July 31, 2016
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series:
God Is A Rock
“My Rock and My
Redeemer”
Psalm 146
Psalm 19; Psalm 34;
“Pavers of Rock. . . ”
Prayer for illumination and for God’s word to
be heard through me or in spite of me. . .
A reading from the Poetry of
the Psalms. . . the 19th Psalm. . . Listen and hear the word of God
for the people of God. . .
We
have all agreed that God is a Rock. We understand and know that God is good all
the time. . . all the time God is good. .
. But why do we use the metaphor. .
. the imagery. . . of a Rock when we talk about God. . . when we try to explain
who He is to someone that may not know God the way we do.
We
have looked at the imagery of God being the “Solid Rock”. We call Him that
because He is never changing always the sure foundation that we can build our
lives upon. He is the safe harbor. . . the Solid Rock under our feet when
storms blow into our lives. And He is the Solid Rock that gives us the strength
to face anything at any time. . . as we cling to Him for help. He is the Rock
that we go to. . . the Rock of higher ground. It is this very higher ground
that we share with others so that they too can have a higher ground in which to
build their lives upon. When the storms of life blow through life we and they
are able to stand. This is the Rock that raises us up to higher places. . . to
where He is. We also consider God to be a shelter for us. God is that
sheltering Rock that we run to. . . that we can always count on being there. It
is within these walls. . . the walls of this very church. . . that others can
seek Spiritual shelter. . . if we but make it a place where they feel safe and
secure. . . The bottom line is this. . .
God is our Rock and our Redeemer.
The
19th Psalm, which I just read a moment ago, talks about just that. These words
you have heard me say them. . . or a variant of them. . . every Sunday morning.
. . May the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
Now we have talked about God as our Rock for the past few weeks, but what does
this whole “Redeemer” thing mean? What is it mean to be redeemed?
Well,
when we are redeemed we are set apart. . . to be redeemed is to be set on a
right and good path. Merriam Webster tells us that to redeem something is:
Simple
Definition of redeem
: to make (something that is bad, unpleasant,
etc.) better or more acceptable
: to exchange (something, such as a coupon or
lottery ticket) for money, an award, etc.
: to buy back (something, such as a stock or
bond)
When Jesus our Redeemer. . .
redeemed us. . . He made us better. . . our un-pleasantness with God. . . our
sinfulness. . . He made us acceptable in the sight of God. Moreover, He
exchanged His life for us. Jesus bought us back from the enemy...and it only
cost Him His life. . . In Biblical
times. When a husband passed away. . . the nearest relative could marry the
widow. . . redeeming her. . . he was her Kinsman Redeemer. . . Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer. He came to
redeem humanity because of the death of our relationship with God so long ago.
He was the only one who could redeem us.
There
are several pieces of scripture that talks about. . . tells of our Kinsman
Redeemer.
Isaiah
61:1 (One of my favorites)
The Spirit of the Lord God
is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical
and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound,
(Speak from the Spirit)
Psalm
71:23
My lips shall shout for joy when I sing
praises to You, and my inner being, which You have redeemed.
(Speak from the Spirit)
Isaiah
49:26b
I, the Lord, am your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
(Speak from the Spirit)
And
Mathew 1:21
She will bear a Son, and you
shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means
Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them
from [a]failing and missing the true end and scope
of life, which is God].
(Speak from the Spirit)
And
many more. . .
We
are set upon a good road. . . on the right path as we are redeemed. . . but. .
. it is our choice whether or not we are going to stay on that road of
deliverance or go back to the road of bondage that we were just redeemed from.
. .
Jesus,
our Redeemer, showed us a path. . . sort of like pavers of rock. . . .to
follow. We too leave pavers behind us. They are the places that we have
triumphed. . . and those where did not. . . They are the places of joy and the places of
pain. . . They are the places of trust
and places of distrust and unbelief. . . They are the pavers of rock. . . those pieces
of bread crumbs left behind that others may follow and at some point begin
their own path. . . and lay down their own stone pavers. And the good news is
this. . . we don’t have to do this on our own. . . we are called to “walk the
good path” together. We are called to bring others along the path with us as
they begin to traverse the Good Soil of our God and King. And when the times is
right. . . they too will begin their own and invite others to come with them. .
