Teaching and Addressing“Stewardship”

May 2, 2009 at

Christ the King, Willingboro,

with the Rev. Lee Powers,

Canon to the Ordinary

God’s plan in creation

“Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ ” (Gen. 1:26)

Humans - Stewards of Creation

“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)

Harmony is broken by sin

“And to the man (the LORD God) said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you, in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; . . . By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, . . . (Genesis 3:17,19)

The first family grows

“Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying ‘I have produced a man with the help of the LORD. Next she bore his brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.” (Gen.4:1-2)

After the Fall, the sons bring offerings to the LORD

“In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of the flock, their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.” (Genesis 4:2-5)

•

Cain’s jealousy and anger

“So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. The LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it?”

(Genesis 4:5-7)

Discussion questions

• As you read this story, why do you think God had regard for Abel’s offering, but not for Cain’s?

• What do you think God meant by saying: “If you do well, will you not be accepted?”

God’s work in redeeming creation

The genealogy of the

descendants of Adam

goes through several

generations, and then

comes to Noah:

whose name is a

blessing.

“Lamech . . . became the father of a son; he named him Noah, saying, ‘Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands.’ ” (Genesis 5:29)

“Re-creation”

“Now the earth was corrupt in

God’s sight, and the earth

was filled with violence. . .

And God said to Noah, ‘I

have determined to make

an end of all flesh, for the

earth is filled with violence

because of them; now I am

going to destroy them

along with the earth. . . .

“Re-creation” (continued)

“. . .But I will establish my

covenant with you; and

you shall come into the

ark, you, your sons, your

wife, your sons’ wives

with you. And of every

living thing, . . . You shall

bring two of every kind

into the ark, to keep them

alive with you. . . .” (Gen.

6:11, 13-14, 18-19)

God’s Covenant with Noah(After the flood waters had

receded) “God blessed Noah

and said, ‘Be fruitful and

multiply, and fill the earth. . . .

I establish my covenant with

you, that never again shall all

flesh be cut off by the waters

of a flood, and never again

shall their be a flood to destroy

the earth.” (Genesis 9:1,11)

God calls Abram

“The LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ ” (Gen:12:1-3)

Abram offers a tithe

“And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. He blessed Abram and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’ And Abram gave him one tenth of everything.” (Gen. 14:18-20)

God’s promises to Abram

“The LORD took Abram outside and said to him, ‘Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able. . . . So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:5-6)

God’s covenant with Abram

“‘I will make you exceedingly fruitful. . . I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you, . . An everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God.’” (Gen. 17:6-8)

“Being exceedingly fruitful”

- Abraham and Sarah bore Isaac.

- Isaac and Rebekah bore Esau and Jacob.

- Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of hot soup.

- Esau vowed to kill Jacob after Isaac dies.

- Rebekah sent Jacob away to her family in Haran.

Jacob’s dream at Bethel

Jacob travelled and slept at Bethel and had a dream. The LORD said to him:

“’The land on which you lie I will give to you and your offspring. . . . Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised.’” (Genesis 28:13, 15)

Jacob’s vow to the LORD

“Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, . . .

. . . then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one-tenth to you.’” (Genesis 28:20-22)

Jacob returns to Canaan

- Jacob worked fourteen years for Laban and married his daughters Leah and Rachel.

- With his wives and their handmaidens, Jacob bore eleven sons and a daughter.

- Jacob returned to Canaan with his family.

- Esau welcomed Jacob home in joy.

- Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin.

Joseph and his brothers

Joseph was the first son born to Rachel and was Jacob’s favored son. In jealousy his brothers sold him to travelling merchants headed to Egypt and told Jacob that Joseph had been killed by an animal.

Joseph rises to power

The traders sold Joseph to Pharaoh’s servant.

Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and Pharaoh made him governor of Egypt.

Joseph’s brothers were unwittingly tested by Joseph when they came to buy grain.

Joseph and his brothers are reconciled.

Jacob and his whole family came to live in the best part of Egypt under Joseph’s care.

Long after Joseph’s death, another Pharaoh became afraid of the Hebrews and enslaved them.

