Pastor's Corner: 'Same God'

Last summer, at our Montana Assemblies of God Family Camp in Hungry Horse, I heard a worship song titled "Same God." I remember turning to our church's worship team leader and saying, "We've got to do this song at our church." Three weeks ago, we started teaching this song to our congregation. To help with this process, I decided to preach a sermon series based on this song. So far, I have preached two sermons in this series. Here is a "short" synopsis of those two sermons.

First of all, here are the lyrics of the first two verse of the song: "I'm calling on the God of Jacob, whose love endures through generations. I know that You will keep Your covenant.

"I'm calling on the God of Moses, the One who opened up the ocean. I need You now to do the same thing for me. I'm calling on the God of Mary, whose favor rests upon the lowly. I know with You all things are possible. I'm calling on the God of David, who made a shepherd boy courageous. I may not face Goliath, but I've got my own giants..."

We start off calling on the God of Jacob. Who was Jacob? He was the guy in the Bible who was renamed "Israel," the name used today for the modern day predominantly Jewish nation of Israel. Jacob was the son of Isaac, and Isaac was the son of Abraham. God had made a covenant with Abraham that He would bless him, making of him a great nation that would indeed bless the entire world (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:5-6). In his old age, God gave Abraham a son, Isaac.

Then God gave Isaac twin boys - Esau and Jacob. Esau did not take seriously this covenant promise of God to his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham. Jacob, on the other hand, desperately wanted that blessing - and resorted to trickery to obtain that blessing and promise from his father (Genesis 26:3-5; Psalm 100:5). When we call on the God of Jacob, we are calling on a God who is faithful, consistent, and keeps His promises. We need the God of Jacob!

Next, we call on the God of Moses. Who was Moses? Many know him as the actor Charlton Heston, the man who played the character of Moses in the classic movie "The Ten Commandments." Moses was the man that God called to lead the Israelites (Jewish people) out of being slaves in Egypt to become the land-owning in 'The Promised Land' - modern day Israel. So Moses led the people out of Egypt after 10 plagues drove Pharoah to drive them out. But then Pharaoh realized he had just gotten rid of his working force, so he went after the Israelites with his army.

Moses and the Israelites were trapped between the Red Sea and Pharoah's army. What did God do about it? He opened up the Red Sea so that the 1,000,000-plus group of Israelites could get across on dry ground. Pharoah's army followed them into that pathway, only to be drowned as God made the waters return to normal, destroying Pharoah's army. God had shown up in a time of calamity and provided a supernatural solution. When we call upon the God of Moses, we are calling on a God who shows up in our times of desperate need and works out a God-shaped, supernatural solution. We need the God of Moses!

Now we call upon the God of Mary. Who was Mary? Mary was the mother of Jesus Christ. The Angel Gabriel, God's messenger archangel, approaches the teenage girl Mary. Here's how that conversation went. Luke 1:26-38 (NKJV) 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" 35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God all things are possible." 38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. God's favor was extended to this lowly teenage girl named Mary. She was chosen and blessed of God to give birth to God's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. God demonstrated to Mary that could do the impossible. Never before had a woman who was a virgin given birth to a baby – and never again! When we call upon the God of Mary, we must approach humbly the God who makes the impossible possible. We need the God of Mary!

And finally, we call upon the God of David. Who was David? David was the second king of Israel, but what he is primarily known for is a battle he had with a giant named Goliath. David was just a shepherd boy when that battle took place. God made this shepherd boy very courageous - but this happened way before he ever met Goliath in battle.

As a shepherd, taking care of his family's flock of sheep, David had battled both a lion and a bear, not just scaring them off, but literally ripping them apart. Now, this is not usually in the job portfolio of a shepherd boy! But God had given David courage. Why? Because God had called David to be the future king of Israel. When David shows up to Goliath's battle field, as sent by his father, he can't believe everyone is afraid of this 9-foot-tall armored giant. David starts talking to the soldiers and lets them know that David has no fear of Goliath at all! Why? God was giving David courage to tackle a huge problem right in front of him. At this point David could have left the battlefield and gone home, but David was ready and willing and able and anxious to defeat Goliath.

The Bible says that David ran toward Goliath! Well, you know the rest of the story - David takes a rock in his slingshot and hits Goliath, knocking him down. Then David cuts of the guy's head with his own sword! What a battle! When we call upon the God of David, we are depending upon Him for the courage to face a situation in front of us - and instead of shrinking back from it and leaving the scene, we see this as an opportunity for God to be glorified, so we take it on with the courage that God gives us! We need the God of David!

If you have not yet heard the song "Same God," I highly suggest you take a listen.

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Written by Rev. Edroy "Curt" Curtis, president of the Greater Havre Area Ministerial Association, chaplain of Northern Montana Health Care and lead pastor of Havre Assembly of God Church.