DON'T FEAST WITHOUT FAITH

Rev. Mark F. Bartels

Epistle Lesson: 1 Timothy 6:6 -16
Gospel Lesson: Luke 16:19 - 31
Sermon Text: Amos 6:1 - 7

Most of us city folks have never been involved in a harvest. But, if you would come with me 2,750 years ago, all the way back to the land of Israel, in you mind's eye, you will see a late fall day. The sun is shining and there is nip in air. And the fields are ripe, unto the harvest.

As we look around, we see the fields filled with men and women. We see women cutting the grain, in one area. In another area, we see men and more women cutting grain.

We see a big, wooden cart. It has wooden sides and wooden wheels and axles. And, as we watch them cutting the grain, we see them shaking the heads of the grain out, into their aprons. And, then they pick up those heavy, grain filled aprons and carry the grain over to the wooden cart, the grain wagon, and dump it into that cart. And, as we watch, that grain cart gets more and more full. It gets a heavier and heavier weight to it, until the point of where it is almost full to the top.

We notice one farmer say to another, "Well, the cart is pretty full, and the grain is very heavy. Maybe we should stop and take this load back to the barn."

But the other farmer says, "No. I think that wagon can handle more. Let's harvest just a little more because there is a lot of grain and we don't want to make too many trips back and forth to the barn."

He is secure that the wagon can handle more weight. And so the threshers continue. They continue to shake the grain. They carry those heavy apron loads full and pile it onto the wooden wagon, until it is heaping full! You can hear the wagon creaking, under its incredible load.

Finally, the farmer says, "O.K.! The cart is full! Now we can take this load back to the barn." And, as you watch, the wagon begins to be pulled by the oxen. They strain under the weight, to just get it moving. And as the cart slowly begins to move, it hits a bump. All of a sudden the axels collapse under the weight of that grain. The sides fall open and the grain spills out, all over the ground.

A beautiful, BEAUTIFUL harvest.

A heavy wagon load of blessings,

is now lying on the ground,

useless.

Amos who wrote this text, was a farmer. Earlier, in the Book of Amos, we see that he had witnessed something like this scenario, happen in his life. He compared the Children of Israel to a wagon that was so heavy with grain, that it collapsed under the weight.

That wagon stands for our faith. And, it stands for our relationship with God.

The grain stands for all of the blessings that God has piled upon us - all of these earthly blessings God has given to us!

We find in today's text, that the Children of Israel had so many earthly blessings from God, that those same earthly blessings actually turned out to be a detriment to them. Their relationship with God was actually crushed, under those blessings that God had given to them.

As we go on in this sermon, think about the blessings that God has heaped upon you. And, then think about your faith, the wagon that those blessings are in.

Are the sides of your wagon creaking? Could it be that the wagon has collapsed under that load of blessings that God has given to you?

This text has been written to us, as a warning. It was written for us, so that we take time to evaluate our own life.

Let's take a brief moment, and see what happened to the Children of Israel. During the time of Amos, there were days of abundance in the Land of Israel. The crops were good. The harvest was fantastic! There was plenty of food and wine. They had plenty of drink and meat. The Children of Israel were living in great abundance. Their wagon was heaped full with the blessings that God had given to them. In fact, if you look at the scripture reading it describes the type of lifestyle that they had.

"You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions"

Amos 6

There is a picture who had a heap of blessings piled upon them. They had so much food that they could feast with their friends. They had so many possessions that they could be at leisure. They didn't have to busy every minute of the day trying to figure out just how to make it through the day. They could lounge on their couches. They could entertain themselves by playing musical instruments. They could take care of their bodies by using the finest lotions. They had abundance. Their wagon was heaping full with blessings from God's Hand.

But, what happened to them? Our text begins by saying, "Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria." Amos 6

Those people started out having a relationship with God.

- They knew they needed God.

- They knew they needed His safety.

- They knew they needed His protection.

- They knew they needed His guidance.

- And, they knew they needed his forgiveness.

