I Am With You Always

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“Here’s the church – here’s the steeple – here’s the door – open the door and here’s all God’s people."

What is the church?

What are we in the church?

And then I ask myself and maybe we all ask ourselves this question.

Why am I here at this critical time in the history of the world?

So what is a church?

Is it the land that a church is on?

Is it the building or the size of the building?

Is it the Sanctuary?

Is it The Canadian Association of Lutheran Congregations - CALC.

Is it the World Council of Churches?

A church can be referenced by all of these things but it is – certainly - much more than the land or a building or an association. It is people. It is you and me and every person who loves and believes in our risen LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ. RIGHT??

Here is one definition of a church – among others – “It is a company of committed brothers and sisters in covenant fellowship with Christ Jesus.”

What makes us – a covenant community in fellowship with Jesus – that is different from the rest of the world.

Before I go any further it is important to understand what a covenant agreement is.

A contractual agreement is the kind of agreement that people are most familiar with. It is one that is made between two or more people – or two or more organization. The parties to the agreement -- agree to do certain things.

For example: Someone offers to sell something and when someone agrees to buy it. When the property or thing is transferred to the buyer – that is a contractual agreement. It expires when the transfer of ownership in the property passes from the seller to the purchaser.

But a covenantal agreement is a stronger commitment between the parties. Some would say it is an ‘iron-clad agreement’. Harder to break without very serious consequences.

God made covenant agreements with the Patriarchs – Abraham – Issac – Jacob and with the people of Israel. These are the Old Testament Covenants. Like the one he made with Abraham in Genesis;

“I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.”

With Jesus God makes a new covenant with all people through faith in Jesus Christ. After Jesus there are no more covenants from God. This one is to last forever.

In God’s covenantal agreement he agrees to bless and to protect and to take care of those who love and worship him. But what if we stop loving and worshiping God. What is God to do? I think God politely backs away and removes his blessing and protection. In the world today I see nations that used to love and worship God but they no longer do so.

So - What happens when God’s blessings are removed from a person or a nation?

As I thought about God’s covenants there are some things that come to mind. And when we think about them - they are obvious.

1. They are initiated by God. And they form part of God’s ultimate – unconditional plan of redemption to bring Jesus to us from Abraham’s seed.

2. They are binding on the parties as long as both parties uphold their respective side of the covenant. For the Patriarchs and us we remain part of the covenant as long as we continue to believe in God as Abraham did. God never fails. The break down was and – is - because people stop loving and stop worshipping the creator of all things. And,

3. When we accept Jesus - we enter into a loving and life-long relationship with him.

At the end of Matthew, we read the Great Commission where Jesus commands his Disciples to go and baptize all nations. That is, to spread the gospel out into the world.

Jesus said to them and to every Christian believer since then:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Do you hear what Jesus said?

And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. This is the New Covenant through Jesus.

Now think about that for a minute and let it sink deep inside our heart and mind. --- The omniscient and omnipresent divine Jesus will be with each of us – until we are taken up into heaven or we are here at the end of the age.

And this is very important for us to remember. Especially when all manner of bad or difficult worldly things come at us.

As we read through the Scriptures there are many times when the LORD would be with those who love him and believe in him. Like Abraham and Issac and Jacob.

In Genesis we read the story when Jacob was fleeing his brother Esau. He had a dream and in it he saw the LORD standing at the top of a stairway that went from the earth to heaven. In Genesis 28: 15 the LORD said to Jacob; “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Even though we cannot see him – I know it to be absolutely true that Jesus will be with us. And to add reassurance that we can never be separated from the Love of Christ. In Romans 8: 37-39 Paul says; “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We are part of the New Covenant where nothing can separate us from Jesus Christ. What a reassuring and comforting thought.

Now - If we were to pick a time for when the church began it would be in these Scriptures verses this morning. Peter acknowledges and proclaims to Jesus; “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And then Jesus bestows authority on Peter saying; “And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Clearly Jesus’s call to Peter didn’t exclude the other Disciples or other early followers like Paul – Barnabas – Timothy and many, many others. A read through the Book of Acts tells how ordinary people like you an me heard the witness of others and with the prompting of the Holy Spirit we believed in Jesus.

