Genesis 39:2a: Prosperity

 Presented to Swift Current Corps, July 10, 2011
(https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/07/genesis-392a-lord-was-with-joseph-and.html )
 
Presented to TSA AV Ministries, 18 May 2025 (here)
By Captain (Major) Michael Ramsay

 

We have had some busy family times this month. Susan and I just had our 27^th Anniversary. We have often called this our ‘famiversary’ and involve our children. We were in Victoria this weekend and stayed with Susan’s mom. The week before was Mother’s Day and Susan drove Down Island to she Sarah-Grace after spending the morning with us. The week previous was my birthday – my parents drove all the way up to Nanaimo from Sidney (after picking up Sarah-Grace from Victoria) just to have dinner with us for an hour or so. And a week or so before that Susan and I stopped in on Rebecca in Chilliwack on our way to a conference. It has been a busy family time.

 

Joseph, in the Bible, and his family certainly had some interesting times together. This was Joseph’s family growing up: Joseph’s dad’s given name, ‘Jacob’, means ‘deceiver’ and he lived up to his name. He caused problems with his brother and didn’t get along with his in-laws; Joseph’s mom was a thief – not only that – what she stole were idols of foreign gods. Joseph’s dad had children with a number of different women and Joseph’s oldest brother had an affair with the mother of his half-brothers. Another brother of Joseph’s ran into problems involving a prostitution scandal by which he, in essence, fathered his own grandchildren. Two more brothers of Joseph trick and murder a whole community’s males before the rest of his brothers carry off all the females and their children as well as all their possessions. If you think your family growing up was a little messed up, Joseph can give you a run for your money. But remember that, though this may not seem like a great life, still to come in our story is Genesis 39:2a which states, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”

 

Looking at Genesis 37: Joseph is no longer a child. He is a young man of 17 years old. Now 17 – even if some people don’t think so today – in those days was plenty old enough to be carrying your own weight. People would often be starting their own families by then. Not Joseph. Joseph was a little bit spoiled (Genesis 37:3,4). Joseph was younger than most of his brothers but there was no physical reason that we know of as to why Joseph (who was 17!) couldn’t be out in the fields working with his brothers all day but he wasn’t and not only was he not working like his brothers but when he had the opportunity, it says –Genesis 37:2- he tattled on his brothers. He told on them. But still to come, Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”

 

And there is more: Not only did Joseph report on his brothers to his dad but Joseph’s dad made no bones about the fact that Joseph was his favourite son; so while Jacob sent his older boys out to work for a living he lavished at least one fancy gift on Joseph (a coat of many colours, ornamental robe, or a long-sleeved garment depending on your translation) [4] who he let stay around the house while his older brothers worked for the family – and hard outside work at that!

 

Now Joseph’s brothers, after we find out that Joseph is spoiled and Joseph reports on them, tells on them; Genesis 37:4 states that “when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.” So the family relations are heating up a little bit. There is more than a little bit of understandable rivalry between Joseph and all his half-brothers.

 

It is in this context that Joseph, this privileged son, has some dreams. These dreams’ – which have the apparently obvious interpretation that his whole family, including his brothers and his father will bow down to him – are fine; but maybe not so wise is the fact that Joseph tells his brothers and his dad the dreams. As you can imagine, this does not go over quite so well with his brothers. Genesis 37:8b “…and they hated him all the more because of his dream AND what he said to them.” His brothers had absolutely had it with him; so, when a while later their dad sends Joseph from home to find them at work they decide to take action. They have had enough. They take him, throw him into a pit to decide whether they are finally going to kill him or not. Remember – as least two of his brothers have murdered people before (Genesis 34:25). It is then that some slave traders happen by, and the brothers decide to take advantage of the situation and they sell their brother into slavery, just telling their father that he is dead. The human traffickers, the slave traders turn around and sell him into slavery with an Egyptian official.[5] He is 17 (maybe 18 by now) and about to begin a life of slavery. It is at this point that we run across our verse. It is at this point that the verse that we keep coming back to appears in the narrative; Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”

 

