Sermon | Deacon Alan Arnold
Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40; Isaiah 6:1-10; Luke 6:27-38; Romans 10:8-17
Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40 (New Coverdale)
1 Fret not yourself because of the ungodly,
neither be envious of those who are evildoers.
2 For they shall soon be dried up like the grass,
and be withered even as the green herb.
3 Put your trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land, and surely you shall be fed.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he shall give you your heart’s desire.
5 Commit your way unto the Lord and put your trust in him,
and he shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall make your righteousness as clear as the light
and your just dealing as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
do not grieve yourself over the one whose way prospers,
over the one who carries out evil counsels.
8 Refrain from wrath, and let go of anger;
fret not yourself, lest you be moved to do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be rooted out,
but those who wait patiently for the Lord, they shall inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while, and the ungodly shall be clean gone;
you shall look for their place, and they shall not be there.
11 But the meek-spirited shall possess the land
and shall be refreshed with an abundance of peace.
[…]
39 As for the transgressors, they shall perish together,
and the end of the ungodly is that they shall be rooted out at the last.
40 But the salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord,
who is also their strength in the time of trouble.
ISAIAH 6:1-10 (ESV)
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
Luke 6:27-38 (ESV)
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Romans 10:8-17 (ESV)
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
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