However, their sinful natures had begun to look at all the blessings that God had given to them and they became complacent. In other words, they began to feel as though they didn't need anything else from God. "I have all I need. I have food to eat, and clothes to wear and parties to go to and entertainment to enjoy." And, their sinful natures began to think, "Why would I need God? What more can He give me, that I don't already have?" And they began to feel secure. They began to think, " I want this food. I want these friends. I want all of these things that can take care of my needs in this world. Why would I need God? God is for weak people. God is for little people. God is for people who can't take care of themselves." And, all of those blessings that God had given to them, caused their wagon to collapse. They had lost their faith in God. They had lost their relationship with God.

What about you and me? That was written as a warning, to you and me. What about the wagon that we have - that wagon of faith that gave us a relationship with God. We have that faith. We have that wagon.

But then, think about the blessings that God has heaped upon us.

If there was ever a people,

in the entire history of this world,

who had more blessings heaped upon them,

than we do today,

in the United States of America...

Well...

I can't think of a people,

who has had more blessings, from God heaped upon them!

God has been so gracious and so abundant to us,

that our loads are running over

with blessings!

You should just think about the food that will be on your table, today. The food that will be on your table, today, most people in most countries, wouldn't have that much food in an entire week. And they would long to see the food that you see each and every day. Our wagons are heaped full with the heavy weight of God's blessings!

You should think about the home you live in. We think about adding on or buying another home that would give us that "extra space". Whereas, most people in most countries could fit four or even five families into your existing house. And, they would consider themselves blessed and well taken care of!!! We have blessings of heavy weight, heaped upon us, from God, beyond most people's wildest imaginations.

Consider your car. Most people in this world don't have a car. And, to have a car would be considered a profound luxury, and yet we have not one, but two, three, or possibly four cars! And, because we have gone through many cars in our lives, we take them for granted! How God has heaped His blessings upon us, with that heavy weight of blessings, as no people in the history of this world has ever been blessed before!

Just think about our electronic equipment! Think about our stereos, radios, musical equipment, and computers. Think about the electronic equipment we throw away, just because it is outdated, or too old. Most people of this world would consider it a fantasy to even touch a computer, or be able to listen to their own stereo. We have been so blessed! We have such a heavy weight of blessing that God has placed upon our wagons, that most people can't even conceive of the blessings that we have!

Now the danger is this: The danger is that our sinful nature,

looks at all of these blessings, and our sinful nature becomes complacent. Our sinful nature begins to say, "I have a car to take care of. I have two or three cars to take care of! And, I have a house to provide for and fix up. I have a lawn to manage. And, I have parties to attend, movies to see and all kinds of entertainment and things to do." And, so, those great blessings begin to detract us from the "one thing" that is more needful than anything else in this world!

We can even begin to become secure. Our sinful nature may begin to trick us into thinking subconsciously, "What do I need God for?" I have food. I am well taken care of. I have a wonderful job and plenty of money. I am a self-made man or self-made woman. All of this has come from my hard work, and labor. All of these things give me a good self identity. They make me feel secure with who I am and what I have. I even have medicine, so I forget about prayer, which is so important. And, before you know it, we can become very secure with all of the heaping pile of blessings that God has given us. And, all of a sudden that wagon begins to creak, in danger of collapsing our precious relationship with God.

Is your wagon creaking?

Are you becoming complacent,

because of all the blessings you have?

Are you becoming secure,

because of that

heaping load of blessings God has piled upon you?

Has your wagon collapsed?

Have you forsaken your faith in the One Thing needed

- that trust in God, your Savior -

the ONE THING NEEDED,

above all other things?

All of us have to admit that our sinful nature has often been that of the Children of Israel. We have taken those heaping gifts that God has given us, and allowed them to lead us astray from our relationship with God. God could say to us, (like He had said to the Children of Israel, earlier in Amos), "You will be crushed like a wagon under the heavy load of grain. Woe to you."

This warning aught to cause us to turn to repentance, cause us to turn to our Savior and say, "Lord Jesus, I have misused the gifts and blessings that you have given me. They have distracted me from you. They have lead me away from your word. They have lead me away from focusing on that one thing needful. I know that I deserve to be crushed under that heavy load, but Jesus, I need you!"

