, Abigail and Amelia and Benjamin - that is the love that we say is God’s plan and calling to you and we celebrate it.
All of you let’s seal the deal - with signatures seeking the Lord for this kind of love. Amen.