“Ultimate Celebration”
The Mystery Revealed Series
Sunday, February 22, 2009; Leviticus 25:1-7
Introduction: What is the best party you have ever been to? As I thought about this question, I have to say that there wasn’t any ONE party that stood out to me. I began to think of the birthday parties we have had for our kids; parties that have ranged from Mc Donalds to the park, a rock climbing wall to sleep overs. And then I thought of our 75th anniversary for the church, just 4 years ago, where we gathered on the front lawn of our church, with a band playing, lots of food and cake. That was a lot of fun as well.
Parties are fun. Why is that? (Have congregation give me some answers)…
Today we conclude our series on “The Mystery Revealed.” Hopefully you have learned how God has given us care, stewardship over our character, commitment, our decisions, the care of others, our role in the body of Christ, and our call to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. IN ALL OF THIS WE ARE TO CELEBRATE!
I. Celebrating Life- (Philippians 2:4)
a. God owns all things- Recognizing that God owns all things is
central to our life, and the ability to live this life with freedom. I say this, because whenever we take ownership of anything, it actually limits our freedom, since we become possessive, and worry about losing it. We hold on tight. We struggle to share it with others. We have a different mindset.
But, on the other hand, if someone loans you something to use, with the thought that you can have it as long as you need it, you still take care of it, because you want to return it in good shape, but you don’t have that ownership worry. You also feel blessed because someone is willing to share what they have with you!
Part of celebrating life, is understanding that as God owns all things, and shares all this with us, we are here to enjoy this life. This includes salvation. When we are saved, when accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, it isn’t just an eternity decision. This decision doesn’t just affect the fact that when we die we will spend eternity with God in heaven. It affects our life now. Salvation should change how we think, and act, and experience life NOW!
What I mean by this is that we celebrate our salvation because it makes a difference in our every day life. It helps us to experience peace in the midst of turmoil, joy in the midst of hardship, love in the midst of an angry world. It means that we are living in the Kingdom of God now. We can live the life God has planned for us, because we are walking with Jesus each and every day. Even in the midst of our sin, and the sin of others around us, we can find a way to be the people God created us to be, and live life in a way that was designed for us.
b. God’s ultimate glory- As we celebrate this life we have, we realize
that it isn’t just about us. It is about others as well. The apostle Paul challenges us with these words from Philippians 2:4, as he says: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” What Paul is telling us, is that celebrating life is recognizing that we are connected in this world to others and to God. The enjoyment of life isn’t just about having our needs met. Being able to celebrate isn’t just about me. It would be a pretty lonely celebration if I had a party, and I was the only one who attended! Parties are meant to include many people.
It also becomes a pretty lonely life is we try to receive the glory for all that we do; especially if we understand that all that exists, and all that has been given to us belongs to God! EX. Whether it is in sports, or in music, or in movies, it is about the full cast of people. One person may get an award, but if they don’t understand that the game was won, or the movie was a success because of the work of the collective group, then they will soon find themselves in a very lonely world.
So it is in life. We will find ourselves in a very lonely world if we fail to understand the part that everyone around us plays in our lives. And even more important, if we fail to understand the role God plays. When we live our lives for just ourselves, and fail to include God, then we will get lost very quickly. And when we try and take the glory for what happens, instead of acknowledging that the glory goes to God, then we too fail to experience the real blessing this life can be.
II. Celebrating our gifts- (Leviticus 25:1-12)
a. Understanding of gifts- I have talked many times about the gifts
that God gives to us. I talk about it often, because I believe that not only do we fail to understand our gifts, but even more we fail to use our gifts as God has designed for them to be used! I often think about what this church could become if every person in the church used their gifts to their full capacity. Many people are very selfish with their gifts. They hold them to themselves out of laziness, or fear, or lack of desire.
