Worship Helps for Pentecost 21
Worship Theme: Next to the attachment to hearth and home,
a person’s chief attachment is to his purse. So it is not out of order to
consider what God has to say about his gifts of wealth and to let him put those
gifts in a proper context for us.
Old Testament: 2 Kings 5:14-27
14So he went down and dipped in the
Jordan seven times, just as the man of God had said. Then his flesh was
restored like the flesh of a small child, and he was clean. 15Then
he and his whole escort went back to the man of God. He stood in front of
Elisha and said, “To be sure, now I know that there is no God in all the earth
except in Israel. Now accept a gift from your servant.”
16But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives, in whose presence I stand, I
will not take anything.” Even though Na'aman urged him to accept something, he
refused.
17Then Na'aman said, “If you do not
want anything, please give me, your servant, as much dirt as two donkeys can
carry, for your servant will never again burn incense or sacrifice to other
gods, but only to the Lord. 18But
may the Lord forgive your servant
this one thing: When my master goes into the house of Rimmon to bow down there
and he supports himself on my arm, then I too have to bow down in the house of
Rimmon. When I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant this one thing.”
19Then Elisha said to him, “Go in
peace.”
When Na'aman had gone some distance from
him, 20Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “My
master was too easy on this Aramean, Na'aman, when he did not accept anything
that he brought. As surely as the Lord
lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
21So Gehazi chased after Na'aman.
When Na'aman saw him running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet
him. He said, “Is everything all right?”
22Then Gehazi said, “Yes, everything
is all right. My master sent me to say, ‘Look, just now two young men from the
hill country of Ephraim, from the sons of the prophets, have come to me. Please
give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.”
23Na'aman said, “Certainly! Take two
talents!” He urged Gehazi and tied up the two talents of silver in two bags
with the two sets of clothing. Then Na'aman gave them to his two servants, and
they carried them ahead of Gehazi. 24When he came to the hill, he
took the gifts from them. Then he hid them in the house and sent the men back,
so they left. 25Then he went in and attended his master.
Elisha said to him, “Where were you,
Gehazi?”
Gehazi said, “Your servant didn’t go
anywhere.”
26Then Elisha said to him, “Didn’t my
heart go along when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the
time to take silver, or to accept clothes or olive groves or vineyards or sheep
or cattle or male and female servants? 27Na'aman’s leprosy will
cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went out from his
presence, leprous like snow.
1. How did Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, lie to Naaman?
What did Gehazi request?
2. How much did Elisha know about what Gehazi had done?
(See 5:26)
Epistle: Hebrews 13:1–6
Continue
to show brotherly love. 2Do not fail to show love to strangers, for
by doing this some have welcomed angels without realizing it. 3Remember
those in prison, as if you were fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated,
as if you yourselves were also suffering bodily.
4Marriage is to be held in honor by all, and the marriage
bed is to be kept undefiled, for God will judge sexually immoral people and
adulterers. 5Keep your life free from the love of money, and be
content with what you have. For God has said:
I will never leave you,
and I will never forsake you.
6So then we say with confidence:
The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?
3. As the writer to the Hebrews (Jewish Christians)
wrapped up his letter with specific encouragements, which of them had to do
with money?
4. In Deuteronomy 31:6, aged Moses told his
successor, Joshua, something that the writer to the Hebrews says God promises
all of us. What was Joshua to trust, according to Hebrews 13:5?
And what are we to trust, as well?
Gospel: Mark 10:17–27
17As Jesus was setting out on a
journey, one man ran up to him and knelt in front of him. He asked, “Good
teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18Jesus said to him, “Why do you call
me good? No one is good except one—God. 19You know the commandments.
‘You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You
shall not give false testimony. You shall not defraud. Honor your father and
mother.’”
20The man replied, “Teacher, I have
kept all these since I was a child.”
21Jesus looked at him, loved him, and
said to him, “One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22When he heard this, he looked sad
and went away grieving, because he had great wealth. 23Jesus looked
around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have
riches to enter the kingdom of God!”
24The disciples were amazed at his
words. But Jesus told them again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust
in their riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God.”
26They were even more astonished and
said to one another, “Who then can be saved?”
27Jesus looked at them and said, “For people,
it is impossible, but not for God, because all things are possible for God.”
5. What is Jesus trying to accomplish with the request he
makes of the rich young ruler?
