Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
Finding The Perfect Gift
Jeremiah 23:1-6 November 25, 2007
Christmas is coming. On Friday morning I got right into the thick of things and got up at 5:00 a.m.
to try and catch a few bargains. I wanted to find the perfect gifts for Lori and the girls and save a
few dollars while I was at it. Well, I have never seen anything like I saw that morning. It was my
very first experience ever of Black Friday.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I pulled into the Staples parking lot. There wasn’t any empty
parking spaces to be found. The lines were already running the length of the store five minutes
after the store opened. I was dumbfounded.
Now Lori is smart enough to know that no sane person would ever go out shopping the day after
Thanksgiving and she warned me. Like a prophet of doom she said I was only looking for trouble.
Boy was she right.
That brings me to our text today. The prophet Jeremiah is known as a prophet of doom and gloom
because he is always pointing out that trouble is just around the corner. He seems to focus on the
looming disaster that will befall Israel. The truth is that he is a realist. God has given him insight to
the plight of the people. Their kingdom was a mess. The people had abandoned the worship of
God. The kings had become corrupt. As a result God was lifting his protective hand from them
and leaving them to their own defenses. Jeremiah’s job was to lay it out for them and let them
know what was going to happen and why.
In chapter 23 Jeremiah comes to the palace of King Zedekiah and shares his prophesies before the
king and his court. He tells them of the coming disaster, but at the same time he lifts up a hope for
the future. He begins by charging them with abusing the trust God had given them. They were
called to be shepherds, to build up, to encourage, to guide, to lead the people in worship and praise
of God. They were to lead by example and teach the people all about God but they did the
opposite. They didn’t care about the people or God. They only looked out for themselves and
became corrupt.
As a result of this cowardice and corruption the children of Israel had been scattered all over the
world. They had been taken into captivity in Assyria and Babylonia. They had let the wolves come
into the sheepfold and the nation was destroyed.
But the good news was this: God was coming and he was going to gather the people, his sheep,
together again and unite them under the good shepherd. Jeremiah says, “The days are coming” - a
very familiar saying in the Old Testament which pointed forward to the day of the coming Messiah.
In effect he was a saying “a new king is coming, one who will truly care for the people.” To the
king and his court he reiterated “You have done such a miserable job that you will get yours. But I
will not forget my people. I have the perfect gift for them. I am going to give them what they
desire.”
Almost sixteen years ago I said to Lori that I wanted a candy apple red Mustang convertible for my
40th birthday. I told her that I wanted her to know that so she wouldn’t think I was just middle
age crazy when I brought it up. You know at 40 many people go through a mid-life crisis. I didn’t
want any confusion there. But as the days grew closer, I started thinking about it rationally. It cost
too much money. They didn’t get good gas mileage. It wasn’t really a family car. In all actuality I
gave up on the car thing all together as the day approached.
On the day of my 40th birthday, we had a party. After we opened all the presents, Lori put a
blindfold on me and walked me outside the house and into the driveway where a brand new red 4
door Honda Civic was waiting for me. It was the perfect gift for the cost conscious middle age
crazy guy.
We think we know what we want but so often we end up disappointed. The people wanted a king
and almost from day one they found disappointment. But God was not going to let that be the final
word. He had something special planned. He wasn’t going to give them what they wanted, a better
king, he was going to give them himself. He was going to be fully present in the world with them
through the gift of his only begotten son. For God understood that what the people really wanted
was to be with him, something that was lost after the fall of creation. No earthly man could
compare.
When my girls were younger they got caught up in the American Doll fad. They wanted to have
Felicity and all the others. I remember one year on Sarah’s birthday she received a look-alike from
my mother. I couldn’t tell the difference but at four years old, she could. It wasn’t an American
Doll so it didn’t count.
God also understood that the fall had created a rift between them. He was holy and righteous and
the people were caught up in sin. By his own rules, the two could never come together. So in
order to close that gap, he had to make a bridge that would span the difference. Jesus became that
bridge. He became the righteousness that we needed.
Jeremiah’s good news was that God had already chosen the perfect gift for them. He had laid out a
plan for their redemption. He had made a promise to King David that a messiah would come
through his line. This king, would be unlike any other, for he would save the people from their sin.
He would become their righteousness. Now the people didn’t understand this, but they knew they
could trust God.
I hate to say this with so many children present, but when I was a kid, I learned pretty quick that
if I gave my Christmas list to the Santa in the mall I probably wouldn’t get too much on the list.
You see, the Santa looked good. He had the suit. He had the beard. He had the laugh. But he wasn’t
the real thing. He was simply standing in.