As stewards of our gifts, we must understand that they are primarily given not for our own benefit, but the purpose of blessing others. Think about a time that you were going through you house, your garage, your closet, and you found a number of things that you realized you didn’t need anymore. You decided to give them away; not just to some organization, but to a person you know who needed them. And then think about how you blessed that person that you passed these things on to. Your decision to share your possessions not only blessed them, but it blessed you!
This is exactly what we are to do with the gifts that God has given you and me. If you have the gift of teaching, but you don’t find opportunities to teach, then you have limited the blessing of others who will gain from your teaching. If you have the gift of helps, but fail to find opportunities to use that gift, then others are doing extra work and carrying an extra burden.
When we use our gifts in ministry situations, we bless others and we bless God; we grow in our relationship with others, and we grow in our relationship with God. But when we find ways to share our gifts, then there is reason to celebrate, because the Kingdom of God will flourish, and lives will be changed.
b. Management of gifts- So it really is about the management of our
gifts. Celebrating life is about caring for others with our gifts and resources. And if you think about it, that is what a party is all about, lavishing gifts on someone to help them feel special. So we carry this idea into life, into our world, into the way we choose to live. We make ourselves aware of the needs around us, and then find a way to connect our giftedness with those needs.
In our scripture passage for the morning, Leviticus 25:1-7, we see an interesting practice. Just as there was a Sabbath day, where we are called to rest on the seventh day, so there was a Sabbath year. In this Sabbath year, God is to be honored. So the farmer would break up his land into 7 sections, and would not use one of the 7 sections each year, so that that section of land would have a chance to renew itself during that year it wasn’t used.
But this idea of Sabbath continues; listen to Leviticus 25:8-12, “'Count off seven sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. 9 Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. 10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. 11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.’” On the fiftieth year there was to be a special observance in which there was to be an attempt to make things more equal among the people. All debts were to be canceled; all land was to be returned to the original owners.
Now as you hear about this, you might think, “Well, it is good news for the poor, but what about for others?” Imagine being a college student and having your loan debt canceled, or having your mortgage debt canceled! For many this would mean a whole new lease on life!
The truth however is that as far as historians can ascertain, the year of Jubilee was never observed by the Jews. The prophet Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 61:1-2 that it was something that the Messiah would do. It is the Messiah, Jesus, who forgives all our sins and cancels all our debts. But if we tried to apply this idea to forgiving others and canceling debts, it could greatly impact our relationships.
III. Celebrating our relationships- (Deuteronomy 22:26; Matthew 22:2-4)
a. Party- But let’s try to understand the Kingdom of God in terms of
relationship; relationship with God and each other. In Deuteronomy 14:26 we read: “Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice.” Here we see the money from people’s tithe to go towards food and drink so that everyone could rejoice together in the presence of the Lord. In essence, they were to have a party in the presence of the Lord.
The great thing about this party is that everybody was invited. It didn’t matter about your status, or your income, or your place in society. All were welcome to the party. It was a time for all the people of God to gather together and rejoice. It was about rejoicing in the Kingdom of God. It was to be a foretaste of what heaven would be like; all types of people together in God’s presence, praising God, and having a good time together.
It was also an opportunity to forget about the troubles of life and focus on having some fun. By having fun with each other, we are taught a little about the kind of God we believe in, serve, and worship. God is not far off and judgmental, but rather a God who wants to be there with us, and have us there with Him. And really, our God likes to party. Listen to Matthew 22:2-4, “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4"Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'” Jesus says that the Kingdom is like a big wedding reception.
b. Understanding our relationships- Now I will admit that this reality
of the Kingdom is yet to come; this ultimate celebration of joy is still in the future. But if we understand even a little of this, then we understand that God wants us to party with each other; God wants us to not be concerned with status, and position, and title, and place. God wants us to accept each other, and be in fellowship with all believers.
If we do this, then we will have a different understanding of relationship. We begin to understand how God calls us to be together, not just in worship, but in fellowship. Not just in Bible Study, but in partying; in celebrating the fact that we are all children of the Lord, with the same Father, the same Lord!
