In Hope Believe, in Mercy Receive Matthew 9:13 and Romans 4:18
Grace, mercy, and peace be with you, from God our Father, and our merciful Lord, Jesus Christ.
Our message is, In Hope Believe, in Mercy Receive, based on our Gospel, verse 13, the words of Jesus: 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
And from our Epistle, especially verse 18: 18 In hope [Abraham] believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
All these years later, Abraham’s hope has come true – many believe as he believed, and so are his spiritual descendants… many people from many nations…
… hundreds of millions of the redeemed from among the many nationalities and ethnicities on earth…
Wherever the Gospel is believed, there, the family of Christ, and the spiritual children of Abraham, are found.
Like the children’s song: Father Abraham, had many sons, many sons had father Abraham, and I am one of them, and so are you, (and now so is Beckett) so let’s all praise the Lord!
When Abraham and Sarah were in their twilight years, and still childless, God promised them that their descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky… and the grains of sand on the beach.
And as a pledge, before Abraham had any children, God renamed him, from Abram, meaning exalted father, to Abraham, meaning exalted father of many.
Abraham believed the promise… and because he believed, he had hope -- confidence that God would keep His promise… that He would make the impossible come true.
Abraham’s hope came from his faith, which came from God.
Hope is born of faith… without faith there’s no hope… and without hope, there’s only despair.
Our Epistle says, 18 In hope [Abraham] believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”… as many as the stars, and the sand.
In hope he believed against hope… against all odds.
Abraham was hoping for the seemingly impossible to happen.
The odds of winning the Powerball are about 1 in 292 million… so don’t plan on it for your retirement, or to put your kids through college.
Having said that, humanly speaking, there’s a better chance of winning the Powerball than Sarah had of giving birth to a child at her age.
But with God intervening, the odds went to 1 in 1, 100%... because God promised… and He never breaks His promises, no matter how impossible they might seem to be.
Although Abraham and Sarah may have had their doubts, in truth there was no doubt about it -- what God says He will do, He does… 100% of the time.
So Sarah, at the age of 90, and Abraham, at the age of 100, with their bodies as good as dead, our Epistle says… to their amazement, and their joy, they had a baby boy, and named him Isaac.
Almost 2000 years later, an even more amazing miracle would happen –
a young woman, still a virgin, descended from Abraham and Isaac, would give birth to a holy child, the Son of God sent to save the fallen world… the Promised Messiah, who died for all… and then the miracle of miracles, rose for all.
And then by the miraculous sending of the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Gospel would go far beyond the borders of Palestine…
… the miracle of this faith that saves, given in Baptism, would eventually spread to the ends of the earth, all around the globe.
Now, Abraham has spiritual descendants from among all nations on earth, including our own.
And so here we are today… believing with a miraculous faith… and hoping in things that are beyond this world, but are sure to come true.
Thanks be to God, His promise has been kept!
Abraham’s descendants, not those with his genetics but those who believe as he believed, in the Lord God Almighty, all together they’re like the stars in the sky and the sand on the beach, more than Abraham and Sarah could ever have imagined.
This morning, the promise has been kept again… the miracle faith has happened among us… as we sang: See this Wonder in the Making.
Beckett is now a descendant of Abraham… but more importantly, a child of God… again as we sing, Children of the Heavenly Father.
Through the water and the Word, in the holy name of God, dear little Beckett James, has joined the family of the redeemed.
Now Beckett has a family on earth, and a family in Heaven.
Nick and Alissa, raise your dear child, in this faith He’s been given…
Help him to get to know His faithful Father above, so that he knows how good God is…
… and how blessed he is to have such a wonderful, Heavenly Father, who is doing miraculous things for him…
Share with Beckett, the many promises God has given him today… especially the promise of a heavenly inheritance…
… the inheritance that really matters… as his great-grandpa Jim, who he’s named for, can attest to.
Raise Beckett to trust in the things of God, above the things of the world.
Raise him with faith and hope in this sometimes hopeless, despairing world.
Raise him in the promises that always come true, the sure and certain promises of the Gospel.
Raise him in the never-changing truth of God’s Word, in this changing world of lies.
Raise him in the holy, true and trustworthy Commandments of God in this world of broken morals and run-away sin.
Raise Beckett in true repentance, and in God’s great mercy, the forgiveness of all his sins.
All these promised blessings, to Beckett and to all God’s children, none of them happen, had not our Lord desired steadfast love and mercy for sinners.
As He says in our Old Testament, 6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice…
Or as Jesus says in our Gospel, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” -- which is all of us.
How good it is for us that we have a God who has a heart for lost causes like us, sinful, fallen people.
So much so, so great a heart that His Son would surrender His life to reclaim and redeem our lost lives.
Without faith in Him, we have no possible way to be saved… no way to be raised for a happy, glorious life.
But with faith in Him, we have no possibility of not being forgiven and saved… of not receiving an amazing, eternal inheritance.
As His faithful, baptized children, we have every certainty of living in His mercy now, and in His joy forever.
In Christ, we have everything going for us, everything that lasts and matters.
All that we have going for us in Christ, let us share with others… let us show mercy, as mercy has been shown to us.
And as we show God’s infinite mercy, and share His saving love, His peace, which passes understanding, will guard our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, who gives us a heavenly hope. Amen.