Joseph’s family life, as we have been discussing, was not the greatest but as one can imagine, a terrible home life probably beats being a slave in a foreign country - but it is as a slave where it records, Genesis 39:2, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.” This is key. This prosperity is not wealth. He is a slave. This prosperity is not luxury. He is a slave. This prosperity is not freedom to do what he wants when he wants. He is a slave. Joseph is a teenager who has been sold into slavery in a foreign country – where I imagine he doesn’t yet even know the language. He is a slave completely against his will without even specified terms for release. This is the condition that he is in when and where it records that, Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”

 

Let me tell you some more about this prosperity.[6] While Joseph is a slave, his master’s wife takes a liking to him. She wants to fool around with him – have an affair. Joseph will have none of this and spends much of his time trying to avoid her. She finally gets so upset at him for not giving into her advances that she accuses him of sexual assault and has Joseph thrown into prison. This is what it looks like in the house of his Egyptian master when and where it says that the LORD was with Joseph and he prospered.

 

Next, Joseph is sitting in prison in a foreign country charged with a crime that he didn’t commit with no specified length or end to his sentence. This prison, while it was reserved for prisoners of important people, was no 21st century Canadian prison (not that these are a picnic by any means) - there is no TV, no Charter of Rights and Freedoms, no early parole; just a dark dungeon, or a pit as some translations (KJV, ESV) refer to it, where you live out your days with the other prisoners. This is what it looks like when, Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.” This is what his prosperity looked like. No money, no luxury, no freedom, just slavery and then just sitting in a dungeon (or pit) in a foreign country with no hope of parole for a crime he didn’t commit. How many of us would consider this prosperity? I want us to remember this to the next time someone that believes the prosperity heresy tells us that when you are a good Christian you won’t get sick and you will always have all the money and freedom that you want. It is not true. That is NOT what God’s prosperity looks like.

 

What God’s prosperity in our lives looks like is when God’s work is being done through us.[7] Joseph prospered with no money, no luxury, no freedom, just sitting in a dungeon (or a pit) in a foreign country with no hope of parole for a crime he didn’t commit. Genesis 23b reiterates directly in the prison context, just like in the slavery context, so that we don’t forget, “that LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” And this success and this prosperity are mentioned after he was sold into slavery and then when he is spending time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The Lord’s blessing on Joseph is NOT mentioned in the context of his being released from slavery and prison. His prosperity is noted in the 13 years (almost half his life to this point) that he spends in slavery and later confined in prison.

 

This is significant. It doesn’t tell us that he prospered and that the LORD was with him when he was the favourite son of a well-to-do herdsman who received special attention, fancy clothes, and pampering from his dad. The author of Genesis doesn’t specifically say that the Lord was with Joseph and that he prospered when he was riding in the chariot alongside Pharaoh and receiving all the benefits and privileges of being second in command in the entire Egyptian empire. It says that he prospered when he was in slavery and it says that the Lord gave him success when he was in prison. Success and God’s prosperity is not financial well-being and a self-indulgent, easy life at all. What prosperity is, is when God’s work is being done. When Joseph is worshiping, serving, and giving credit to God in the midst of his suffering is where we hear of the LORD’s blessing and where we see Joseph’s real heart of worship.

 

I think that this is important for us today as we worship the Lord. We need to recognize the really tough times -when we are in the pits of our lives- as opportunities to be encouraged to serve and to worship the Lord. These times are not definitely Divine punishment; these times are definitely not times of being forsaken by the LORD. God promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5). What God’s prosperity in our lives looks like is when God’s work is being done through us. So when we are in the dungeons and pits of our lives, when life is its most challenging, when we are completely overwhelmed and when we cannot solve our problems on our own, if we take the focus off our predicament and off of our own selfish desires (as legitimate as they maybe) and if we instead concentrate on the LORD and fully trust and worship Him; if we do this then I believe that we will find that even in these times of trouble and distress that –like Joseph – we will see the LORD is with us and that we will prosper in our worship and in our relationship with God even and especially in our very trying times.

Let us pray.