. to learn from them. . . to find their own Good Path.
Here
the words of Psalm 34. . . It is the
Lord who delivers the righteous. . .
I will praise the Lord at
all times; His praise will always be on my lips.
I will boast in the Lord; the
humble will hear and be glad.
Proclaim Yahweh’s greatness
with me; let us exalt His name together.
I sought the Lord, and He answered me and
delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their
faces will never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and
saved him from all his troubles.
The Angel of the Lord
encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.
Taste and see that the Lord
is good.
How happy is the man who
takes refuge in Him!
You who are His holy ones,
fear Yahweh, for those who fear Him lack nothing.
Young lions lack food and go
hungry, but those who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.
Come, children, listen to
me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is the man who delights
in life, loving a long life to enjoy what is good?
Keep your tongue from evil and
your lips from deceitful speech.
Turn away from evil and do
what is good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on
the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry for help.
The face of the Lord is set against
those who do what is evil, to erase all memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and
the Lord hears, and delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near the
brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit.
Many adversities come to the
one who is righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
He protects all his bones; not
one of them is broken.
Evil brings death to the
wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
The Lord redeems the life of
His servants, and all who take refuge in Him will not be punished.
God
is a Rock! He is a Solid Rock that never changes. He is the Rock of
faithfulness and truth. He is the Rock we run to who takes us to higher ground.
He is the Rock we lead others to so that they can grow closer to the God who
takes them. . . leads them. . . higher than the world around them. . . out of
the pit of chaos onto the road of “Higher Learning” about the God who is above
all things. It is in the Shelter of the Rock that we come into community and
love others with the grace that has been given us through Christ who saves us.
. . It is as a community of Rock Lovers.
. . of Rock Huggers. . . that we are Redeemed by our Kinsman Redeemer. . . that
we find the pavers of our Redeemer, our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, and are set
on the Good Path. . . walking together as one. . . inviting others to join us
in our Rock adventure.
It
is sort of like geocaching. In Geocaching, people use a GPS to find something.
. . a navigational system. . . where they find a paper that they sign with
their established code name and date then put back to where they found it for
others to find. The bible is our navigation system. . . our GPS. . . that leads
us to the Rock. Now when we get to the
Rock we don’t actually sign the paper. . . it is already signed in the blood of
Jesus is redeemed. . . we are called to help others can find it. . . lead
them to where the GPS is leading them. Sounds like fun to me. What do you
think? Let’s all begin walk on the pavers set before us. . . remember Jesus has
already been where we are lead so it would be His pavers we follow. . . Maybe,
just maybe, we will help others find the prize of a life time. . . the prize
found in the sure foundational Rock that is our God and King. . . Perhaps that is what it’s really all about. .
.
AMEN
====
August 1, 2016
July 31, 2016
words placed before us
July 31, 2016
stones of the path
July 31, 2016
pages of the book
July 31, 2016
a path to eternity
July 31, 2016
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series:
God Is A Rock
“My God and My Redeemer”
Psalm 146
Psalm 19
Psalm 34
Matthew
and sermon, “Pavers of
Rock. . . ”
text
video
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
“God’s Whisper” blog
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
July 31, 2016
&
July 31, 2016
as we come to this refuge
July 31, 2016
surround me with rock
July 30, 2016
you are my hiding place
edited/ new name July 30,
2016
hide me within the rock
July 30, 2016
within the living rock
July 30, 2016
let me hide myself in Thee
April 18, 2011
post on blog of Jenny
Rawson –
“rock of ages cleft for
me” (meaning)
&
“spiritual meaning of
cleft”
&
“The Summit”
Rock of Ages Cleft For Me
Meaning...
