Sunday Service, May 9, 2021

Payette United Methodist Church
May 9, 2021 – 11:00 AM
Sixth Sunday of Easter

Welcome and Announcements
“The Family of God”
I’m so glad I’m a part
of the family of God -
I’ve been washed in the fountain,
cleansed by His blood!
Joint heirs with Jesus 
as we travel this sod, 
For I’m part of the family,
the family of God.

Hymn “To God Be The Glory”    UMH#98
To God be the glory, 
great things He has done; 
So loved He the world 
that He gave us His Son, 
Who yielded His life 
an atonement for sin, 
And opened the life gate 
that all may go in.

Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, 
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, 
Let the people rejoice! 
O come to the Father, 
through Jesus the Son, 
And give Him the glory, 
great things He has done.

Great things he has taught us,
Great things he has done,
And great our rejoicing
Thru Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher,
And greater will be
Our wonder, our transport 
When Jesus we see!  Refrain

Responsive Reading from Psalm 100
Leader: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the Lands
People: Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into God’s presence with singing!
Leader: Know that the Lord, who made us, is God.
All: We are the Lord’s; we are the people of God, the sheep of God’s pasture.

Unison Invocation         
Heavenly Father, fill our hearts with faith in you so that by day and through each night, at all times and in all seasons, we may without fear give all that we have and all we hope to be to your care.
Thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen
                           
Hymn        “My Faith Looks Up To Thee”    UMH#452   
My faith looks up to Thee,
The Lamb of Calvary, 
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray, 
take all my guilt away,
O let me from this day 
be wholly Thine

May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
my zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me, 
O may my love to Thee,
Pure warm, and changeless be,
a living fire!                   
 
Offering our gifts and tithes    
Heavenly Father, please bless these financial gifts. They are important and needed. But help us to also give love wherever we are – to our families, our neighbors, even to strangers – just like Jesus in whose name we pray. Amen.

Gospel Reading                                                             Mark 10:46-52
New Testament Reading                                          Ephesians #:14-21
God’s Word for God’s People.  Thanks be to God!
 
Hymn “Come We That Love the Lord”                                   UMH#733
Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
Join in a song with sweet accord
And thus surround the throne,
And thus surround the throne.

Refrain:
We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.

Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We’re marching through Emanuel’s ground, 
We’re marching through Emanuel’s ground. 
To fairer  worlds on high,
To fairer worlds on high.  Refrain
                        
Prayers of the People
 
Message      "A Life of Faith"    Jeanie Hershey           Hebrews 11  
 Sermon Transcript:
Happy Mother’s day to each of you mothers-This is not a traditional Mother’s Day sermon. However, I do hope that the message can make a difference for each of us in our lives, mothers included. I know that for myself I have had a number of roles in life with motherhood being one of the most important I could ever choose. And Faith was certainly a necessary part of that role. 

A very basic definition of faith is that I let God take over in my life instead of my trying to do it on my own. Life can be so much simpler, and even beautiful, when we learn to do this in our lives. Instead of focusing on the problem or issue, I choose to look to Him and thank Him for taking care of it.

Most of us were raised to try harder and harder. It was all up to us. But that is not what the scriptures teach. We were created as dependent upon God and not as independent people thrown out on our own. 
Most recently there were numerous times that I would try to do something and be struggling with it. I would then sense God asking me if I was ready to let Him help me, ready to let Him take over. When I was ready to live by faith, the path was certainly different. I still didn't see far ahead to know what was going to happen but I could trust that it was going to work out by God's plan and not what I was struggling with. 

As basis for this message I am going to use Hebrews 11, a chapter near the end of the New Testament, most likely written by Paul. This chapter is entitled “examples of faith”. Some of the stories mentioned we will remember because we've heard them from little on up. Some may be new to us. And of course there are many many more stories than those mentioned in this chapter. Jean will be placing the Scriptures on the screen. 

Hebrews 11 New Living Translation Great Examples of Faith 

He starts with a definition of faith--so it becomes more than a word to us 

1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

It must always be based on Scriptures 

3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. 

This verse shows the great power of faith. When we choose to live by faith, we have a new power in our life. Philippians 3:10 talks about the power of Christ’s resurrection as available to us. 

4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

Here we see that righteousness and faith are equated. That would be true because as we have faith and trust God then we live in His way. It does not say that Abel was a better person but that he lived by faith. 

5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.”[a] For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. 

Verse six is very crucial in the study as it says the only way to please God is through faith. As we look at various faith stories it is clear that what we are asked to do may not seem logical, may even seem strange, or even laughable. I think of the disciples who went to Jesus to ask Him for money to go pay the taxes that were due. Imagine what it must have seemed like to them when He told them to go fishing. They would be able to catch some fish and when they opened the fishes’ mouths, there would be money to pay the taxes. 

7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.
 
Now this is another situation that the only answer to it could be to live by faith. In those days they didn't even know what rain was and yet they were supposed to build a big boat to protect them from the rain. If you've watched any movies of the story you see how incredulous it must have been. However, Noah and his family had faith and so they built the ark and put the animals and themselves in it and were saved.
 
8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. 

Abraham is the name of a person we have heard about over the years. When we hear that God asked him to go to a country and didn't even tell him where he was going, it makes you wonder how that could all happen. However Abraham also demonstrates to us what it's like when we don't follow directions. He was told to leave the family behind except for his wife. However, he took to his nephew, Lot, with him. If you remember the story Lot made things really difficult on this trip. And there were times when Abraham lied because he was trying to protect himself and his wife. so a man of Faith was not perfect, and neither will we be perfect 

11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. 

Abraham and Sarah had gotten quite old and never been able to have the child that they wanted and that they believed God had promised them. Now like sometimes in our own lives, God didn't move fast enough for them and so they figured out a way to make it happen without waiting on God. 

