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November 26, 2007 by admin.
Jeremiah 23:2-6
In the name of Jesus, truly the Lord Our Righteousness, dear fellow redeemed,
I have to admit that I don’t read the comics in the newspaper as much as I used to. But I still remember some of my favorites. One of them I never missed was Beetle Bailey, and one of the scenes that has always stuck in my head is the one where somebody falls off a cliff, only to be saved by grabbing hold of a tiny branch sticking out from the side of the mountain. It was a scene depicted many times. I’ve pasted one such strip in the bulletin this morning, with Beetle Bailey looking down on Sargent Snorkel and his dog Otto dangling from a little branch. I was always intrigued at what a perilous situation that would be. The only thing keeping them from danger is that one little branch.
Today is the last Sunday of the church year, the Last Sunday of End Time. Our attention shifts to the time when life on this earth will come to an end, the time when we will all finally have to face our Maker. For many that will be a scary time. It’s a time when we will stand before the righteous Judge and see whether or not he will let us into his heaven. Will we have what we need to get in? Will we have our “ticket” with us? Will we be found clinging to that one little branch that can save us?
Jeremiah tells us that when it comes to entering the Lord’s kingdom, we need to:
“Hang On to the Branch!”
I. For earthly preservation
II. For eternal salvation
The Lord had extended to his people the branch they needed to survive. Time after time he sent his prophets to remind the people of the Messiah, the only one who could give them hope while living and hope for when they died. But all too often the people let the Lord’s promise slip through their fingers. Their leaders weren’t much help. Through Jeremiah the Lord voices his displeasure with them (Jer 23:1), “‘Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!’ declares the LORD.” The men whom the Lord had placed over Judah to shepherd his flock had instead led the sheep astray. Both the religious leaders and the kings had failed to carry out their divine assignment, so they would suffer divine consequences (v 2), “Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: ‘Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,’ declares the LORD.” Since their leaders had failed to do what they had been called to do, God himself would step in (v 3), “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.” To lead his people back to him, the Lord would allow them to be carried off into captivity. But he would bring back a remnant. They would not die off in a foreign country. They would survive and be prosperous once more in the land the Lord had given them, because some changes would be made (v 4), “‘I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,’ declares the LORD.” With faithful shepherds watching over them, sheep have nothing to fear. They’re protected from enemies, food is provided for them, and they’re all safely accounted for. The Lord would do the same for his people when he returned a remnant back to Jerusalem. They would have nothing to fear as they lived out their lives, for the Lord promised to watch over them. He promised to provide for their earthly preservation.
So the Lord would bring back his people from captivity and restore them to their homeland with new leaders to watch over them. What does that have to do with us today? Remember when Jeremiah was delivering these words to the people of Judah. It was before they would actually be taken away by the Babylonians. The worst was yet to come, but the Lord wanted them to have hope. He wanted them to know that even in the worst of times, he would be there for them. He wanted to give them something to hang on to, something which would give them hope. So he promised to be with them, to protect them, to bring them home. In short he promised to preserve them while they lived here on this earth.
For you and me this is comforting news. It means that God cares for his people. He cares for us! He gives us the promise (Mt 28:20), “And surely I am with you always”– and he means it! While we live out our lives here on this earth, we can do so with the comfort that the Lord is always there for us, providing all that we need, no matter what may come our way. “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want” (Ps 23:1). We can live in peace each and every day, because we don’t face life alone. Our Good Shepherd is always there, watching over and preserving his flock
This earthly life wouldn’t mean a thing if it didn’t lead to something better. The reason why we can live in peace and joy even in a world corrupted with sin is because God has given us something to hang on to — a Branch! When we were sinking in the quicksand of sin, the Lord came along and extended to us a righteous Branch to save us — the same Branch he extended to Israel. It’s the Branch which all people need for their eternal salvation.
Sure, the people of Judah had the hope of a return from exile to hang on to, but the Lord had so much more to offer to them (v 5), “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.’” The Lord promised them a miracle. Even though the reign of the house of David would come to a halt, God still wouldn’t forget the promises he had made to David. From his offspring would come the Messiah, the great and everlasting King of his people.