by Jonathan Aubuchon
&
July 28, 2016
hidden in the rock
July 28, 2016
within the cleft of the
rock
edited/new name July 27,
2016
we find rest in this
shelter
edited/name change July
27, 2016
rest in this shelter
edited July 26, 2016
rest in the shelter – v2
July 26, 2016
rest in the shelter
July 26, 2016
we are completely covered
July 26, 2016
safe in the crevice
July 25, 2016
safe in the caves
July 25, 2016
a shelter for God’s people
July 25, 2016
the Solid Rock under our
feet
July 25, 2016
within the shelter of the
rock
July 25, 2016
we are protected – 2
July 25, 2016
in the shelter of the rock
July 25, 2016
we will not fear
edited July 25, 2016
within these walls - 2
July 25, 2016
within the walls
July 25, 2016
God is our refuge - 3
July 25, 2016
we need a place of shelter
July 24, 2016
God will keep me safe
July 24, 2016
God will hide me
July 24, 2016
crevices in the rock
July 24, 2016
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series:
God Is A Rock
“Shelter of the Rock”
Psalm 27
Psalm 30
Psalm 46:1-3
Psalm 32:6-8
and sermon, “Crevices in
the Rock. . . ”
text
video
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
and the Baptism of Hailey Elizabeth Ontiveros
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
July 24, 2016
&
July 24, 2016
the God who is above all
things
July 24, 2016
out of the pit of chaos
July 24, 2016
lost in addiction, in
chaos
July 24, 2016
they don’t know Him
July 24, 2016
they are out there hurting
July 24, 2016
God takes us to higher
ground
July 23, 2016
the mark of the beast
July 23, 2016
in the darkness, the chaos
July 23, 2016
stuck in the valley
July 23, 2016
held by the chaos – v2
July 23, 2016
listen to their cries
July 23, 2016
look around
July 23, 2016
climb to the rock
edited July 23, 2016
in the dark places – v2
July 23, 2016
they are not here
edited July 23, 2016
wake up, help – v2
July 23, 2016
wake up, help
edited/expanded July 23,
2016
we have a calling – 2
expanded July 23, 2016
to hear their cries – v2
July 23, 2016
to hear their cries – v1
July 22, 2016
lead them to the rock
edited July 22, 2016
held by the chaos
July 22, 2016
in the dark places
editing “too many in
Sheol”
July 22, 2016
cling to God for help – v2
July 21, 2016
too many in Sheol
July 21, 2016
we have a calling
July 21, 2016
those who are still in the
valley
July 21, 2016
God called to him
July 21, 2016
a safe harbor – v2
July 20, 2016
Lead me to the rock
July 20, 2016
go to the rock
July 20, 2016
we cling to God for help
July 20, 2016
cling to God for help
July 20, 2016
we need the rock
July 19, 2016
the sure foundation
July 19, 2016
a safe harbor
July 19, 2016
we are down in the valley
July 19, 2016
a higher place
July 18, 2016
guide them to the heights
July 17, 2016
climbing higher- 2
July 17, 2016
Higher Ground
July 17, 2016
above the chaos
July 17, 2016
miles in all directions
July 17, 2016
from the heights
July 17, 2016
a new perspective
July 17, 2016
we bring You these gifts
7/17/16 Prayer of
Thanksgiving
&
July 17, 2016
climb the mountain
July 17, 2016
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series:
God Is A Rock
“Take Me To The Rock”
Psalm 30
Psalm 61;
Psalm 88;
Exodus 3:1-3;
Genesis 22:1-2
and sermon, “Higher Ground.
. . ”
text
video
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Cristy Ann Chaffee
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
July 17, 2016
&
July 17, 2016
build your house
July 17, 2016
build upon God
July 17, 2016
sinking fast
edited July 17, 2016
Solid Rock – v2
July 17, 2016
where will we stand
July 16, 2016
seeking that rock
July 16, 2016
like a house of cards
edited July 16, 2016
on this rock we stand
July 16, 2016
we can stand - 2
July 15, 2016
fixed to the rock
July 14, 2016
nothing moved that house
July 13, 2016
build our lives
July 13, 2016
Solid Rock
July 10, 2016
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series:
God Is A Rock
“Solid Rock”
Psalm 91
Psalm 18:1-3;
Psalm 62:5-8;
Deuteronomy 32:1-4;
Matthew 7:24-27
and sermon, “Firmness of
Rock. . . ”
text
video
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
July 10, 2016
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted
by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. All rights reserved. Contact me at
Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage.
See all 41,520+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
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