We Will See Greater Things
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We Will See Greater Things
1 Samuel 3:1-20
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
John 1:43-51
I find it interesting in how we understand the messages of the last few weeks of being children of light and living our lives in the light as he is in the light and yet we can look around and see how much darkness still surrounds our world. Paul dealt with this issue a lot when writing to the church in Corinth. They were now called to be children of light and yet they still needed more instruction in how to behave so as their culture taught them another way. As I look at this it is plain to see that even our culture in this country today and probably even the world is no different than the culture of Corinth at the time of this letter. This message applies to the united states today just as much as it applied to the church in Corinth when Paul wrote them his letter. However, God has called us to greater things than what the pleasures of self can gratify.
Paul gives the example of food for the body and how the stomach is made for food and the food for the stomach and though this is a good thing if we mistreat them then it can become a bad thing in us and can destroy us. The same is with sexual indulgence and gratification. When we use these things as God designed then it can be good for both marriage bonding and procreation. However, when over indulged as one may do with food then the results are fornication, disease, and pain. God has called us to honor him with our bodies as we are meant to be as a temple for the Holy Spirit. Christ paid a price with his body so that our bodies might be saved. Therefore, because of that sacrifice we should honor him as such. We may grow inpatient at times as Satan tries to entice us to self-gratify. However, God has plans for even greater things than that for us.
Samuel was just a boy given to the Lord by a faith filled mother keeping her promise for the exchange of being able to have children. In our scripture for today God reveals his plan and call upon Samuel’s life. God reveals the punishment upon Eli and his family because one his sons blasphemed God, and two Eli knew this was going on and did nothing to discipline his children to keep them on the right path. By doing this Eli was putting his children before God. God explains to Samuel that there will be no sacrifice or offering that will be able to atone for the sins of the house of Eli for it is too late. When Samuel explains this to Eli the priest it seems that he accepts his punishment for it is apparent that he can do nothing about it. Eli says, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.” It is then apparent that Eli and his sons still change nothing in how they are living their lives and they end just as God had said they will end. They were called to greater things as a priest to the Lord but chose to follow lesser things. God would continue to do more amazing things through Samuel his chosen prophet.
In our gospel passage this morning found in John 1:43-51, we have Jesus calling Philip and Nathanael to follow him. Jesus first finds Philip and tells him to follow him. Philip then finds Nathanael and tells him what he has seen and what had happened. Nathanael questions whether anything good can come out of Nazareth as he has been told a Nazarene is fulfilling what was told by Moses and the prophets. When Jesus see’s Nathanael approaching, he explains that Nathanael is an Israelite with no deceit. He speaks as if he already knows Nathanael. Therefore, Nathanael asks him how it is that Jesus knows this. This is the first time that Nathanael has met Jesus in person. However, Jesus explains that he saw Nathanael sitting under the fig tree just before Philip called him. How would Jesus know such a thing when they were no where near each other. Therefore, Nathanael now believes that Jesus is the Son of God and declares this to be true. Nathanael believes just because he is told something that could only be seen and known by God. However, Jesus tells Nathanael that he has not seen anything yet. There will be greater things than even this. He tells Nathanael that he “will see heaven open, and angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
I sense today that God is telling us that we will see greater things. God separated the waters of the Red Sea so that Israel could escape the Egyptians on dry land. However, we will see greater things than even this. Jesus fed 5000 men and even more women and children with only 2 fish and five loaves of bread. Yet we will see greater things than even that. Jesus healed the blind, made a lame man from birth walk, and even raise the dead into life. However, I believe we will see greater things than even that. I miraculously have two beautiful children even though medically it seemed impossible. Yet even so we will see greater things than even that. Doctors were able to remove a tumor and transplant skin and muscle from my father’s arm and attach it to his tongue and even create new blood flow to it. How would man ever come up with such an idea or thing if not been revealed by God? And yet we will see greater things than even that.
There is political unrest and fears of a new strand of virus and still fears of the current strand of virus. There are jobs and business shutdown or lost, depression and fear running rampant all over the country and world. Violence occurring at every corner. It seems that fear is something that is just overwhelming us these days. But I tell you the truth, Jesus tells us the truth. We will see greater things to come. We will see a restoration of the church and a restoration of our country. We will all one day be restored to the Kingdom of God. We will see his presence shining before us. We will see the great gates made of a single pearl; we will see the city streets paved with gold. We will see his light and glory shining over us for all eternity. We are meant for greater things than our sin and when we let Christ transform us from within, we will see greater things unfold before us. Even the littlest of things of God will be greater things than we can imagine.