Now, as I talk about this idea of partying, it may offend some people. There are some who would think that spending money to party together would be wasteful or inappropriate. Maybe that is because we don’t understand the importance that partying has on our relationships. EX. Think about the types of parties you have with your family. In fact we just had one for my aunt’s 70th birthday last weekend. It was a wonderful occasion for many reasons: it brought many in my family together that I hadn’t seen in a while; it allowed my aunt to feel special to have 20 members of her family together (some who had traveled from San Jose, San Francisco, and Seattle). My mom was going to come from Arizona before she had some health problems; it allowed us to share about our life; we were able to laugh together and enjoy each other’s company. I could go on and on.
The point is, that partying helps us to connect; helps us to understand each other; helps us to understand our place as children of God; helps us to stop and enjoy our place in this world and in the Kingdom. When we party together, we celebrate the relationships God gives to us!
IV. Celebrating our rewards- (Isaiah 55:2; Matthew 25:21)
a. Consequences- As I talk about this whole concept of celebrating, it
can be a challenge to accept because we have had the idea of “work ethic” drilled into our brains. So, when we come to church, it is to be about doing the work of the Lord, or about being in worship. We need to do one or the other. But to take time to party, to celebrate, to relax and have fun can be a different kind of concept.
Because of this, we often fail to use our money as individuals, or as a church, to support celebrations. Money needs to go to pay the bills, support the staff, do the mission. And while that is true, God also wants us to use part of the money to celebrate. As I say this, I’m thinking partly about how next year, in 2010, our church will have been in existence for 80 years. It will be a good time for us to have a party! It will be a good time to remember God’s faithfulness to this church.
And so putting aside money for mission, and staff, and bills, and programs, is good stewardship, but so is putting aside money for celebration. The consequences of not putting aside money for play and partying is that we become burned out, tired, and lose the excitement of the vision. Celebration helps to lift us up and energize us to again be ready to move forward in serving the Lord.
We are told in Isaiah 55:2, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” When we understand that celebration is a satisfying event, and that the Lord wants us to have times of celebration, then we can confidently put our money and our energy toward this.
b. Rewards- As I say all this, I also need to encourage us to
remember that when we are good stewards, God celebrates. It pleases God’s heart to see us using our money, our gifts, our lives in acceptable ways. God promises us rewards for being faithful stewards.
Illus. A few years ago I went to Princeton Seminary for a Pastor’s Preaching
Conference. So I was there with many other pastors. One night we had some free time, and so a few of us went over to the gym to play basketball. Now I really enjoy basketball, and I am not a bad player at all, but I am short, and so many people don’t look at me as a basketball player. During the games, there were a couple of pastors who knew each other, and so they would pass the ball back and forth to each other, and make most of the plays. I rarely got to touch the ball, and even less often did I get to shoot the ball. We won the games, but I didn’t feel a part of the team, and I didn’t get excited at the fact that we won.
When we work together, and God does great work in and through our lives and ministry, then there is the need to have great celebration together. And when we are good stewards in this way, we will see that there will be celebration in heaven as well. And when we get to heaven, we will hear the voice of God say words similar to the words the master said to his servant in Matthew 25:21: “His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!’”
There is nothing wrong with looking forward to our rewards in heaven. God has promised these rewards. These rewards come to those who faithfully serve God, and give of themselves for God. These rewards come to those who desire to celebrate God working out His will through our lives for the Kingdom of God.
Conclusion: God wants to have a party with us in heaven. God wants to celebrate with us when we get to heaven. But even more, God wants to be in our midst here on earth as we celebrate together. And when we take the time to celebrate, these celebrations will have a lasting memory in our lives. These celebrations will help to carry us forward in doing the work of God and being more connected as the family of God. We don’t follow a workaholic God. We follow a God who wants us to have times of rest, and times of celebration. Let us be thankful for this kind of God, and let us be obedient to living this out. And in just a few moments, we get to have a celebration of sorts, as we have a luncheon together. Let us give thanks to God. Amen.