We need to turn to the passages in scripture, because they give us comfort. One passage that is so applicable to this whole concept that is Isaiah 53, where it says,

And there is the picture of Jesus, hanging on that cross with our whole heaping load of blessings, that God has piled upon us. Now, there is nothing wrong with those blessings, but there on the cross, Jesus was crushed - his wagon collapsed on our behalf. His relationship with God was ruined and destroyed, as if He had become complacent. It was as if He had begun to look at all those gifts and blessings as if they were more important to Him, than His relationship with His Father. So that the relationship with His Father collapsed, crushing Him, for our iniquities. That is why He said on the cross,

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

That relationship with the Father was destroyed.

It collapsed.

It ended.

It was as if Jesus was a great sinner.

God the Father wanted no relationship with Him.

Jesus, there on the cross, suffered for our sins.

He was crushed for our iniquities.

For mine! For yours!

He died for my iniquities and for your iniquities!!!

And God poured out His anger and wrath on Jesus.

And, there on the cross our sins were paid for

and

forgiven in full!

So, now we are restored to God! God has fixed the axels on our wagons! He has put the sides back together! He has fixed it, so that our relationship to Him has been restored, because Jesus has lived the perfect life, for us.

And we, as God's people, turn to Him in great joy and great faith, and thank God! We thank God that we have that "one thing needful". We have the forgiveness of our sins. We have faith in Christ as our Savior. That faith in Christ makes us right with God. That faith will take us Home to Heaven someday. Not because we deserve it, because we do NOT deserve it. But because of God's loving kindness and God's Grace!

When a Christian sees that, that our relationship with God has been restored, graciously because of what Jesus has done for us, then a Christian looks at all of the other blessings that has been heaped upon us and sees them in a totally different light! They are there to help me, not to lead me away from the faith, but to help us stand firm in our faith. They are there to help me stand firm in my faith! God has heaped me with blessings so that I can look at all of those blessings, and say, "I don't deserve even one of those! I don't deserve a morsel of food or the piece of clothes that are on my back and yet God has been so good, so gracious and so merciful to me that not only has He given me my Savior, but He has given me food to eat, clothes to wear and all of these other blessings!"

So that in faith we can say with Martin Luther, "I believe that God has made me and all creatures. And, that He has given me my body and soul, eyes and ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses and still preserves them. That He daily and richly provides me with food and clothing, house and family property and goods and all that I need to support this body in life. That He protects me from all danger, guards and keeps me from all evil. And, all this purely out of fatherly divine goodness and mercy without any merit or worthiness in me, for all which I am in duty, bound to thank and praise, to serve and obey him. This is most certainly true."

Not only should we look at that heaping pile of blessings that God has laid upon our wagon, in great thanksgiving, and faith, trusting that God has given us those blessings in His mercy, but then we need to go forward and use those blessings, to our benefit and the benefit of others. When we go forward and use those blessings, we understand that God has given me food to eat. He has given me clothes to wear. He has given me a job to make a living. And, all for one reason. One reason! To keep me alive, so that I can serve HIM! This food is a blessing. These clothes are a blessing. This job is a blessing from God. And, through these gifts, He enables me to stay alive and healthy and live for Him, and live under His Kingdom and serve Him. And one of the greatest ways we serve Him is by taking that heaping load of blessings, our cup that literally runs over - it overflows - and look to those who have less than we do. And, we take that shovel, and we shovel those great blessings of harvest that God has given to us, and we shovel them to others. Jesus said that "whatever you do for the least of one of these, my brothers, you do it for ME!"

Those blessings are given to us

to help us stand firm in our faith,

to live our faith,

to live out our faith,

to share our faith with others,

to share our blessings with those in need,

to share with those who have less than we do!

And, so, we further God's Kingdom, by witnessing in our faith, by what we do with our heaping blessings, that God has given to us.

Thank God we have that wagon of faith, by which God will take us safely to Heaven! And thank God he has heaped our wagons full of blessings! May we stand firm in our faith and may those blessings be something we are always thankful for. May we be thankful for His mercy and grace and may we use those blessings to His glory and to the benefit of others!

Amen.