6. What does Jesus want the disciples to realize when he
contrasts the camel with the eye of a needle?
Answers:
1. Gehazi lied to Naaman by asking him for clothes and
money for two young men from the company of the prophets (perhaps seminary
students, in our terms \ future pastors). Naaman gave Gehazi about 150
pounds of silver and two sets of clothes \ tens of thousands of dollars.
2. Elisha not only knew about Gehazi’s deceit. He
knew that Naaman had stepped down out of his chariot to speak with
Gehazi. He knew that Gehazi had started thinking about the olive groves,
vineyards, flocks, herds and servants he would soon acquire. In other
words, Elisha knew everything. Today, too, God knows everything about our
greedy thoughts, words and actions. We must never try to conceal them,
but confess them and find mercy in Christ.
3. Many of the writer’s encouragements had to do with
money: a) being hospitable, b) keeping our lives free from the love of money,
c) being content with what God has given us, and d) confidently trusting in the
Lord instead of people.
4. God told Joshua, and God tells us, “Never will I leave
you. Never will I forsake you.”
5. The rich young ruler thought he was good enough to get
eternal life on his own, so Jesus served the rich young ruler a big helping of
law / telling him to go and sell everything he had, give to the poor, then
follow his Lord. Jesus wanted the man to see that his possessions had
become his god. In doing so, Jesus wanted the young man to despair of
being good enough for God on his own, and trust in him.
6. Jewish people in Jesus’ day were familiar with the
camel as the largest beast of burden they used. They were also aware of just
how small the eye of a needle was. When Jesus compared the largest with the
smallest, he quickly conveyed the idea that it was impossible by human means to
save oneself from sin and enter God’s kingdom.
Putting your faith
into action
Jesus
is picking on the rich again! Why is it so hard for rich people to enter the
kingdom of God? A clue is in verse 22: “At this the man’s face fell. He went
away sad, because he had great wealth.” The rich man couldn’t get past the time
he had to spend on securing, investing, and spending his money to give it all
up to follow Jesus. Money and possessions, Jesus tells us throughout the New
Testament, are an all-consuming burden. Managing riches for self gets in the
way of stewardship—managing everything for God’s purposes. I suspect the rich
young man didn’t enjoy his wealth nearly as much as he enjoyed wielding the
power it afforded him. As you examine your life in the light of this lesson of
Jesus, get to the bottom of it: Is it wealth and possessions that you enjoy, or
the managing of your resources? As God’s stewards, our managing is directed
toward what God would have us do. This frees you from the burden of wealth.
Those fussy spirits are to be
rebuked who, after they have heard a sermon or two, find hearing more sermons
to be tedious and dull. They think that
they know all well enough and need no more instruction. For that is exactly the sin that was
previously counted among mortal sins and is called apathy. This is a malignant, dangerous plague with
which the devil deceives the hearts of many so that he may surprise us and
secretly take God’s Word from us.
Even though you know God’s
Word perfectly: you are daily in the devil’s kingdom. He ceases neither day nor night to kindle in
your heart unbelief and wicked thoughts against the commandments. You must always have God’s Word in your
heart, upon your lips, and in your ears.
But where the heart is idle and the Word does not make a sound, the
devil breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware. On the other hand, the Word is so effective
that whenever it is seriously contemplated, heard, and used, it is bound never
to be without fruit. It always awakens
new understanding, pleasure, and devoutness and produces a pure heart and pure
thoughts. For these words are not dead,
but are creative, living words [Hebrews 4:12].
This truth ought to urge everyone to the Word, because thereby the devil
is driven away. Besides, this
commandment is fulfilled and this exercise in the Word is more pleasing to God
than any work of, however brilliant. – Large Catechism, Ten Commandments, paragraphs
99-102
1 Oh, that the Lord would guide my ways
To keep his statutes still!
Oh, that my God would grant
me grace
To know and do his will!
2 Order my footsteps by your Word,
And make my heart sincere;
Let sin have no dominion,
Lord,
But keep my conscience clear.
3 Assist my soul, too apt to stray,
A stricter watch to keep;
And should I e’er forget your
way,
Restore your wand’ring sheep.
4 Make me to walk in your commands—
’Tis a delightful road—
Nor let my head or heart or
hands
Offend against my God.
Text: Isaac Watts, 1674–1748,
abr., alt.
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