I learned early on that I was better off giving my list to my dad or mom. They seemed to have a
better connection to Santa and the gifts he wanted me to have.
The same is true of God. He is the only one who can really deliver on the promises.
A lot of people promise us things. Almost every other day I get an email telling me that I have been
chosen to receive 10 million dollars from a trust in Nigeria or some remote place. I turn on the
television and am told that if I buy this product or that one I can turn back the clock and look and
feel younger. I am told that by drinking a certain cola I will be rejuvenated and suddenly become
cool again. I am told that if I buy a certain car I will become popular. I am told that if I take a
certain pill I will be more lovable. We run after the promises only to come away feeling
disappointed. You see, only God can deliver on these promises. And we know that’s true because
God has a history of doing so.
He was the one who delivered a child to Abraham and Sarah who had been barren. He was the one
who delivered Jacob and his family from the famine by raising up his lost son, Joseph as the
Pharoah’s right hand man. He was the one who parted the Red Sea and let the people pass
through. He was the one raised up the Judges to deliver the people from their enemies. He was the
one who set David on the throne and made Israel a mighty kingdom. So when Jeremiah says God
has found the perfect gift for the people, they knew that he could be trusted. And Zedekiah and his
court knew the end for them was near.
The real gift that God was promising here was not only his continual presence, but also a release
from the bondage of sin. Jeremiah makes reference to Israel’s captivity in Egypt. They were slaves
and could not enjoy anything. The truth is that sin has made us slaves and we cannot enjoy God’s
presence until we are set free. That is what Jesus does. He comes from his Ivory palace and steps
into this world of woe. He takes our sin upon himself and goes to the cross to bear our
punishment. In doing so, we are set free.
Do you remember that scene in the gospels where the people have a choice to release either
Barrabas or Jesus? Essentially what happens is that Jesus dies in Barrabas’ place. And the truth is
that Jesus died in your place and mine as well. That is the perfect gift. It is what we needed to
have for our life to be complete. When Jesus went to the cross, he took all of our sin on himself
and we suddenly became free from the bondage of sin and able to enjoy the fullness of God’s love
and blessing.
In the coming weeks we will talk more about this precious gift. But for now, be assured that God
loves you and he had you in mind when he decided to send his beloved son into the world.
Amen.
Jeremiah 23:1-6 November 25, 2007
Christmas is coming. On Friday morning I got right into the thick of things and got up at 5:00 a.m.
to try and catch a few bargains. I wanted to find the perfect gifts for Lori and the girls and save a
few dollars while I was at it. Well, I have never seen anything like I saw that morning. It was my
very first experience ever of Black Friday.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I pulled into the Staples parking lot. There wasn’t any empty
parking spaces to be found. The lines were already running the length of the store five minutes
after the store opened. I was dumbfounded.
Now Lori is smart enough to know that no sane person would ever go out shopping the day after
Thanksgiving and she warned me. Like a prophet of doom she said I was only looking for trouble.
Boy was she right.
That brings me to our text today. The prophet Jeremiah is known as a prophet of doom and gloom
because he is always pointing out that trouble is just around the corner. He seems to focus on the
looming disaster that will befall Israel. The truth is that he is a realist. God has given him insight to
the plight of the people. Their kingdom was a mess. The people had abandoned the worship of
God. The kings had become corrupt. As a result God was lifting his protective hand from them
and leaving them to their own defenses. Jeremiah’s job was to lay it out for them and let them
know what was going to happen and why.
In chapter 23 Jeremiah comes to the palace of King Zedekiah and shares his prophesies before the
king and his court. He tells them of the coming disaster, but at the same time he lifts up a hope for
the future. He begins by charging them with abusing the trust God had given them. They were
called to be shepherds, to build up, to encourage, to guide, to lead the people in worship and praise
of God. They were to lead by example and teach the people all about God but they did the
opposite. They didn’t care about the people or God. They only looked out for themselves and
became corrupt.
As a result of this cowardice and corruption the children of Israel had been scattered all over the
world. They had been taken into captivity in Assyria and Babylonia. They had let the wolves come
into the sheepfold and the nation was destroyed.
But the good news was this: God was coming and he was going to gather the people, his sheep,
together again and unite them under the good shepherd. Jeremiah says, “The days are coming” - a
very familiar saying in the Old Testament which pointed forward to the day of the coming Messiah.
In effect he was a saying “a new king is coming, one who will truly care for the people.” To the
king and his court he reiterated “You have done such a miserable job that you will get yours. But I
will not forget my people. I have the perfect gift for them. I am going to give them what they
desire.”
