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Declare How Much Jesus Has Done For You

Sermon by Fr Andrew George Oct 21, 2007

The life experiences of each of us gathered here is filled with highs and lows; successes and failures.As the years progress, we often forget the successes and somehow remember the low points and the failures.

I am not sure why we do this, but all of us need to stop doing that. Instead, we should continually stress the high points of life and the successes, and clearly assess how they come about. In the Gospel of Luke 8: 26-39, after Jesus healed the homeless man living in the tombs of Gerasenes who was plagued with unclean spirits,Jesus tells him to declare how much Jesus has done for you.Beloved we need to do likewise, for all have received much from Christ, in different ways and at different times, in fact regularly.

We often dont recognize it and we seldom (if ever) declare and proclaim it, where in realty, we should.We pray in each and every liturgy the words from Scripture, acknowledging that every gracious favor and every perfect gift is from above coming from the Father of Light....i.e. Christ our God.

This weekly prayer of our Liturgy, combined with Jesus instruction to declare how much good He has done for each of us, needs to be clearly thought out and thus expressed. Think this morning with me (and then every future Sunday morning) the good things and the successes of the week and realize that Christ had a leading hand in all those successes and in every joyous occurrence. Dont ignore His involvement and give credit where credit is due as the expression goes.

In the O.T. Book of Psalms, we read something very appropriate to Jesus teaching on this topic:

Some boast of chariots and some of horses; but we boast of the name of the Lord our GodPsalm 20:7

Also in the Book of Jeremiah (32:17-18), we read an equally significant passage that again stresses the marvelous works of God (often unnoticed)Oh Lord God!It is You who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and Your outstretched arm!Nothing is too hard for you, who shows steadfast love to thousands. There is a lovely poem by William A. Ward which testifies to Gods many and continual good actions.

Gods strength behind you, His concern for you.His lover within you and His arms beneath you are more than sufficient for the job ahead of you.

I hope you have all thought of numerous blessings and successes that Christ has done for each of you through life.Challenge your memory to think of even more of these, for certainly there have been many.

But remember, you need to declare them. So use the coffee hour for this purpose today and if you are not staying for coffee hour, declare all that Jesus has done for you with whomever you will see today and remember to make this a weekly practice.

Isaiah the Prophet put it well when he wrote:

Have you not known?Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.He does not faint or grow weary, His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.(Isaiah: 40)

My beloved- as Christ himself tells us today:Declare how much Jesus has done for You!

Sermon Archive

The Importance of Restitution - Fr. Andrew
Declare How Much - Fr. Andrew
Being Truely Thankful - Fr. Andrew
Being Truely Thankful - Jim Petrou