The Beloved - Thanksgiving 2019

The Beloved

Thanksgiving 2019

Introduction

The Old Testament book of Lamentations is very unusual. It is a series of funeral dirges from the prophet Jeremiah, as if for the national funeral service for ancient Israel. It is written in the form of a series of acrostics. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Chapters 1,2,4,5 each have 22 verses. Each verse begins with the next letter of the alphabet. Chapter 3 has 66 verses. The first 3 verses begin with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the next 3 with the second, and so on.

In the midst of a depressing funeral dirge, lamenting the capture and destruction of Jerusalem by the Assyrians, as if lamenting the death of a dear friend, is this amazing text:

- 19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

In the middle of what seemed like hopelessness, Jeremiah remembers all that God had done for him and for Israel, and is thankful. Have you ever been there? In what seemed like the middle of hopelessness? There are times we all feel the weight of the world on our shoulders.

Parents, you face this:

--You have the enormous responsibility of raising your children in the training and instruction of the Lord, sometimes on your own. Never knowing how they might turn out; you worry for their future and their constant safety. You struggle, not knowing if the way you are raising them is the best way. Not to mention trying to get everything done in one day that seems like it will take a month.

--You struggle to balance work and family. Your kids desperately need you around more, but you can’t tell your boss “no” when he says you need to work. You constantly question your parenting methods and how much discipline is too much or not enough.

Married couples, you face this as well:

--On top of all that, you have to take charge of the smooth running of your home, after working countless hours at your job. You must love each other, even when they are unlovely. And it seems like you never get a day off and you’re tired and don’t know sometimes if you can make it another day. It may seem like the love has gone out of your marriage. Things aren’t as romantic anymore and you wonder if it’s worth it at all.

--You have to work all day, and then come home to help make sure your house isn’t in chaos. There are dishes to clean, sheets to change, grass to mow. Your job may be up for grabs, at best, and non-existent, at worst. You worry that you might get caught up in the next scale-down program where you work. You’re not sure if you can pay this month’s bills on your salary. You know you shouldn’t be harsh and critical toward your spouse, but you’re stressed out from the long hours you put in to bring home that paycheck that never seems big enough.

Grandparents are not exempt:

--You would like to provide more for your family, but you’re on a fixed income now. It seems like the price of healthcare is ever rising and you don’t know how much longer you can afford your medicine. Who knows what will eventually happen with social security? You want to help with your grandkids, but you don’t want to overstep your boundaries. Maybe you’d like to see your grandkids more, but your relationship with your own kids isn’t what you’d like it to be and you mourn the distance between you.

Singles know stress too:

--You know that God has a plan for your life, but it seems like he’s taking forever to get it done. You want to find the glory in being single, but you also don’t want to be alone the rest of your life. So much of your life is dependent on the person you marry, so the pressure of getting it right is enormous. And the longer you wait, you feel the weight of each tick of the clock.

Students get it:

--You balance multiple classes at a time, trying to absorb the onslaught of new information in all of them. You study and you stress, with it seeming like your entire future is based on the grade of a single test. On top of that is the dystopian, “Lord of the Flies” social experiment that is always happening in the hallways. Am I popular? Are these people really my friends? Can I just be myself without being rejected?

So, with all of that a reality, we are called to be thankful every day of our lives. Thankful for what? The stress, pain, hurt, loss? In the middle of what seems like hopelessness, we are able to be thankful.

- See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!

That verse has served as a source of hope and encouragement in times of hopelessness for countless people. May it be so again today. Friends, you are God’s beloved. You are everything to him. When he thinks about you, a smile comes to his face. If God had a phone, he’d have an entire folder of pictures of you on it. He’s proud to have you as a son or daughter. And no matter what you’ve done wrong in your life, God is not mad at you. He loves you. Nothing bad you’ve ever done will make him love you any less; nothing good you could ever do will make him love you more than he already does right now in this very moment.

TS – for the next few minutes I want us to come to a deeper understanding of this truth: we are God’s beloved. He delights in us. The prophet Zechariah says that God loves us so much that he sings over us. Embracing this truth of being God’s beloved makes some significant changes in our lives:

1. IT MAKES US CONFIDENT

(NIV) – And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

Song of Songs says, “I am my Beloved’s and He is mine…and his banner over me is love.”

That banner is one of protection. His love protects us, making us confident. There is an old movie called The Bear. It is the story of a little cub that is alone because his mother dies. But in a strange twist, this orphan cub is adopted by a giant male Kodiak bear. This giant is always watching over the cub. He protects him from a mountain lion that tries to eat him. Everything the bear does, the cub imitates: fishing in the river, scratching his back on a tree.

One day, they get separated. The cub is alone when the mountain lion, who never really went away, sees his chance to attack. They come face to face. The cub stands on his back legs and growls his wimpy little cry. He’s seen his dad do it before, but it’s just not the same. Just when you think the lion is coming in for the kill, he slinks away in fear. The camera pans back to show daddy bear standing behind the cub ready to strike.

Dallas Willard – “With this magnificent God positioned among us, Jesus brings us the assurance that our universe is a perfectly safe place to be.”

Even when it seems like we are utterly alone, facing our greatest danger, the Father is always there to protect us. The moment of our greatest fear is the time of our greatest safety. This is something that is taught to us over and over again in the Bible.