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[1] Bil Keene, The Family Circus, Available on-line at www.familycircus.com

[2] Cf. Fredrick C. Holmgren, “Holding Your Own Against God! Genesis 32:22-32 (In the Context of Genesis 31-33),” Interpretation: a Journal of Bible and Theology 44, no. 4 (1990): 5-17. It may not just be family discord that kept them separate. It may have been a desire to maintain the benefits of his independence, birthright and blessing. If his family intermingled too closely with the larger Edomite populations they ran the risk of being absorbed into Esau. This also could be a reason God kept them apart.

[3] Cf. Michael Ramsay "Word Study: to bless, blessing (Hebrew: brk)," Presented to William and Catherine Booth College (Fall 2005). Avail on-line: http://www.sheepspeak.com./Word_Studies_Michael_Ramsay.htm#blessing 

[4] T. Desmond Alexander, ESV Study Bible on-line. Note on Genesis 37:3: The Hebrew expression used to denote this cloak is used elsewhere only of a garment worn by King David's daughter Tamar (see 2 Sam. 13:18). The actual design of the cloak is uncertain; as the esv footnote explains, the translation here is based on the understanding of the Septuagint translators (Gk. poikilos, “many-coloured”). The alternative is “a robe with long sleeves” (cf. the text and esv footnote of 2 Sam. 13:18, which uses the same Hebrew expression). Available at: http://www.esvbible.org

[5] Derek Kidner, Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1967 (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries 1), S. 196: On the name Potiphar, recognizably Egyptian, see the brief discussion in The New Bible Dictionary  (ed. J. D. Douglas et al., 1962). Officer is strictly ‘eunuch’, but the term became a general synonym for ‘courtier’. The translation captain of the guard is debatable but probably right. The alternative is ‘chief butcher’, supported by etymology (from the verb ‘to slaughter’, as in 43:16; cf. 1 Sam. 9:23f., ‘the cook’), also by lxx and by the use of a similar title in Egyptian for a kind of major-domo (J. Vergote, Joseph en Égypte, Louvain 1959, pp. 31–35). Captain of the guard, however, accords with Potiphar’s command of the prison (40:3f.) and is clearly correct in 2 Kings 25:8.

[6] John H. Sailhamer, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Genesis/Exposition of Genesis/VI. The Account of Jacob (37:1-49:33)/E. Joseph in the House of Potiphar (39:1-23), Book Version: 4.0.2: This is not a story of the success of Joseph; rather it is a story of God's faithfulness to his promises.

[7] John H. Sailhamer, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Genesis/Exposition of Genesis/VI. The Account of Jacob (37:1-49:33)/E. Joseph in the House of Potiphar (39:1-23), Book Version: 4.0.2

Romans 10:3-13: Say it! Know it! Do it!

 Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 11 Sept. 2011; Corps 614 Regent Park, Toronto, 14 Feb. 2016; The Warehouse Mission, Cabbagetown, 11 Feb, 2018; and TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, 11 May 2025 by Major (Captain) Michael Ramsay

 

Also included in Chapter 6 of SALVOGESIS Guidebook to Romans Road by Michael Ramsay (The Salvation Army: Vancouver Island, 2022)

 

THIS IS THE 11 MAY 2025 VERSION

 

Click to see the original version here:

https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/09/romans-109-say-it-know-it-do-it.html

 

Click to see the abbreviated 2018 version here:

http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2018/02/romans-109-say-it-know-it-do-it.html

 

Romans 10:9: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:13, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” These are some of the basics of the whole Christian faith.

 

As it is Mothers’ Day. I have one sort of Mother’s Day story that relates to this. This story is a piece of wisdom that was presented to us at a gathering of Salvation Army Officers by Major David Ivany, who at the time, was in charge of Spiritual Care for all of Canada and Bermuda. He shared this story with us about a kind elderly mother and grandmother who upon a public confession of faith is experiencing the pure joys of Christian love.

