Sunday LinkUp – 11June2023

CALL TO WORSHIP

• CHORUSES:  We Have Come Into His House … He is here … Reach Out and Touch

WELCOME and THANKS

OPENING PRAYER

 

INTRODUCTION

We are in the early weeks of Ordinary Time, where our focus is on our being, behavior, and actions as disciples of Jesus Christ.  As followers of Jesus, we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord, so it is important that we trust what God says.

• The theme for this week is the word of God is a promise.
• The selected, related passages are Psalm 33:1-12; Genesis 12:1-9; Romans 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26         

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FIRST READING 

 

OPENING SONGS

 

• Medley:  I WILL CELEBRATE / JEHOVAH JIREH … Don Moen et al …

 

• HERE WE ARE … Don Moen et al …

 

 

SECOND READING

In the epistolary text for today, we see Paul asserting the superiority of faith over legalism to argue that Abram received the promises of God through faith in a promise-keeping God.

Romans 4:13-25   

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.  ¹⁴ For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, ¹⁵ because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.   

¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be ^[a]sure (certain)  to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all ¹⁷ (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; ¹⁸ who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. ²² And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”   

²³ Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, ²⁴ but also for us.  It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.     

 

SERMONETTE

• Title:  It Ain’t Over ….
• Presenter:  Heber Ticas, GCI Pastor  
• Keynote Passage:  Romans 4:18-24  

From the transcript …

Yogi Berra famously said, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over,” in 1973, when the baseball team he managed, the New York Mets, was on the verge of being defeated in its effort to go to the World Series.  The Mets were able to rally and come from behind to win the division title.  As a result, the statement became a well-known rallying cry for underdogs everywhere.  Yogi Berra’s simple, yet profound quote has given strength to many who faced seemingly insurmountable odds.  When Berra said, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over,” he was not making a promise or guaranteeing a victory.  Yet, his statement about the possibility of success was enough to give his team hope.

I wonder if we have similar confidence in the promises of God.  Do God’s words give us hope?  In the Bible, God has made many promises to his children.  Yet, our circumstances can often cause us to lose hope or doubt the truth of God’s word.  It is understandable to lose faith in God’s promises of healing when given a challenging medical diagnosis.  It can be hard to maintain hope in God as our provider when we do not have enough money to pay our bills.  At one time or another, we have all been tempted to doubt God’s promises.  Yet, following Christ requires us to believe in God despite our circumstances.  None of us have perfect belief and we need to turn to God for his help in trusting him.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul encouraged his audience with a story illustrating the faith of Abraham, who is the spiritual ancestor of all believers.  Despite his circumstances, Abraham learned to trust God when facing seemingly insurmountable challenges.  In Romans 4:18-24 it says this:

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”  Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead — since he was about a hundred years old — and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.  Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.  This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”  The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness — for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 
Romans 4:18-24

Like our spiritual ancestor Abraham, as we encounter God in spiritual practices like discipleship, mission, fellowship, and celebration, we come to see that he cannot and will not go back on his word.  We may not always understand how he goes about fulfilling his promise, but we should not doubt his faithfulness.  God may approach things in ways we may not expect.  During those times we find ourselves doubting his ability to fulfill his promises, all we need to do is look to Jesus.  In Christ, all of God’s promises are fulfilled.  He has triumphed over sin and death.  And he has assured ultimate victory over all the trials and tribulations of this life.  Jesus has the power to raise the dead and make all things new, and he is the one who stands with us in our hard times.

In light of God’s faithfulness, I would like to amend Yogi Berra’s quote: “It ain’t over ’til God says it’s over.”  His Word is trustworthy and true. These are words by which we should live.

Mi nombre es Heber Ticas, Hablando de Vida.

 

 

THIRD READING 

In the Genesis passage, we read how Abram acted upon the promises God made to him.

Genesis 12:1-9  

Now the Lord had said to Abram:  “Get out of your country, From your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.  ² I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great;  And you shall be a blessing.  ³ I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  

⁴ So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵ Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the ^[a]people (lit. souls) whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. ⁶ Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as ^[b]the terebinth tree of Moreh (Heb. Alon Moreh).  And the Canaanites were then in the land.   

⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your ^[c]descendants (lit. seed) I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. ⁸ And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. ⁹ So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the ^[d]South (Heb. Negev).  

 

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SPECIAL MUSIC

 

 

 

 

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SERMON

Have You Been Healed?

(Or are you still sick?)

INTRODUCTION

A.  What we’ll see today, hopefully, is that there are different types of healing … because there are different types of sickness.

B.  Jesus administered different types of healing … but there is one we NEED more than any other. 

C:  As we go through the message today, I pray we’ll see … which healing we really need … so that we can make sure we really get it.  

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26   

As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.  

¹⁰ Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  

¹² When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, ^[a]to repentance.”  

1. 1. 1. 1. Matthew 9:13 NU omits to repentance  

¹⁸ While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” ¹⁹ So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.   

²⁰ And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. ²¹ For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” ²² But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.   

²³ When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, ²⁴ He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. ²⁵ But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. ²⁶ And the report of this went out into all that land.   

 

WHAT DOES THE PASSAGE MEAN?

 

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26   

As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.  

¹⁰ Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.  ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  

¹² When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, ^[a]to repentance.”  

1. 1. 1. 1. Matthew 9:13 NU omits to repentance  

 

Mark 2:13-17   Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. ¹⁴ As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.”  So he arose and followed Him.  

¹⁵ Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  ¹⁶ And when the scribes ^[n]and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”  

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, ^[o]to repentance.”  

 

¹⁸ While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.”  ¹⁹ So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.   

²⁰ And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. ²¹ For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.”  ²² But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.”  And the woman was made well from that hour.   

²³ When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, ²⁴ He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. ²⁵ But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  ²⁶ And the report of this went out into all that land.   

 

Mark 5:21-43   Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. ²² And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet ²³ and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.”  ²⁴ So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  

²⁵ Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, ²⁶ and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. ²⁸ For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

²⁹ Immediately  the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the ^[f]affliction.  ³⁰ And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

³¹ But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

³² And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  ³³ But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. ³⁴ And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”    

³⁵ While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”  

³⁶ As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”  ³⁷ And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  ³⁸ Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw ^[g]a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. ³⁹ When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”

⁴⁰ And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. ⁴¹ Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” ⁴² Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. ⁴³ But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

 

 

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SONG OF RESPONSE