“When You Are Disturbed…”
Psalm 4
1 John 3:1-7
I have spoken previously about
“Matters of the Heart Matter, so our Hearts Matter! In ancient times it was
believed our human hearts were the reservoir’s of both our emotions, passions
and wisdom.
God speaks and calls to us as “Beloved,” because we are dearly loved by the heart of God…
Paul writes in Romans, “…to
all who are beloved of God…called as saints; Grace to you and peace from God…”
In Colossians 3:12, we read “…those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…”
Being in love and beloved has the power to both disrupt and disturb one’s normal way of being, doing and thinking… (when you love someone, not something, you’ll put up with and do what you normally might not do) …
We often intentionally or un-intentionally grieve the heart of God…collectively our culture, our society and world grieves the heart of God, we do such because God loves us immensely and our sins and transgressions are ever before us and especially before God!
As Christians, as baptized
believers in the faith, our lifestyle should be radically different from the
lifestyle of those not believers.
Is it? Can persons look and glimpse of you and say ‘There goes a person of faith, a believer of and in God.”
We say we believe we say we
love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, yet we cause grief in the
heart of God.
This next portion is difficult to preach as it is difficult and challenging for you to hear. You, each of you, each of us are not responsible for the awesome beauty, grandeur mysteries of creation. Yet we have a responsibility and role to fulfill in maintaining and being more than capable stewards of creation.
But we have an advocate with
our Father who art in heaven. We also have our sacred texts that inform us
that; “Jesus after his resurrection came to them/disciples and said. “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me(Jesus goes on to say).
Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations/all-peoples baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…and I am with you always…” (Matthew
28:16-20)
Jesus knew as it was not easy
for Him, it would not be easy for us, saying;
“I am sending you out like
sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves…
on my account you will be brought before rulers and authorities’… do not worry
about what to say…for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your
Father speaking through you.” (Matthew
10:16-20)
We cannot control the destructive, toxic and depraved behavior of others who rob, steal, kill and destroy both that/creation and those whom God has created and blessed…
The sins of the world grieves God’s Heart, as stated earlier love makes us and more importantly compels God to make and find ways to save us and redeem us from the destructive nature of sin.
Being loved by God, we are
the “Beloved” the “children of God,” as the 1 John text of today speaks of… and
what we will be, and do is not yet revealed… God’s plans through us…
Let me move to closing with
this… we as “children of God,” are not called in or towards ministry and
witness for God with perfection, but with faith(repeat)…
In our living from time to time we are going to be disturbed. In the Psalm text of today in verse 4 we read the following;
“When you are Disturbed do not sin, search your hearts and be silent/reflect/pray…
The question I place before you this morning and ask you to ponder and reflect on during this week and beyond is this. When casually looking at, and observing some very troubling trends of our culture, nation and world today, “ARE YOU DISTURBED?”
When mass-shootings sadly are designated as a
shooting when four or more people not including the gunman are wounded or
killed. We’ve thus far since March 16, of this year have had 45-mass-shootings…
The initial intentional
lying, mis-management and incompetence surrounding our nation’s response to
Covid-19, that has caused over 550,000 deaths, and counting…
The very public video
recordings of police killings and brutal beatings of unarmed Black men, women
and children…
The racial attacks of
Asian-American women, attacks on LGBTQ+ individuals, and one out of four
American children going to sleep every night hungry in the richest and
wealthiest nation to ever exist…
Does any of this bother you or disturb you? Being disturbed about wrongs, injustice and brutalization’s can be understood as an awakening, or righteous indignation to address wrongs.
The Psalmist assures us of
God hearing our prayers and being with us….
Amen
1 John 3:1-7 See what
love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and
that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not
know him. 2 Beloved, we are
God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know
is this: when he[a] is revealed, we will be like him, for we
will see him as he is. 3 And all
who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who commits sin
is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know
that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one
who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7 Little
children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous,
just as he is righteous.”
Psalm 4
Answer me when I call to you,
my
righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have
mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 How
long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will
you love delusions and seek false gods[b]?[c]
3 Know that the Lord has set apart his
faithful servant for himself;
the Lord hears when
I call to him.
4 When you are disturbed] do not sin;
when you are
on your beds,
search your
hearts and be silent.
5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in
the Lord.
6 Many, Lord,
are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
Let the light
of your face shine on us.
7 Fill my heart with joy
when their
grain and new wine abound.
8 In
peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you
alone, Lord,
make me dwell
in safety.