 

This lady, Emma, she goes into a local Christian bookstore and sees a ‘Honk if you love Jesus’ bumper sticker. Feeling particularly good that day because she has just come from a great choir practice and prayer meeting, she buys the bumper sticker, and she puts it on her car – professing her faith publicly. She recalls, “Boy, I’m glad I did! What an uplifting experience “It is a good thing someone else loves Jesus,” she said, “because if he hadn’t honked, I’d never have noticed that the light had changed!” She then noted that indeed, lots of people actually love Jesus because while she sat unmoving, blocking the lane of traffic, the guy behind her also honked like crazy before leaning out of his window and screaming, “For the love of God! Go! Go! Jesus Christ, Go!” She remembers thinking, “What an exuberant cheerleader he was for the Lord!”

 

Suddenly, it seemed as though she had started an epidemic and everyone started honking. Impressed by such a response, she leaned out of her window and started waving and smiling at all these loving people – while she was still parked in front of the intersection. “I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love!” she recited. Then she realized the mix of celebrants. “There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a “sunny beach… I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger in the air. I asked my teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant, and he suggested that it was probably an Hawaiian good luck sign or something…”

 

The woman admitted that she had never met anyone from Hawaii before and was unaware of their customs. “I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign right back,” she reminisced.

 

She also remembers that a few persons were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards her. “I’ll bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended but that was when I noticed that the light had changed. So, I waved to all my loving sisters and brothers in Christ, grinned joyously, and drove on through the intersection. I noticed that I was the only car that made it through the intersection before the light changed again and I felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time before I sped away.”

Key to our salvation, like with the bumper sticker, Romans 10:9, “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:13, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

I do have a bit of a teaching background and this pericope does lend itself to an older style of teaching from way back; so as well look at this, I will take us through a 3-point discourse complete with plenty of repetition – like we were taught to teach a million years ago. The three points we will address today are: Romans 10:9: One, “Confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’; two, believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead”; and, three, Romans 10:13: “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” In other words:

 

1) Confess Jesus as Lord with your mouth: Say it.

2) Believe in your heart in His resurrection: Know it.

3) Call on the name of the Lord: Do it.

 

We must remember that God has offered the whole world a free gift of Salvation (Romans 6:23, John 3:16-17) and to fully take advantage of it we should say it! Know it! Do it!

 

1) Say it! Romans 10:9: Confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord

This is important. Whenever I hear this verse, I immediately think of the Apostle Peter, the rock upon which Christ built His church (Matthew 16:13-16; cf. Mark 8:27-29, Luke 9:18-20). Jesus told Peter that He was going to use him to help build His church. This was at the time Jesus gave Simon the nickname ‘Peter’. Peter wasn’t his given name; Simon was his given name. Peter means ‘Rock’ or even ‘Rocky’. Simon ‘Rocky-Peter’ was one of Christ’s main ‘go to’ people after His resurrection and we remember the story about how Jesus told Rocky-Peter that he would deny Jesus three times before the cock crows twice, then shortly after Peter says ‘I don’t know what your talking about’; shortly after Peter’s third denial that he even knows Jesus; the rooster crows and Peter is devastated (Matthew 26:69-75; cf. Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:55-62, John 18:15-27).

 

Point #1 about Salvation today: Say it! (Cf. also Luke 21:12– 15; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Philippians 2:11; 1 Peter 3:13–16, 21) Simon Peter had his chance to confess Jesus as Lord but he declined it. If the story ended there this would be very sad but John 21:15ff, records Simon Peter’s restoration, as Rocky, as Peter. The Resurrected Lord asked him three times to feed his sheep and Peter agreed to it. Near the conclusion of the book of John, Jesus then blows on Peter -and the other disciples- giving him the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). Luke picked up the story of Rocky-Peter in the book of Acts as Rocky-Peter was at Pentecost taking the lead as the Holy Spirit, like a starting pistol, sent the disciples and more out to proclaim salvation to the world. Acts 2, after they share the gospel in many different languages as the Spirit enabled them, the Lord added to their number daily those being saved. Point 1, Romans 10:9, say it!

 

Peter and the disciples said it and many were saved. And just to underscore the fact that Peter did fully recover from his earlier denial, church tradition states that Peter even earned his martyr’s crown. He was apparently crucified upside down as he left his life here for heaven to await the resurrection. Point 1: Say it! This brings us to Point 2.