In , Aram and Israel are at war. Whenever the King of Aram wants to set up camp is some area, the prophet Elisha sends word to the King of Israel to warn him. This infuriates the King of Aram and they send a party in force to stop Elisha.

- 13 “Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.”

And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” 14 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.

15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.

16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

Elisha was confident because he knew that, though it appeared he was alone, right behind the veil of the visible stood a God who loved him. I don’t even have time to tell you about:

-Daniel’s confidence as he stood fearlessly in the lion’s den after defying the King of Babylon and refusing to bow down to a false god.

-Israel’s confidence as they stood on the shore of the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army in pursuit.

-Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego’s confidence as they also refused to bow to a false god and are thrown into the fiery furnace.

-Or Esther’s confidence of going before the King, though it could mean death, to save the Israelites.

All of these places seemed to be so dangerous but turned out to be quite safe. All because they knew a loving God was behind it all.

We are a world of fear. We are a people who are afraid. Continuing war, countries with nuclear arsenals. Financial challenges, economic problems. Death all around us. Disease running wild. Unhealthy moral values influencing our children. But the Bible says:

- 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.

You are God’s beloved. You can be so confident in his love for you that you don’t have to be afraid anymore. He is not going to let you down. He is the only one who never will. No matter what you are going through or struggling with, he loves you. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. There is a great big God just behind the veil of the visible. He is protecting you, watching over you, ready to strike out against the roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Even when it seems you are alone and in the middle of a dangerous situation, he is there with you. The moment of your greatest fear is the time of your greatest protection.

2. IT MAKES US DIFFERENT

Now, if all of that is true, then it is going to make some significant changes in our lives. We won’t live like everyone else. If I really believed that all to be true:

-My anxiety level would go down. I would have a settled trust that my life is perfectly at rest in the hands of God.

-I would be an unhurried person. I might be busy with a long to-do list, but I would have an inner calmness that comes from being in the presence of God.

-I would not be defeated by guilt. I would live in the confidence that comes from the assurance of God’s love for even me.

-I would trust God enough to risk obeying him, no matter what he commands.

This will change the way we think. Central to Jesus’ message of hope was that right now here in my world, I am the object of God’s unceasing love and attention.

- 25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Why worry about life? Why worry about what to eat or wear? Consider the lilies of the field. They neither toil no spin. They don’t form floral unions, do not operate with strategic plans. Yet next to them, even King Solomon looks cheap. If God showers such beauty on the grass that dies tomorrow, will he not clothe you? You are his beloved.

Consider the birds of the air. Generally, not Type A creatures. They don’t have ulcers or high blood pressure. But they are consistently fed by the hand of God. Anytime you see a bird nibble on seed, you are not seeing a random event. You are seeing a loving Creator at work.

John Ortberg – “Every time you wake up, think a thought, enjoy a meal, these are not random occurrences. They are Post-It notes of love that the Father attaches to all creation.”

You’ve experienced this same love in your own life. There was a time when you were:

-Lonely, and God sent you a friend.

-Needed wisdom or guidance, and it came in the form of a book or message or conversation, at just the right time.

-Discouraged, and God gave you a time of worship to fill you with hope.

-Tempted, and you felt a tug keeping you back and you came to your senses and kept from doing something destructive.

This will change the way we pray. When we become convinced that we are God’s beloved, and that we can trust him completely in his love for us, we will begin to take everything in our lives to him.

Psychologists teach about how important it is for an infant to learn to be “alone in the presence of the parent.” When a child is convinced that the parent is available, attentive, and trustworthy, and that he will not be abandoned, then he is no longer anxious or clingy. The child, only then, does not have to be constantly touching or even seeing the parent. He has learned to trust. In a sense, the parent is present even when the child is alone, so aloneness is no longer terrifying. Now he is able to explore his world with confidence.

In prayer, we learn to “be alone in the presence of God.” We speak freely to him of our fears and concerns and worries. We come to trust that we will not be abandoned, even if we cannot touch or see him. He is with us even when we are alone. So, we learn to cast our troubles on him.

– 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

- 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

You can start this right now. Think of the greatest burden on your mind. Maybe it’s a problem where you lack wisdom or guilt the plagues you. A task that overwhelms you, a loss or disappointment that seems too much to bear. You’ve been carrying it all by yourself. Cast it on God because he cares for you. You are his beloved.

Conclusion

In every human heart, there is an inextinguishable desire to love and to be loved. We want to be someone’s beloved. The Bible says we are. The writers of the Bible used wonderful images to convince us of this:

-God’s love for us is the love of a friend who would sacrifice his life for the one he loves.

-God’s love is the love of a father for his runaway son.

-God’s love is the love of a mother that would never allow her to forget her child.

You are the beloved of God.

- But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. 2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.

Perhaps you could write that last phrase on a card and carry it with you. “You are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.”

-When you are tempted to give up because you’ve blown it, take it out and read it.

-When we wake up and are tempted to be overwhelmed by all we have to do today, read it.

-Take it out when you are tempted to sin and dishonor God; when you are tempted to lash out in anger or hurt, or deceive, or use someone.

-Take it out when you are afraid or anxious, or alone.

You are the beloved of God. What more do you need to prove, or achieve, or acquire? What else could you add to your resume that could top that? The God who loves you is greater than you can imagine. You may not be able to see him, but he is there, just beyond the veil of the visible. And he says to you today, and every day, “You are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.”

BELIEVE/REPENT/CONFESS/BAPTIZE

COMMUNION