Almost sixteen years ago I said to Lori that I wanted a candy apple red Mustang convertible for my
40th birthday. I told her that I wanted her to know that so she wouldn’t think I was just middle
age crazy when I brought it up. You know at 40 many people go through a mid-life crisis. I didn’t
want any confusion there. But as the days grew closer, I started thinking about it rationally. It cost
too much money. They didn’t get good gas mileage. It wasn’t really a family car. In all actuality I
gave up on the car thing all together as the day approached.
On the day of my 40th birthday, we had a party. After we opened all the presents, Lori put a
blindfold on me and walked me outside the house and into the driveway where a brand new red 4
door Honda Civic was waiting for me. It was the perfect gift for the cost conscious middle age
crazy guy.
We think we know what we want but so often we end up disappointed. The people wanted a king
and almost from day one they found disappointment. But God was not going to let that be the final
word. He had something special planned. He wasn’t going to give them what they wanted, a better
king, he was going to give them himself. He was going to be fully present in the world with them
through the gift of his only begotten son. For God understood that what the people really wanted
was to be with him, something that was lost after the fall of creation. No earthly man could
compare.
When my girls were younger they got caught up in the American Doll fad. They wanted to have
Felicity and all the others. I remember one year on Sarah’s birthday she received a look-alike from
my mother. I couldn’t tell the difference but at four years old, she could. It wasn’t an American
Doll so it didn’t count.
God also understood that the fall had created a rift between them. He was holy and righteous and
the people were caught up in sin. By his own rules, the two could never come together. So in
order to close that gap, he had to make a bridge that would span the difference. Jesus became that
bridge. He became the righteousness that we needed.
Jeremiah’s good news was that God had already chosen the perfect gift for them. He had laid out a
plan for their redemption. He had made a promise to King David that a messiah would come
through his line. This king, would be unlike any other, for he would save the people from their sin.
He would become their righteousness. Now the people didn’t understand this, but they knew they
could trust God.
I hate to say this with so many children present, but when I was a kid, I learned pretty quick that
if I gave my Christmas list to the Santa in the mall I probably wouldn’t get too much on the list.
You see, the Santa looked good. He had the suit. He had the beard. He had the laugh. But he wasn’t
the real thing. He was simply standing in.
I learned early on that I was better off giving my list to my dad or mom. They seemed to have a
better connection to Santa and the gifts he wanted me to have.
The same is true of God. He is the only one who can really deliver on the promises.
A lot of people promise us things. Almost every other day I get an email telling me that I have been
chosen to receive 10 million dollars from a trust in Nigeria or some remote place. I turn on the
television and am told that if I buy this product or that one I can turn back the clock and look and
feel younger. I am told that by drinking a certain cola I will be rejuvenated and suddenly become
cool again. I am told that if I buy a certain car I will become popular. I am told that if I take a
certain pill I will be more lovable. We run after the promises only to come away feeling
disappointed. You see, only God can deliver on these promises. And we know that’s true because
God has a history of doing so.
He was the one who delivered a child to Abraham and Sarah who had been barren. He was the one
who delivered Jacob and his family from the famine by raising up his lost son, Joseph as the
Pharoah’s right hand man. He was the one who parted the Red Sea and let the people pass
through. He was the one raised up the Judges to deliver the people from their enemies. He was the
one who set David on the throne and made Israel a mighty kingdom. So when Jeremiah says God
has found the perfect gift for the people, they knew that he could be trusted. And Zedekiah and his
court knew the end for them was near.
The real gift that God was promising here was not only his continual presence, but also a release
from the bondage of sin. Jeremiah makes reference to Israel’s captivity in Egypt. They were slaves
and could not enjoy anything. The truth is that sin has made us slaves and we cannot enjoy God’s
presence until we are set free. That is what Jesus does. He comes from his Ivory palace and steps
into this world of woe. He takes our sin upon himself and goes to the cross to bear our
punishment. In doing so, we are set free.
Do you remember that scene in the gospels where the people have a choice to release either
Barrabas or Jesus? Essentially what happens is that Jesus dies in Barrabas’ place. And the truth is
that Jesus died in your place and mine as well. That is the perfect gift. It is what we needed to
have for our life to be complete. When Jesus went to the cross, he took all of our sin on himself
and we suddenly became free from the bondage of sin and able to enjoy the fullness of God’s love
and blessing.
In the coming weeks we will talk more about this precious gift. But for now, be assured that God
loves you and he had you in mind when he decided to send his beloved son into the world.
Amen.
| Welcome to the First Baptist Church of Norwich 239 West Main Street Norwich, Connecticut Phone: 860-889-0369 |
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