The Mystery Revealed Series
Sunday, February 22, 2009; Leviticus 25:1-7
Introduction: What is the best party you have ever been to? As I thought about this question, I have to say that there wasn’t any ONE party that stood out to me. I began to think of the birthday parties we have had for our kids; parties that have ranged from Mc Donalds to the park, a rock climbing wall to sleep overs. And then I thought of our 75th anniversary for the church, just 4 years ago, where we gathered on the front lawn of our church, with a band playing, lots of food and cake. That was a lot of fun as well.
Parties are fun. Why is that? (Have congregation give me some answers)…
Today we conclude our series on “The Mystery Revealed.” Hopefully you have learned how God has given us care, stewardship over our character, commitment, our decisions, the care of others, our role in the body of Christ, and our call to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. IN ALL OF THIS WE ARE TO CELEBRATE!
I. Celebrating Life- (Philippians 2:4)
a. God owns all things- Recognizing that God owns all things is
central to our life, and the ability to live this life with freedom. I say this, because whenever we take ownership of anything, it actually limits our freedom, since we become possessive, and worry about losing it. We hold on tight. We struggle to share it with others. We have a different mindset.
But, on the other hand, if someone loans you something to use, with the thought that you can have it as long as you need it, you still take care of it, because you want to return it in good shape, but you don’t have that ownership worry. You also feel blessed because someone is willing to share what they have with you!
Part of celebrating life, is understanding that as God owns all things, and shares all this with us, we are here to enjoy this life. This includes salvation. When we are saved, when accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, it isn’t just an eternity decision. This decision doesn’t just affect the fact that when we die we will spend eternity with God in heaven. It affects our life now. Salvation should change how we think, and act, and experience life NOW!
What I mean by this is that we celebrate our salvation because it makes a difference in our every day life. It helps us to experience peace in the midst of turmoil, joy in the midst of hardship, love in the midst of an angry world. It means that we are living in the Kingdom of God now. We can live the life God has planned for us, because we are walking with Jesus each and every day. Even in the midst of our sin, and the sin of others around us, we can find a way to be the people God created us to be, and live life in a way that was designed for us.
b. God’s ultimate glory- As we celebrate this life we have, we realize
that it isn’t just about us. It is about others as well. The apostle Paul challenges us with these words from Philippians 2:4, as he says: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” What Paul is telling us, is that celebrating life is recognizing that we are connected in this world to others and to God. The enjoyment of life isn’t just about having our needs met. Being able to celebrate isn’t just about me. It would be a pretty lonely celebration if I had a party, and I was the only one who attended! Parties are meant to include many people.
It also becomes a pretty lonely life is we try to receive the glory for all that we do; especially if we understand that all that exists, and all that has been given to us belongs to God! EX. Whether it is in sports, or in music, or in movies, it is about the full cast of people. One person may get an award, but if they don’t understand that the game was won, or the movie was a success because of the work of the collective group, then they will soon find themselves in a very lonely world.
So it is in life. We will find ourselves in a very lonely world if we fail to understand the part that everyone around us plays in our lives. And even more important, if we fail to understand the role God plays. When we live our lives for just ourselves, and fail to include God, then we will get lost very quickly. And when we try and take the glory for what happens, instead of acknowledging that the glory goes to God, then we too fail to experience the real blessing this life can be.
II. Celebrating our gifts- (Leviticus 25:1-12)
a. Understanding of gifts- I have talked many times about the gifts
that God gives to us. I talk about it often, because I believe that not only do we fail to understand our gifts, but even more we fail to use our gifts as God has designed for them to be used! I often think about what this church could become if every person in the church used their gifts to their full capacity. Many people are very selfish with their gifts. They hold them to themselves out of laziness, or fear, or lack of desire.
As stewards of our gifts, we must understand that they are primarily given not for our own benefit, but the purpose of blessing others. Think about a time that you were going through you house, your garage, your closet, and you found a number of things that you realized you didn’t need anymore. You decided to give them away; not just to some organization, but to a person you know who needed them. And then think about how you blessed that person that you passed these things on to. Your decision to share your possessions not only blessed them, but it blessed you!