 

2) Know it! Believe in your heart in His resurrection.

It is very important to proclaim the gospel but that is not the end of it. Speaking is one thing and believing is quite another. If you have any doubt about that, think about the general reputation (accurate or not) of our elected politicians – speaking is one thing, believing what you say is quite another. Paul in this section of scripture is really addressing the whole problem of Israel (Romans 9-11; cf. also Deuteronomy 30, Leviticus 18). He is addressing the problem of the Law and their relationship to the Law and their relationship to God. He is very concerned about people who are quite happy to say what needs to be said – the Pharisees, as a group, did believe in the resurrection and as a group were quite evangelistic (cf. Acts 23:7-8)! But believing in your heart in Jesus’ resurrection is quite a different matter (1 Corinthians 15:17; cf. 2 Corinthians 4:13-14). The Apostle Paul - who was a Pharisee - celebrated the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead but sadly many Israelites and even many Pharisees did not. It pained Paul that people who were zealous for God’s Law were indeed missing out on the benefits of the culmination of that Law: Jesus, the one to whom the Law points (cf. Romans 9:1-5; 10:1-4; Matthew 5:17,18; Luke 16:16; Acts 4:12; Galatians 3:19-24).

 

Salvation is about,

Point 1, Saying it, confessing that Jesus is Lord, and it is also about,

Point 2, Knowing it, really believing in your heart in the resurrection and in Jesus’ resurrection.

 

This, of course, is a central part of not only Paul’s message but of all of Christianity (Romans 6:9, 9:16; 1 Corinthians 15:17, 20; 2 Corinthians 4:13-14; Ephesians 1:20-23; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:9; Revelation 1:17-18; cf. Deuteronomy 30:14, Acts 4:12, Isaiah 28:16). N.T. Wright tells us, “Almost all early Christians known to us believed that their ultimate hope was the resurrection of the body. There is no spectrum such as in Judaism. Some in Corinth denied the future resurrection (1 Corinthians 15.12), but Paul put them straight; they were most likely reverting to pagan views, not opting for an over-realized Jewish eschatology” [1] Belief in the resurrection and the resurrection of Christ is central to Christianity. To review what we know so far about Romans 10’s three points of Salvation:

1) Say it! - Confess Jesus as Lord with your mouth.

2) Know it! - Believe in your heart in His resurrection.

3) Do it! - Call on the Name of the Lord.

 

3) Do it! Call on the Name of the Lord.

This is important. Saying it is good. Knowing it is better. Doing it is imperative. This fact is also implied in Verse 9. The scriptures speak about this quite a bit (cf. Leviticus 18:5 and Deuteronomy 30:11-16, cited in vv. 5-8; Luke in Acts 2:16-21 and Paul here are both quoting from Joel 2:32). I believe that Matthew actually paints this picture quite vividly. In Matthew 25:31ff is recorded the parable of the sheep and the goats. In this parable you have two groups of nations. Both groups – the sheep and the goats – 1) say it and 2) know it, that Jesus is Lord. But it is only the sheep that 3) do anything about it. As a result, only the sheep are saved. The goats who don’t do anything are sent to where there is a weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 7:21 is quite clear on this matter: it is recorded there that the Lord says “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven but only he who does the will of my Father in heaven”: Say it! Know it! Do it!

 

We must actually call on the Name of the Lord. We have to call on Him. We have to trust Him. This is important. For example, it is one thing for me to confess that I know my wife; it is another thing to believe in my heart the many wonderful things that have been done by and through her: these are wonderful things but my relationship with Susan only grows when I actually call on her, when I actually spend time with her. I can say she is my wife all I want; I can believe she is my wife all I want; but we only actually have a marriage if I bother to see her, to call on her sometimes. This is important. Christianity isn’t some academic pursuit. Christianity isn’t some code. Christianity isn’t some rules and regulations. Christianity isn’t some club. Christianity isn’t some principles by which we should live our life. Christianity is a relationship with the risen Christ. Jesus Christ rose from the grave and we are promised that, Romans 10:13 “…everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” He loves us and He wishes that none will perish. And Salvation in our text today is as easy as 1, 2, and 3. It is my prayer today that every one of us will:

 

1) Say it! - Confess Jesus as Lord with our mouths.

