Day 1560 - Living on Easy Street

A sermon given at First Presbyterian Church, Spring City, TN, March 19, 2017

Exodus 17:1-7

Romans 4:23- 5:11

How much do you think God loved the Hebrews in Egypt? They suffered under increasingly harsh slavery for years, and then after some magnificent divine deeds, the Pharaoh tells them not only are they free to go, but please leave immediately and take Moses with you.

One would think this awesome power of God would fill the Hebrews with faith that they were in good hands on the road to the Promised Land. They probably thought they were on Easy Street wandering in the Sinai Desert free of the Pharaoh until hunger and thirst fueled doubt in this powerful God. They lament, “Why didn’t we stay in Egypt as slaves, at least we would have food to eat and water to drink?”

How did doubt overcome them after all the mighty acts they observed in Egypt? In full view of the Hebrews and Pharaoh, the Lord gave Moses the power to turn his staff into a snake and the power to turn the Nile River into blood. God sent a plague of frogs that all died and stunk everything up and then a plague of gnats that bit everyone and messed everything up, and then a plague of flies that fouled and ruined. Then the Lord gave Moses the power to bring a plague that killed all the Pharaoh’s livestock but left the livestock of the Hebrews untouched. This was followed by a plague of boils to beset the Egyptians, and a hailstorm that destroyed all the Egyptian fields but spared the Hebrews’ in Goshen.

With God’s power, Moses then brings a plague of locusts that ate everything green on trees and bushes in all Egypt. Next, the Lord darkened the sky all over the land for three days. Still the Pharaoh does not relent. Moses tells the Hebrews God is doing all these things.

Finally, God gives Moses special instructions for the Hebrews. They are to slaughter a lamb, sprinkle its blood over their door, lock themselves in their homes and feast on the lamb. During this time, the Spirit of the Lord passed over the Hebrews and killed the firstborn of all the Egyptian people and animals, leaving loud cries of anguish in the land. Then the Pharaoh begs the people to go.

The Hebrews took silver and gold from the Egyptians as they marched to the Red Sea with Moses following a cloud before them at day, and a pillar of fire at night. When the Pharaoh had second thoughts and sent his army after the Hebrews, God parted the Red Sea and the Hebrews crossed over. Then God closed the sea drowning the Egyptians who pursued the Hebrews. As the Hebrews journeyed through the desert for years, God sent them manna and quail so they would not be hungry. Can they doubt God is at work after all these mighty deeds?

Yes, they do. The Hebrews find themselves in adversity without water and can only complain bitterly against God. They seem to think, “So much for Easy Street!” Has the same blindness to recognize the power of God struck them as with the Pharaoh, or are they just too stiff-necked and proud to acknowledge and trust the source of their help? Still a loving God tells Moses to strike a rock and they get their water anyway. Thanks be to God.

Now let’s fast forwards thousands of years to the time of Paul. He is languishing in prison in Rome writing his grand letter on Christian belief to the Roman congregation. It captures the full breadth of his teaching on Christian belief. In Paul’s estimation, Jesus was the singular event in human history. His appearance changed the course of history and began the completion of the history of God, the Hebrews and all humankind.

Paul Achtemeier in his commentary on Paul’s letter to the Romans says, “Unless there is some way our knowledge of the past can influence our lives in the present, the study of history is nothing more than a simple exercise of collecting (antiques).” The Apostle Paul clearly sees all Jewish history pointing to the presence of Jesus Christ in the world. For Paul, who was a Jew’s Jew, the history of the Hebrews and Gentiles began with Abraham.

Paul is systematic and builds his point. Today we see how chapter and paragraph divisions in the New Testament are artificial divisions of translators trying to make sections “fit together.” Often the divisions reflect more the translator rather than the intent of the person who wrote the scripture. Even though I cited Romans 4:23-5:11, we must start with verse 1 of chapter 4 to appreciate Paul’s words about faith and adversity.

Paul argues that the essence of our Christian faith is rooted in Abraham, the father of all nations. He explains how faith in God is the basis of Abraham’s righteousness. Let me paraphrase excerpts of what Paul says in Romans 4:1-12;

 “What did our human ancestor Abraham gain from God? God called Abraham righteous. Did Abraham bring about this righteousness by his work? If he did, he could boast about this blessing of righteousness.  After all, when one works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due the person. Abraham was justified by God before he did anything. This is what “reckoned righteous” means: before any action or indictment for sin, he is made righteous, regardless. Scripture says before he left Aram for Canaan, before he took Isaac up on the mountain for a sacrifice, and before he was circumcised he was reckoned righteous because he had faith to follow God’s command. His faith caused him to leave Aram, to take Isaac up on the mountain, to be circumcised.