Again, we see that not living by faith and instead taking their own way, led to great difficulties. Even today we experience some of the difficulties out of their decision. 

13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 

In verse 17 we see another example in Abraham life. He and Sarah have finally had this child they had desired for so long and they believe God promised to them. But now God tells him to do something that seems so inconceivable to any of us. God tells Abraham to take Isaac up on the mountain and to sacrifice him as they did animals in those days. But by now Abraham has learned to trust God. He is going to let his faith guide him at this time and he takes the action to take Isaac there and to sacrifice him even though it is against everything you could have ever wanted or thought would happen. Sometimes God may ask us to do something that seems totally inconceivable and He is testing us to see if we will live by faith or do it on our own way. 

17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”[c] 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. 

Right now, Abraham trusts God that things will go right. Verse 19 says that he reasoned that if Isaac died God was able to bring him back to life again. And, so, he preceded in faith. When Isaac asked his father where the lamb was, his father, Abraham, responded “God will provide.” 

20 It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau. 

21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left. 

23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command. 

As we come to the story of Moses, we certainly have a Mother's Day story for us. When Moses was born all the mothers at that time were told to have their babies killed because the Egyptians did not want any more Israelite babies born. But his mother had faith that God was going to take care of Moses, her child. She found a basket and fixed it up for him and put him out in the water in the bulrushes. She did something that would be so very hard. She left him there. That Mother's faith made all the difference in the rest of the Bible stories. Because he became the one that God chose to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. 

As you read the full story about Moses being called, there is a time that he doesn't want to do what God is asking him to do. He finds a number of excuses and wants somebody else to do the work. But, finally he is ready to go back to Egypt, where his life will be in grave danger. He will go back and make a way for the Israelites, who have been there 430 years, to escape from Egypt. 

Moses could have had an easy life in Egypt but his faith took him another direction. 

24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons. 

And then he sets out from Egypt. It is hard for us to grasp what this must have been like. The population of Idaho in 2019 was 1,787,000 A census that was taken of the Israelites on their journey said that there were 600,000 young men plus family. If you think that God asks hard things of you at times, just remember Moses. 

And that's just the start of the story. 

29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned. 

They're making good progress. They come to the Red Sea and there are no ferries or boats to get across. More than that they can tell that the Egyptians, who are angry at them, are coming after them. They are in extreme danger. I'm sure that they're wondering if Moses made a mistake in his faith. Did he hear God clearly or incorrectly? Why would God have put them in this spot?

Moses’ faith continues strong. He goes to the edge of the water and holds his hand with his Rod out over the water. And God does his miracle because the water begins to roll back on either side making a clear path for them to walk on to the other side. The soil that has just been under water for all of this time is now dry. And, they can walk over to the other side. I don't know how long it took them. It seems like it would be quite a while to move over a million people and all the animals across but they get across. Moses’ faith has saved them as God does his Miracle work. And more than that as they got across, the waters rolled back and caught the Egyptians. They were all killed. The Israelites were now free to go on. 

The Israelites are then to settle in the Promised Land. To do so, they must conquer many enemies. They need to take over Jericho but how could they do that? There's a wall around that City plus a lot of other protection. And, again God gives orders that sound far out. No army ever goes by this kind of orders to just march around a city. God is faithful. The Israelites are faithful and they follow the instructions to march around the city for 7 days. it is easy to imagine that by now they would begin to wonder how crazy is Joshua, their new leader. On the 7th day nothing has changed yet other than that the instructions are different. This time they are to march around 7 times and then take some specific action. 

30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down. 

31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. 

Sometimes God calls us to hospitality and then makes something special happen out of that. 

32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 35 Women received their loved ones back again from death. 

But it wasn’t always a happy story. 

But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half,[d] and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

Many martyr stories are happening today. At this time we are free from that but there are those who believe it may be happening soon. Look for Voice of Martyrs for modern day stories. 

39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. 

There are some questions for us today. We have a church building in a community. Is it only the church building and the cars coming and going that people see? Or do they know that these are people who love God who love them? Yes, we have done some projects--giving out school supplies and things to families who have been abused. 

I wonder what God is ready to ask of us, here at PUMC or what He's going to ask of us in our individual lives. Does he have something special He needs us to be involved in? What are ways that we can share the good news and God's love? It's exciting that right now we have a project of providing supplies to families who have had to leave their homes because of abuse. 

But, I wonder if you know any of the neighbors? I confess that I do not. In fact, I think I am being pricked about this because the other day when I drove out of our parking lot I saw a neighbor outside. I thought about stopping and just at least say hi and maybe get acquainted. But I didn't. I was on a time frame so I drove on home. Is that how we treat our neighbors? If someone new comes to church service, what do they experience? 

What is God asking you/me to do in our life? Will we follow through or find an excuse? Faith is the only way to live victoriously. 

A life of faith is much more than doing what we might label as big things. Will I listen to the nudges I feel? Will I forgive and be ready to move on? Will I reach out to someone? Will I turn my struggles over to Christ? Will I give what I think I need? Will I let God’s power take over in my life? Will I bring my desires and wants to Him? God loves to do the small things for us also. 

I challenge each of us to live a life of faith. It can be scary to live that way. It means we may not have a roadmap and certainly not always the answers to our questions. It is the only way that we can know God's plan for us. We will no longer have to live with our whining and our worry. Our life will be exciting and victorious!

Commitment Hymn “I Know Whom I Have Believed”           UMH#714
I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.
But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.
But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing men of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.
But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.
​
Benediction:
May the peace of the Lord Jesus go with you
wherever he may send you.
May he guide you through the wilderness,
protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing
at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

Postlude:
Thank you for Worshiping with us today!
​
​Note: All vocals are covered by CCLI License #1552544.

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