Early on we read in Acts about The Apostle Philip went to the City of Samaria where; “…the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.” Surely many there believed and came to have faith In Jesus.

Historical records in the early church tell how the Apostle Thomas spread the Gospel of Jesus into parts of what is now Turkey and Iraq. And later into India where it is recorded that he was martyred there around the year 72 AD.

These early Christians who had been with Jesus had to share their amazing experience about him. They could not hold it in. And it should be the same for us.

In one of Peter and John’s confrontations with the Jewish religious leaders – they tell them that they cannot shut up about Jesus. In Act: 19-2 we read: “But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” It is because of the Holy Spirit that the Disciples and others spoke so openly and effectively about Jesus.

In their second confrontation with the Jewish religious leaders the Apostles say to them in Acts 5: 32; “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Do we obey what Jesus taught. No – but we try.

After Jesus ascended to heaven the power and authority of God resided in the Apostles and others because of the Holy Spirit in them. Over these last many centuries – it was through the presence of the Holy Spirit working through the church that the grace and blessing of God has been passed on to the world.

I cannot – well I do not want – to imagine a world without the church and the Holy Spirit. I’m sure that the evil we have seen and the evil we see today and the evil we will see would be far – far worse. It seems to me that it is the presence of the church in the world that chaos and evil are held in check.

So because we are the church what characterizes the people in a church? What makes us a little different from most everyone else in the world.

Well – we are a confessing people. We confess with our mouth that Jesus is LORD and Saviour. And that is something that the world and all other religious groups do not want to hear. But it is the absolute truth. In Romans 10: 8-10 Paul says this; “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”[d] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

We are a redeemed people by the sacrifice of Jesus as the Messiah as the Christ on the cross. Through Christ’s sacrifice God purchased us – redeemed us – that is, he bought us back from the sin that is in us and from the Prince of this world - Satan.

In Ephesians 1: 4-8 Paul says this about being redeemed; “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us.” We were chosen by God to be redeemed. That is humbling to think about.

We acknowledge and accept that Jesus Christ is above all earthly governments and authorities. This brought early Christians into conflict with the Roman rulers and it has brought Christians into conflict with many rulers and government in the modern era. Communist and socialist and totalitarian rulers can’t accept loyalty to Christ instead of themselves and the government they control. Many rulers and government authorities don’t like to be in competition with Jesus. They don’t know it – but in the end they lose and many will go to a very dark and terrifying place.

Again Paul says in Colossians 1: 15-17; “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Contrary to the second law of thermodynamics – and because of Jesus Christ -we don’t simply disintegrate into the flotsam of space.

We are the people of the New Covenant because we acknowledge Jesus – we confess in Jesus as LORD and Saviour and we completely believe in who Jesus is and what he said and did. Jesus is the head of the world church.

Yes and know this to be true that Jesus will be with us as he was with the early Christians.

As I thought about these mornings Gospel, it made me think about the Church and our relationship and our reliance of Jesus.

Who are we – what are we – and how did the church get here from those many centuries ago especially in the face of a hostile world. Well Jesus gave us the answer when I read the Great Commission and what he tells Peter and the Apostles.

First we baptize people in the name of the Tri-une God - Father – Son and Holy Spirit.

Second, to obey the commands Jesus taught us.

Then Jesus will protect us by being with us.

And finally – the gates of Hell and all demonic authorities cannot over power the church.

I am with you always.

Not just sometime,

Not just when you feel good,

Not just when happiness is all around you.

But all of the time. Even when you are in those dark places, and,

You cannot see the light at the other side.

I am with you.

I will never go away.

I am there when you cry,

I am there when you are lonely.

I am s there when your heart is broken, and,

I am there when you hurt and are in pain.

Then my his hand is on your shoulder and you feel me in your heart.

No matter how bright or how dark your life is,

Jesus never goes away.

He will be with each and everyone of us till the very end.

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