Jesus would be the Branch which would spring forth from the stump that was left of David’s line. Jeremiah uses the imagery of Isaiah (11:1), “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” Here we have the richest gospel promise of all of Jeremiah’s prophecies. He speaks of a Branch who will be “righteous.” He would come as a king, but his kingdom wouldn’t be of this world, as he would explain to Pontius Pilate. His reign would consist in doing everything necessary for the world’s salvation. That would involve his sacrificial death on the cross. But in order for that death to mean anything, in order for him to give the world something to hang on to, he would first have to become one of us. He would have “to be tempted in every way, just as we are — yet [be one who] was without sin” (Heb 4:15). That’s what Jesus had to be to be our Savior, a “righteous” Branch — and that’s exactly what he was!
But here’s the greatest part of all. Christ came to be our King, to rule over us with his protecting and guiding hand. But above all, as our King, he came to rescue us. And the only way that could be accomplished was if he could trade places with us. But that’s what Jesus did! He tells us (Jn 10:11), “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” What Jesus did on Calvary had eternal significance for all those who have become his chosen people by faith (v 6), “In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.” This isn’t just a reference to the return from exile. This prophecy reaches past this life to the life that is to come. All God’s people will experience an eternity with the Lord because a divine switch has been made (2 Co 5:21), “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus Christ is the Branch given to us by God for our eternal salvation.
The reason for the peace and the hope which we have is summed up for us in the name the Lord gives to his promised Messiah (v 6), “This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.” You want a simple way to sum up the gospel, the entire message of the Scriptures? Then use this title. Jesus Christ, our Savior, our King, is our “LORD,” and he has become for us “Our Righteousness.” Not only is Jesus righteous in and of himself, but through his perfect life of obedience, his suffering and death, and his rising to life, he’s won for us the complete and total forgiveness of all our sins. Now we have what he has — righteousness, holiness, perfection — something we could never have obtained for ourselves. He’s restored to us once again what we lost in the Garden of Eden. Now we’re acceptable to God. We have a Branch, a righteous Branch, to hold on to. This is the Branch which opens for us the door to heaven and keeps it open. The Lord is our righteousness, and by faith each one of us can say, “The Lord is my righteousness. He’s made me his very own. Therefore I have everything I need for my eternal salvation.”
Our final status is secure. We’re all set, because we’ve been given the righteousness of Christ. This gift is your most treasured possession. So hang on tight! Hang on to the Branch, the righteous Branch of Jesus Christ! Don’t let anything in this world distract you and cause you to loosen your grip. Keep squeezing all the more by strengthening your grip with regular dosages of the Word. By making the gospel an everyday part of your life, the Holy Spirit tightens your grip so you can hang on even in the face of whatever temptation the devil may throw your way. Then, when it’s time for you to leave this life, you’ll be ready for what comes next. In your hands you’ll have the righteous Branch of Jesus, “the LORD Our Righteousness.”
It’s interesting that in the Beetle Bailey comics that little branch never breaks. It always seems to be there to save whoever falls over the cliff. Most people would say that’s impossible – except when it happens in the comics!
It’s also possible in real life if the branch we’re clinging to is the righteous Branch of Jesus. He’ll never let us fall. He’ll never let us plunge to our eternal death. So hang on and you’ll be safe – for now and for eternity!
Amen
–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
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November 22, 2007 by admin.
2 Corinthians 11:24-28; 12:7-10; Romans 8:38,39
I. For keeping our lives free from many troubles and hardships
The words I’ve chosen for this evening’s meditation might seem a bit strange for a Thanksgiving service. It’s not one of the suggested readings for this time in the church year, and this section of Scripture doesn’t appear to be suggesting any reasons for why people should give thanks. Instead we have a list from the apostle Paul of many of the troubles and hardships he was forced to endure while serving the Lord. A Thanksgiving text? Perhaps the pastor just put the wrong text in the bulletin and was too lazy to change it!