The Hebrew’s cried to God for deliverance, and the LORD sent Moses to tell Pharaoh to “Let my people go.”

Passover

- Moses did signs to convince Pharaoh.

- Pharaoh refused to listen to Moses, hardening his heart against the slaves.

- The final plague: the Angel of Death killed all the first-born of the Egyptians.

- Pharaoh thrust the slaves out of Egypt.

The Exodus

Moses led the Hebrew slaves across the Red Sea to meet the LORD at Mt. Sinai.

God offers of a Covenant

“Moses went up to God; the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying; ‘Thus you shall. . . tell the Israelites: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. . . .”

The Covenant is accepted

‘. . .Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words you shall speak to the Israelites.’” (Exodus 19:3-6)

“The people all answered as one: ‘Everything that the LORD has spoken we will do.’”

Amidst terrible signs and wonders, Moses brought the people to the mountain of God.

The Ten Commandments

Ten Commandments were given in the hearing of all the people. They are the cornerstone of the Covenant.

Statutes and Ordinances

Moses then received hundreds of other statutes, laws, commandments and ordinances. For the LORD to be a living presence amongst them, instruction was given for the building of a sanctuary. Aaron and his descendants would be the priests in the sanctuary.

Consecration of the first-born

“The LORD said to Moses: ‘Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine.’” (Exodus 13:1-2)

“When in the future your child asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall answer…”

Why first-born is consecrated

‘. . .By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborn to the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD every male that first opens the womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’” (Exodus 13:14-15)

The Sanctuary of the LORD

“The LORD said to Moses: ‘Tell the Israelites to take for me an offering; from all whose hearts prompt them to give you shall receive the offering for me. . . . And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:1-2,8)

Aaron, priest of the sanctuary

The LORD said to Moses, “Then bring near to you your brother Aaron, and his sons with him, from among the Israelites, to serve me as priests – Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.” (Exodus 28:1)

Levites given to Aaron . . .

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, so that they may assist him. They shall perform duties for him and the whole congregation in front of the tent of meeting, doing service at the tabernacle, . . . . You shall give the Levites to Aaron and his descendants; they are unreservedly given to him from among the Israelites. . .”

. . .as substitute for first-born

“I hereby accept the Levites from among the Israelites as substitutes for all the firstborn that open the womb among the Israelites. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine; when I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for mine own all the firstborn of Israel, both human and animal; they shall be mine. I am the LORD.” (Numbers 3:5-13) (see also Numbers 8:14-19)

Total tribe of Levites given

“The total enrollment of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron enrolled . . . was 22,000. . . .Then the LORD said to Moses: ‘Enroll all the firstborn males of the Israelites, . . . So Moses enrolled all the firstborn among the Israelites, . . . the total enrollment . . . was 22,273. . .”(Numbers 3:39,40,43)

Redemption of the firstborn

“But you shall accept the Levites for me – I am the LORD – as substitutes for all the firstborn among the Israelites . . . . Give to Aaron and his sons the money by which the excess number of them is redeemed.” (Numbers 3:41,48)

Priest’s and Levite’s portions

“The LORD spoke to Aaron: ‘I have given you charge of the offerings made to me, all the holy gifts of the Israelites; I have given them to you and your sons as a priestly portion due you in perpetuity. . . .

To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for a possession in return for the service they perform, the service in the tent of meeting.” (Numbers 18:8, 21)

Promise Land apportioned

“After the plague, the LORD said to Moses and to Eleazer son of Aaron the priest, ‘Take a census of the whole congregation of the Israelites, from twenty years old and upward, by their ancestral houses, everyone in Israel able to go to war. . . .To these the land shall be apportioned for inheritance according to the number of names. . . . every tribe shall be given its inheritance according to its enrollment. . . .

Levites don’t share in land

“This is the enrollment of the Levites . . . the number of those enrolled is 23,000, every male one month old and upward; for they were not enrolled among the Israelites because there was no allotment given to them among the Israelites.” (Numbers 26:1-2, 53, 56-57, 62)

Moses preaches to Israel

“It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you – for you were the fewest of peoples. It was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your ancestors, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful one who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and who repays in their own person those who reject him. . . .”

