Revision as of 17:42, 29 June 2023

Theological Proposition/Focus: Right living stems from right hope

Homiletical Proposition/Application: There are so many things in which we might hope, we need to make sure we hope in God!

Introduction:

Image: Cheering against the Indianapolis Colts because of a friends false hope.

I need to apologize to any of you who are Colts fans. For decades I have cheered against the Colts. You see back in 97 and 98 there was a girl who started attending Youth Group and every year at the beginning of football season she would make some bold statement like "The Colts will win the Super Bowl this year!" Bear in mind that in 97 and 98 the colts only won 3 of their 16 games. I was so annoyed at her false hope that I vowed to cheer against the Colts. You can imagine how annoyed I was in 2006 when they won the Super Bowl. What I couldn't understand in 1998 was that the Colts were slowly building a Super Bowl team.

Need: As we move forward and finish our project, let us always remember that our hope must be in God

Subject: Hope

Preview:

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Setting the Stage:

Body

Common Questions: Why do good things happen to bad people? (2:17)

Actually, I think that we probably don't care as much as we claim about good things happening to bad people. What we really care about is why great things have not happened to me! Really, we ask,

A Related Question: Why has God not acted on my behalf yet?

In fact, I kind of think this is the question that the people are asking in verse 17 they just frame it in a way that seems more righteous by asking for God's judgement on the wicked.

The failure of the people was a failure to see the big picture. God had blessed them abundantly.

He brought them out of Egypt.

He guided them through the wilderness.

He delivered them during the time of the judges

He prospered them in the united monarchy.

He patiently withheld judgement during the rebellion's of the divided kingdom.

Even in the judgement of exile God preserved a remnant.

God returned the people to the land.

Anyone paying attention should have realized that God had been faithful in the past and so he would be faithful in the future.

The question actually betrays a deeper, more dangerous question. Is God really just?

This is a dangerous question because the answer is very simply, yes!

If you doubt God's justice then you have a wrong view of something.

Perhaps you don't know the whole story.

Perhaps you don't know the bigger picture.

Perhaps you don't know the true outcome.

Perhaps you have not been patient enough.

Perhaps you don't have the correct definition of justice.

It is okay to ask the question if you are willing to listen to the answer, it is not okay to ask the question in rebellion to God.

God is never the problem, we are always the problem!

Questions are okay, rebellion is not!

The term weary (יגע) can refer to being physically spent but that is not something that can happen to God.

Instead "The term, then, vividly conveys God’s patient and gracious endurance of their rebellious and insulting attitude toward him and that the time for his patience is almost over. ^[1]"

The description of God as weary is not a weakness, it is a statement that "you need to watch out! God is not going to put up with this.

Image: Mark 9:23-24 is one of my favorite passages

23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

I cannot tell you the number of times that I have been forced to tell God "I believe you, I trust you, but I don't see how this will work out. Help me to trust you more."

MTR: Determine right now that when doubts arise you will face those doubts by crying out "“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

The Scary Answer: Because God has not chosen to judge them yet. (3:1-3:4)

God's timeline is on a scale we cannot comprehend. (1)

God's actions are the actions of a refiner. (2-3)

God's goal is acceptable worship. (4)

===Image:

MTR: Pray and ask God for patience while also checking your own worship to make sure it is pure.

The Assuring Answer: God's children have no need to fear His Judgement. (3:5-3:6)

God demands that people live according to a high moral standard! (5a)

God's demands should not be a source of fear. (5b)

Rather, those who are called by God can rest confident in His immutability. (6).

Image: elusive perfection, moving the goal posts. Multi-engine sim training

When I was an undergraduate student working on my degree in aviation I had to take a multi engine commercial pilot course. The course was one of our pinnacle courses and was really only offered to those who were very far along in their degrees on track to fly for the airlines. I enjoyed the course, especially flying the complex airplanes. I would argue that a small multi-engine airplane is probably the hardest airplane anyone will ever fly. But I also had a teacher who pushed us hard. It was almost as if we could never be good enough. "Oh, you have done a good job landing through the clouds so now do it with an engine failed. Oh, you did that, okay now let me fail several of your instruments. You did that, okay let's do it at night..." What I eventually realized was that the teacher was pushing us to our breaking point to see how we responded when we could not achieve perfection. In situations like these I will admit I have a strong tendency to hedge my bets. To do not as well on the single engine full instrument landing so that I don't have to go do the harder task.

Thankfully, this is not how our God operates. We serve a God who has been faithful in the past and will be faithful in the future. Our position in christ is what saves us from judgement. We should strive to be like him as if our grade depends on it because it doesn't. No pressure! Strive for perfection because you are free to miss the mark and know tha tGod will catch you.

MTR: Take some time to praise God for His faithfulness.

1. ↑ Richard A. Taylor and E. Ray Clendenen, Haggai, Malachi, vol. 21A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2004), 372