This is exactly what we are to do with the gifts that God has given you and me. If you have the gift of teaching, but you don’t find opportunities to teach, then you have limited the blessing of others who will gain from your teaching. If you have the gift of helps, but fail to find opportunities to use that gift, then others are doing extra work and carrying an extra burden.
When we use our gifts in ministry situations, we bless others and we bless God; we grow in our relationship with others, and we grow in our relationship with God. But when we find ways to share our gifts, then there is reason to celebrate, because the Kingdom of God will flourish, and lives will be changed.
b. Management of gifts- So it really is about the management of our
gifts. Celebrating life is about caring for others with our gifts and resources. And if you think about it, that is what a party is all about, lavishing gifts on someone to help them feel special. So we carry this idea into life, into our world, into the way we choose to live. We make ourselves aware of the needs around us, and then find a way to connect our giftedness with those needs.
In our scripture passage for the morning, Leviticus 25:1-7, we see an interesting practice. Just as there was a Sabbath day, where we are called to rest on the seventh day, so there was a Sabbath year. In this Sabbath year, God is to be honored. So the farmer would break up his land into 7 sections, and would not use one of the 7 sections each year, so that that section of land would have a chance to renew itself during that year it wasn’t used.
But this idea of Sabbath continues; listen to Leviticus 25:8-12, “'Count off seven sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. 9 Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. 10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. 11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.’” On the fiftieth year there was to be a special observance in which there was to be an attempt to make things more equal among the people. All debts were to be canceled; all land was to be returned to the original owners.
Now as you hear about this, you might think, “Well, it is good news for the poor, but what about for others?” Imagine being a college student and having your loan debt canceled, or having your mortgage debt canceled! For many this would mean a whole new lease on life!
The truth however is that as far as historians can ascertain, the year of Jubilee was never observed by the Jews. The prophet Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 61:1-2 that it was something that the Messiah would do. It is the Messiah, Jesus, who forgives all our sins and cancels all our debts. But if we tried to apply this idea to forgiving others and canceling debts, it could greatly impact our relationships.
III. Celebrating our relationships- (Deuteronomy 22:26; Matthew 22:2-4)
a. Party- But let’s try to understand the Kingdom of God in terms of
relationship; relationship with God and each other. In Deuteronomy 14:26 we read: “Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice.” Here we see the money from people’s tithe to go towards food and drink so that everyone could rejoice together in the presence of the Lord. In essence, they were to have a party in the presence of the Lord.
The great thing about this party is that everybody was invited. It didn’t matter about your status, or your income, or your place in society. All were welcome to the party. It was a time for all the people of God to gather together and rejoice. It was about rejoicing in the Kingdom of God. It was to be a foretaste of what heaven would be like; all types of people together in God’s presence, praising God, and having a good time together.
It was also an opportunity to forget about the troubles of life and focus on having some fun. By having fun with each other, we are taught a little about the kind of God we believe in, serve, and worship. God is not far off and judgmental, but rather a God who wants to be there with us, and have us there with Him. And really, our God likes to party. Listen to Matthew 22:2-4, “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4"Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'” Jesus says that the Kingdom is like a big wedding reception.
b. Understanding our relationships- Now I will admit that this reality
of the Kingdom is yet to come; this ultimate celebration of joy is still in the future. But if we understand even a little of this, then we understand that God wants us to party with each other; God wants us to not be concerned with status, and position, and title, and place. God wants us to accept each other, and be in fellowship with all believers.
If we do this, then we will have a different understanding of relationship. We begin to understand how God calls us to be together, not just in worship, but in fellowship. Not just in Bible Study, but in partying; in celebrating the fact that we are all children of the Lord, with the same Father, the same Lord!