Moses tells of blessings

“. . . If you heed the ordinances, by diligently observing them, the LORD your God will maintain with you the covenant loyalty that he swore to your ancestors; he will love you, bless you, and multiply you; he will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock, in the land that he swore to your ancestors to give you. . . .”

“Fruitfulness and health”

“. . . You shall be the most blessed of people, with neither sterility nor barrenness among you or your livestock. The LORD will turn away from you every illness; all the dread diseases of Egypt that you experienced, he will not inflict on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you.” (Deuteronomy 7:7-15)

“Remember your deliverance”

“This entire commandment that I command you today you must diligently observe, so that you may live and increase, and go in and occupy the land that the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember the long way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. . . .”

“God cares for you”

“. . . . He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. The clothes on your back did not wear out and your feet did not swell these forty years. . . .”

“Walk in God’s ways”

“ . . .Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the LORD your God disciplines you. Therefore keep the commandments of the LORD your God, by walking in his ways and fearing him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, . . .”

“Eat and bless the LORD”

“. . . a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you will eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the LORD your God for the good land that he has given you. . . .”

“Do not exalt yourself”

“. . . When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, . . .”

“for the LORD gives wealth”

“. . . Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.’ But remember that LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today. . . .”

Moses ends with a warning

“. . . If you do forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and serve and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the LORD is destroying before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.” (Deuteronomy 8:1-20)

Entering the Promised Land

“When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. . . .”

Tithe of the bounty of the land

“Set apart a tithe of all the yield of your seed that is brought in yearly from the field. In the presence of the LORD your God, in the place that he will choose as a dwelling for his name, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, your wine, and your oil, as well as the firstlings of your herd and flock, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. And you shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your household rejoicing together.” (Deuteronomy 14:22-23,26b)

Tithe for the Levites . . .

“As for the Levites resident in your towns, do not neglect them, because they have no allotment or inheritance with you.

Every third year you shall bring out the full tithe of your produce for that year, . . .”

. . and aliens, orphans and widows.

“. . . the Levites, because they have no allotment or inheritance with you, as well as the resident aliens, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, may come and eat their fill so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work that you undertake.” (Deuteronomy 14:28-29)

Worship and Creeds

“When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. . . .”

Remembering God’s faithfulness

“. . .You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, ‘Today I declare to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us.’ When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, . . .”

A God who goes with them

“. . . you shall make this response before the LORD your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. . . .”

A God who saves them

“. . . When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. . . .”

A God who provides for all

“ . . .So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me.’ You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house.” (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)

Discussion Questions

1. What did the LORD offer the Israelites in the Covenant of Sinai?

2. What did the LORD require of them?

Jesus said that the first and great commandment is this: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Deuteronomy 6:1-2)

Discussion continued

3. How did the Israelites show their love for the LORD their God?

4. What did they need to do to provide for a way to love the LORD their God?

5. Does this commandment still pertain to Christians today?

6. How do we show our love of God?

Conquest of Promised Land

Joshua led the Israelite army in the conquest and possession of the land.

The tribes settled in their allotted places: two for Joseph’s sons Manasseh and Ephraim, ten for Jacobs other sons.

Levites lived in cities.

Life in the Promised Land

- When invaders conquered Israel, God raised up judges to deliver them again.

- Israel asked for a King and Saul was chosen.

- After Saul was killed in battle, David became King of Israel.

Prosperity, then Civil War

- David’s son Solomon made Israel greater.- Solomon built a house for the LORD.- Solomon’s son was a harsh King, and the

northern ten tribes rebelled and left.- David’s descendants ruled in Judah and

the people worshipped in Jerusalem.- Northern tribes named “Israel,” had

intrigue, murder, many kings, and they worshipped at a shrine in Samaria.

Israel forgets its Covenant

- Israel’s King Ahab married Jezebel, daughter of the King of Sidon.

- Jezebel brought Baal prophets to Israel.

- Israel began to follow other gods.

- God sent a 3 year drought on Israel.

The LORD destroys Baal prophets

- Elijah challenged the Baal prophets to call on Baal to end the drought.

- Elijah called on the LORD and ends drought.

- Elijah killed the 400 Baal prophets.