2) Know it! - Believe in our hearts in His resurrection.

3) Do it! – That we would call upon the Name of the Lord

 

Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” Matthew 11:30: “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” And blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (Psalm 118:26, Matthew 21:9, Matthew 23:39, Mark 11:9, Luke 13:35, Luke 19:38, John 12:13). Romans 10:9a, say it: confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Romans 10:9b, know it: believe in your heart in Jesus’ resurrection. And above all else, Romans 10:13, do it: Call upon the Name of the Lord and then even we shall be saved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Genesis 1-3, Matthew 28, 1 Corinthians 15: He is Risen!

Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, Resurrection Easter Sunday by Major Michael Ramsay, 20 April 2025.

He is risen! (He is risen indeed!)

 

Easter is the most important date on the Christian Calendar. Do we know why it is the most important date? What are we celebrating? (the resurrection of Jesus) Why does this matter? (it means we can all be raised from the dead)

 

We read the story of Mary and Mary at the tomb today. I think that is a very important story about the first Christian evangelists and preachers: Two women proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Do we know the rest of the story?

 

At the very beginning of the Bible, in the first few chapters of the first book in this holy anthology, we have the story of how God created the heavens and the earth. God created it all and it was perfect. Not only were there no bad things like murder, stealing, lying, etc. There was also no injury, no illness, no decay, no death. Even the trees didn’t die. The animals didn’t eat each other. It was paradise – it was the Garden of Eden.

 

Then the very first people that God created did something – they disobeyed God. This was the first badness to enter the world. The first sin. From that point on all that erodes life and goodness flowed into the world. Not only bad behaviours but also decay of plants, animals, and people; injury, illness and death.

 

The Bible then, as we know, has many books in the Old Testament that tell how people interacted with each other and God ever since. Mostly – but not entirely – after a certain point, the books speak about the family and descendants of Jacob who was called Israel. Many of these books are looking forward to a time when the world will no longer be in the state that it is in – when everything will be finally made right.

 

There are many recorded memories of God’s interaction with people, giving us a glimpse into when and how things might possibly return. Under and after Moses there is the Law that is given to God’s people to help us know how to relate to each other – in short it can be boiled down to, as Jesus later said, ‘love God and love your neighbour’ – while we are waiting for everything to be set right.

 

Before that even, God and Abraham make an agreement, recorded in Genesis Chapter 12, that all the nations of the earth will be blessed through Abraham and then in Genesis 15 we get our first glimpse of the cross. There is a ceremony, a covenant and God basically says that if mankind messes up again, like they did in the garden, God will take the punishment, He will die. We do mess up. On Good Friday He does.

 

The word ‘gospel’ that we still use today means, ‘good news’. On Easter – a few days later - we have the Good News. Yes God, Jesus, died. He went to the grave. But then something happened. He came back to life – and when he came back to life, he came back with a body that no longer decays, no longer experiences illness, no longer experiences death. He is the first person to experience life back like it was in the Garden of Eden.

 

Now, I say first ‘person’ for a reason. Jesus is God. Jesus is also a person. He is fully, truly and properly God and he is fully, truly and properly human. At Christmas we celebrate God becoming human – He, who was around at the creation of the world, was also, much later, born. On Good Friday he dies. On Easter He has the first fully resurrected body. His body will now never die, never get sick, never get injured. And when he overcame death on Easter, he really overcame it – not just for himself but for everyone. Jesus never died after his resurrection (like others who have risen from the dead). He went away for a while; but he will come back.

 

When he comes back, he will bring with him the Tree of Life that was in the Garden of Eden and the whole world will be made anew. We spoke about this a few weeks ago while we were looking at Romans 5, Genesis 3, and Revelation 22 where the ultimate return of God is recorded.