Now, as I talk about this idea of partying, it may offend some people. There are some who would think that spending money to party together would be wasteful or inappropriate. Maybe that is because we don’t understand the importance that partying has on our relationships. EX. Think about the types of parties you have with your family. In fact we just had one for my aunt’s 70th birthday last weekend. It was a wonderful occasion for many reasons: it brought many in my family together that I hadn’t seen in a while; it allowed my aunt to feel special to have 20 members of her family together (some who had traveled from San Jose, San Francisco, and Seattle). My mom was going to come from Arizona before she had some health problems; it allowed us to share about our life; we were able to laugh together and enjoy each other’s company. I could go on and on.
The point is, that partying helps us to connect; helps us to understand each other; helps us to understand our place as children of God; helps us to stop and enjoy our place in this world and in the Kingdom. When we party together, we celebrate the relationships God gives to us!
IV. Celebrating our rewards- (Isaiah 55:2; Matthew 25:21)
a. Consequences- As I talk about this whole concept of celebrating, it
can be a challenge to accept because we have had the idea of “work ethic” drilled into our brains. So, when we come to church, it is to be about doing the work of the Lord, or about being in worship. We need to do one or the other. But to take time to party, to celebrate, to relax and have fun can be a different kind of concept.
Because of this, we often fail to use our money as individuals, or as a church, to support celebrations. Money needs to go to pay the bills, support the staff, do the mission. And while that is true, God also wants us to use part of the money to celebrate. As I say this, I’m thinking partly about how next year, in 2010, our church will have been in existence for 80 years. It will be a good time for us to have a party! It will be a good time to remember God’s faithfulness to this church.
And so putting aside money for mission, and staff, and bills, and programs, is good stewardship, but so is putting aside money for celebration. The consequences of not putting aside money for play and partying is that we become burned out, tired, and lose the excitement of the vision. Celebration helps to lift us up and energize us to again be ready to move forward in serving the Lord.
We are told in Isaiah 55:2, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” When we understand that celebration is a satisfying event, and that the Lord wants us to have times of celebration, then we can confidently put our money and our energy toward this.
b. Rewards- As I say all this, I also need to encourage us to
remember that when we are good stewards, God celebrates. It pleases God’s heart to see us using our money, our gifts, our lives in acceptable ways. God promises us rewards for being faithful stewards.
Illus. A few years ago I went to Princeton Seminary for a Pastor’s Preaching
Conference. So I was there with many other pastors. One night we had some free time, and so a few of us went over to the gym to play basketball. Now I really enjoy basketball, and I am not a bad player at all, but I am short, and so many people don’t look at me as a basketball player. During the games, there were a couple of pastors who knew each other, and so they would pass the ball back and forth to each other, and make most of the plays. I rarely got to touch the ball, and even less often did I get to shoot the ball. We won the games, but I didn’t feel a part of the team, and I didn’t get excited at the fact that we won.
When we work together, and God does great work in and through our lives and ministry, then there is the need to have great celebration together. And when we are good stewards in this way, we will see that there will be celebration in heaven as well. And when we get to heaven, we will hear the voice of God say words similar to the words the master said to his servant in Matthew 25:21: “His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!’”
There is nothing wrong with looking forward to our rewards in heaven. God has promised these rewards. These rewards come to those who faithfully serve God, and give of themselves for God. These rewards come to those who desire to celebrate God working out His will through our lives for the Kingdom of God.
Conclusion: God wants to have a party with us in heaven. God wants to celebrate with us when we get to heaven. But even more, God wants to be in our midst here on earth as we celebrate together. And when we take the time to celebrate, these celebrations will have a lasting memory in our lives. These celebrations will help to carry us forward in doing the work of God and being more connected as the family of God. We don’t follow a workaholic God. We follow a God who wants us to have times of rest, and times of celebration. Let us be thankful for this kind of God, and let us be obedient to living this out. And in just a few moments, we get to have a celebration of sorts, as we have a luncheon together. Let us give thanks to God. Amen.
posted by Logan's Blog at 2:26 PM
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