Prophets call people to the LORD

“Thus says the LORD: “. . . Because they have rejected the law of the LORD, and have not kept his statutes . . . So I will send a fire on Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.

For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, . . . I will press you down in your place . . .” (Amos 2:4-6, 13)

Amos prophesies to Israel

“Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them . . . Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:22-24)

Isaiah speaks the LORD’s anger

“Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved has a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. . . .”

Judah is yielding wild grapes

“. . . And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? . . .”

The LORD’s wrath

“. . . .And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. . . .”

No justice in the land.

“. . . .For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!” (Isaiah 5:1-7)

Micah tells people the way

“With what shall I come before the LORD?

Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? . . .” (Micah 6:6,7)

What does the LORD require?

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

(Micah 6:8)

Jeremiah foretells destruction

“And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, ‘Why has the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?’ then you shall say to them: It is because your ancestors have forsaken me, says the LORD, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law; . . .”

Exile to another land

“ . . . and because you have behaved worse than your ancestors, for here you are, every one of you, following your stubborn evil will, refusing to listen to me. Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.” (Jeremiah 16:10-13)

Promise of a New Covenant

“The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt – a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. . . .”

God’s laws on our hearts

“. . .But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; and I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Restored Israel: God’s challenge

“For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished. Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me. . . .”

Can you out-give the LORD?

“. . . But you say, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In your tithes and offerings! You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me – the whole nation of you! Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” (Malachi 3:6-12)

Wisdom in ancient Israel

“Two things I ask of you; do not deny them to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that I need, or I shall be full, and deny you, and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or I shall be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:7-9)

Discussion of Old Covenant

The LORD offered covenants to Noah, Abraham and Moses. The covenants promised that God would never again destroy all life by a flood, that Abraham’s descendants would receive the land and be a blessing to all nations, and that if they observed all the commandments of the LORD, that they would know great blessing, prosperity and peace in the land.

Questions for consideration

What did the LORD expect from the people as their response to the covenants?

Why did the LORD claim all the firstborn?

Why didn’t the Levites inherit any land?

How did the LORD provide for the Levites?

What was the purpose of giving the tithe?

How do people today display the wrong attitudes that Malachi condemned?

The New

Covenant

God the giver

“For God so loved the world

that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believes in him

may not perish

but may have eternal life.”

(John 3:16)

God’s New Covenant

“To all who received him, who believe in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:12-14)

Jesus the Savior

“And you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt. 1:21)

“For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

“For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Jesus the lamb of God

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Mt. 5:17)

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)

“‘And I, when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all people too myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.” (John12:32)

“Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’” (John 19:30)

The New Covenant fulfilled

“He took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’”

(Luke 22:19-20)

The Great Commission

“Jesus came to (the eleven disciples) and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. . .”

Sent into the World

“. . .Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Discussion Questions

1. If Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, and his death is the once for all sacrifice for sin, do we still need to offer any sacrifices to God?”

2. “What does Jesus tell us to offer to God?”

The New Israel

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who call you our of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

Parable of the sower explained

“Jesus said, ‘As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what is sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’”(Mt13)

Jesus condemns false piety

“Jesus said, ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others.’” (Matthew 23:23)

“Jesus teaches us how to live.”

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

“ . . . free from worry. . .”

“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? . . .”

“ . . .and trusting in God.”

“ . . . Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? . . .”

“If God cares for the lilies . . .”

“ . . .And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to the span of your life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin . . . .”

“ . . .God will care for you.”

“. . . yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith? . . .”

“Strive for the Kingdom of God.”

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

Early church learned from apostles

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. . . .”

And lived as Jesus said to live.

“. . . Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47-47)

Collection for the saints

“We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, . . .”

“. . .even from the suffering churches.”

“. . .begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints – and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, . . .” (2 Corinthians 8:1-5)

“For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (8:9)

“As we reap we will sow”

“The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. . . .”

“And God will provide abundantly.”

“. . .He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God.” (2 Cor. 9:6-8,10-12)

God’s word of assurance

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and make good your vows to the Most High.

Call upon me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you shall honor me.”

(Psalm 50:14-15, Book of Common Prayer)