 

So that is what we are celebrating today: the first fruits of the resurrection, that the world is set right, and the path has been paved for Jesus’ return. On Easter, God made a way so that we never need to die (again). The Bible says that when he returns, even those who are already dead will raise from the grave and they will never die again and those who are still alive will be changed, healed, transformed into these never decaying, never dying entities that love fully both God and our neighbour forever.

 

Today, as we celebrate His victory over death, decay, and sin; We are even now awaiting Jesus’ return. While we wait, we are we are told a couple of things to do

1.     Never forget what he has done for us and that he will return.

a.     In the Bible they meet regularly over a meal to remember Jesus.

b.     Now we meet on the Lord’s Day, Sunday, and at other occasions, as well as have other ceremonies, to remember what the Lord has done and what we have to look forward to.

 

2.     And the other thing we need to do is to share the love of God with others. We can do this by telling others about God while we take care of one another.

 

So today, as we are celebrating Jesus’ resurrection to eternal life and awaiting his return when the whole world will be set right, let us do our part.

 

God has provided enough to feed, clothe, and shelter everyone in the world; He has given us this beautiful earth to take care of – and He asks nothing more of us that to love Him and take care of each other until He returns  - let us do that until he returns, for when he comes back there will be no more death, no more decay, no more sorrow, no more sadness; only joy, peace and wholeness because He has risen! (He has risen, indeed)

 

Let us Pray

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Genesis 2:15-3:24, Matthew 28:1-20, Revelation 22:1-5: Life and Death and Creation.

Presented to the Community Dinner at the Friendship Center by Major Michael Ramsay, 19 April 2025.

 

Hello,

I am Major Michael Ramsay from The Salvation Army. As well as running The Salvation Army, the Bread of Life Soup Kitchen, shelter and The Salvation Army thrift store, I am a Christian pastor / teacher. This weekend is Easter. That is the most important time on the Christian Calendar.

Christians acknowledge Jesus as God. Our teachings tell us that God, as creator, created the whole world. And when He did it was perfect. Not only did we not harm each other, ourselves or the earth; but we never got sick, we never got injured; and the earth itself – the trees did not fall to the ground and die. Animals did not eat animals. All of creation was in perfect harmony. The Creator even walked in this Garden He created with people He created.

Then something happened. The first people created made a choice.  Because of this choice, death, decay, harm and hurt entered the world. Where there was none before, now there was illness, injury and death for all of creation. Plants, animals and all that is given life now dies. Since that day, Creator would like nothing less than to get us back to what was our life was like in the Garden: with no more death, no more decay.

Today is the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter. On Good Friday 2000 years ago something happened: God died. Creator died. Jesus died. Today is called low Saturday. How would you feel if we were around when God died?

Tomorrow is Easter. On Easter God, Jesus, Creator rose from the dead. He came to life again. He vanquished death. He defeated it. That is why we celebrate on Easter: we can get back to the Garden. By overcoming death, Jesus ended the decay, death and disease that came to the world and as a result when Creator returns to earth no one will ever die; no plant will ever decay; no animal will ever eat another… there will be no more blindness, no more deafness, no more addiction, no more violence, no more pain, no more sorrow. Only goodness. Only wholeness.

In the Christian faith, everyone who wants to serve the creator is invited to live and help others live like this today by providing for those in need until the day arrives when there is no more need. Our sacred book, the Bible, even tells us the ‘Sheep and Goats’ story: that the nations which take care of the vulnerable will be with the creator forever in the new world and those who don’t, won’t.

The Bible often compares life with Creator, Jesus, to a banquet, a feast, a meal, like we have here today – where everyone is invited: the rich, the poor, the old, the young, the widow, the foreigner, the stranger, the… everyone.

Today… Who has been here at the Friendship Centre before? Who has been here a lot and feels at home, comfortable here? I invite you to look out for the new people, the stranger, our guests – those who you have not seen around here before. I invite you to – on behalf of Creator – make the people who have not been here before feel comfortable. Extend to them the Creator’s hand of friendship. Let our guests know that we are happy they are here with us for when we welcome the stranger, the foreigner in the Creator’s name, we are indeed welcoming in the Creator Himself.

Let us pray