“Abraham’s trust in God alone gained him righteousness. Because of Adam all humans are ungodly, even Abraham.  Yet, because God justified Abraham, we know God justifies the ungodly. All the Hebrews who trust in God with the faith of Father Abraham are reckoned righteous as Abraham.

Then Paul makes a critical leap recognizing the cosmic implication of Jesus Christ for all humanity.

“Because Abraham was righteous (had faith in God), God promised Abraham that he would be the father of the Hebrews and many nations, more numerous than the stars in the sky. Abraham’s faith did not waver when God promised he would be the father of many nations even though he and Sarah were childless and very, very old. Because of this, not only Abraham and the Hebrews, but all his descendants enjoy the benefit of his faith. We are connected to the righteousness of Father Abraham through God’s promise that Abraham is our Father. Furthermore, God promised through the words of the prophets that Jesus Christ will erase our trespasses thereby justifying the righteousness of those who are not Jews. Christians are intimately connected to the righteousness of Abraham. Paul says (1) we have confidence in this promise of righteousness. (2) Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of salvation and the source of the Holy Spirit. (3) This faith in righteousness and salvation gives us peace with God and confidence in our future.

“Why? The promise of righteousness comes from God’s love for humanity. That love gave over Christ to death for all sins. Achtemeier puts it this way, ‘Imagine Jesus dying for sinners! It is unusual enough to die for a good person, yet Jesus did it for sinners.’

“Paul says those who have the confidence and peace of faith can meet any test of adversity. The upshot of Paul’s message is that we have full confidence in the future. We do not fear judgment because our faith reckons us righteous.”

Righteousness connects 21^st century Christians to the hungry and thirsty Hebrews who wandered in the desert, doubting and wondering where or if God is, in spite of the unimaginable acts of God that led them from Egypt and promised them a new Land.

We share the same thing. The Hebrews doubted God’s promise and had no reason to doubt and plenty of reason to be confident. So do we. God’s promise to them was binding through the righteousness they inherited from Abraham.  God loved them and brought them food and water so they would not die in the desert. Nevertheless, the Hebrews, like all humanity, still faced the eventuality of death and no promise of salvation.

Paul tells us that salvation through Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise of righteousness. Salvation is guaranteed for all those who have faith in him. This is the good future in which we have confidence. It comes from peace with God. We are reconciled to him even though we sometime share the doubt of the Hebrews in the face of mighty divine deeds.

During Lent we walk towards the Easter victory. It is a time to turn inwards acknowledging our own human shortcomings and our guilty verdict that is erased before the grand jury even meets.

But, it is a little uncomfortable standing up here and talking about suffering and disappointment that everyone faces frequently. It sounds hollow, like a platitude. I imagine it can make a person doubt as the Hebrews did in the desert, why didn’t we just stay in Egypt where we at least had a full stomach? Doesn’t being saved mean we are on Easy Street now, we are safe with no worries?? Bad things are not supposed to happen to good people.

You might say, “Henry, your easy answers just make my grief worse.” All I can do is admit that I have no authority to explain suffering and disappointment. Job’s friends just made Job’s suffering worse. Job’s wife said, “I’m tire of listening to you complain about your afflictions, why don’t you just go ahead and die?”

 Some of you share the acute pain of Job. Some of you have experienced family members criticizing you because you joined another denomination, because your babies were baptized, or you were victim of circumstances beyond your control, such as having a husband divorce you. They might even tell you that you are no be longer a Christian.

Paul said the best response to such things is to heap coals on their foreheads by pouring love out on them (Romans 12:20/Proverbs 25:21-22) That opens their eyes that Christian love is not about judgment but love. (If you do that in this day and age, do it carefully.)

But let’s get back to the Hebrews in the desert, bellyaching about food and water, and shaking their fists at God. Remember Laurel and Hardy, “Look at the fine mess you’ve got us in.” The Hebrews remind us of our own feeling that we are suffering when we thought Christians were supposed to always be happy.

More than the Hebrews, we should know about the gift of peace and confidence our faith in Jesus brings. Jesus remarked that we may suffer for our faith and righteousness, but nothing that happens to us here on earth is a measure of our faith or righteousness, because we did not earn it, we were blessed to receive it as a gift for our faith. (Some say in a way, suffering reveals more clearly what the world has to offer compared to faith.)

The message in Romans 5:1-11 is that we do have confidence to live joyfully as Christians today because our faith today is in our future.  Our faith may help someone find an easier path today, and we will find the way home to the true Easy Street where we are delivered from death to life to the feet of God as if a child at play.