I mentioned on Sunday that we would be worshiping under the theme: “Thanks . . . for Nothing.” So often on Thanksgiving we express our gratitude for things that we have: our home, our health, our job, food, clothing, family, friends. All this is fine and good, but tonight I want to emphasize how we can be thankful for the things we don’t have, for all the things that God has kept out of our lives. By first looking at what Paul went through, we can learn why we can properly and respectfully say to our God:
“Thanks . . . for Nothing”
Let’s be clear that Paul isn’t complaining about the troubles and hardships he endured. He’s actually using them as evidence to refute those who were challenging his apostleship. From the list he gives us we can learn to be thankful to our God for keeping our lives free from many troubles and hardships.
“Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned” (vv 24,25). Whipped, beaten, and stoned – all because of his faith. Any of you ever go through anything like that because of your faith? Perhaps someone may have given you a raised eyebrow or a cynical smirk for something you said that sounded a bit pious and “religious,” but I doubt if any physical harm has ever been inflicted on you. Give thanks that you don’t face persecution for your faith, that you have freedom of religion to live your faith. Paul found himself “in danger from [his] own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country” (v 26) – all because he willingly and openly served the Lord. What’s stopping us from serving him? We face no such obstacles. Give thanks to God for keeping such suffering from our lives by seeking to live your faith each and every day.
“ . . . three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea” (v 25). I doubt if any of you have ever been shipwrecked before (and, no, you can’t count the time you tipped over your canoe on your last camping trip!). It happened to Paul three times, even leaving him floating out on the waters for a whole day on one occasion! We may not subject ourselves much to the possibility of boating mishaps, but what about other modes of travel? Any plane crash survivors out there today? Maybe a few fender-benders with our cars and trucks, but don’t you find it more amazing how many near-misses you’ve endured? How tired you’ve been while driving sometimes, and yet you haven’t hit the ditch or crossed the median? Give thanks to God for keeping you safe in your travels, for keeping so many accidents and tragedies from your life.
“I have been constantly on the move. I have been . . . in danger from bandits” (v 26). Paul was never safe during his time as a servant of God. There was always someone out to get him, eager to end his ministry. And he wasn’t just being paranoid! Do we have those same concerns? Anyone out there ever have to enroll in the witness protection program for safety? In his travels Paul always had to be on the lookout for “bandits.” How many of us have ever been robbed at gunpoint or had to suffer from someone breaking in to our homes? Give thanks to God for nothing, for not having to live in constant fear and danger.
“I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked” (v 27). What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? Ever make it 24 hours? Longer? More than likely, it was by choice and not because you had so much work to do. Have any of us truly known what it means to be hungry (and not just when your stomach grumbles a little because dinner’s a little late!)? How long have you ever had to go without water? Have we ever truly been “dying of thirst”? Temperatures this morning were fighting to stay around 30 degrees, but being a bit chilly when you stepped into the shower this morning is not what Paul meant when he said that he had been “cold and naked.” Turn a dial or push a button on the thermostat, and the chill is gone. Gaze into our closets full of more than just a set or two of outfits, and we’re far from being in danger of being left naked. Thank God for nothing, for not having to endure hunger, thirst, cold, or nakedness.
Some families have the Thanksgiving tradition of going around the dinner table and having each person say something for which they’re thankful. Want a new twist on that tradition this year? Try thanking God for nothing, for something that he hasn’t given you this past year, some trouble or hardship that he has kept out of your life. You’ll find that you will appreciate the blessings you do have all the more when you also learn to thank God for nothing!
II. For letting nothing become too much for us
Yes, it’s true – God hasn’t kept every hardship or trouble from our lives. But we can still thank him for “nothing” – for letting nothing become too much for us.
That’s the lesson Paul learned with his infamous “thorn in the flesh.” We’re not sure what this “thorn” actually was. Some say that Paul had contracted malaria on one of his trips and that it continued to flare up often enough to affect his ministry. Others speculate that Paul had trouble with public speaking. Still others think that Paul’s physical appearance left something to be desired and hindered his preaching. Finally, we don’t know what it was. But it was something that bothered Paul enough to admit (v 8), “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.” Paul’s logic was simple: “Take away this hindrance from my life, and I can serve you better, Lord.”
Paul knew he was given a great privilege to be one of the men used by the Holy Spirit to put down in writing the very words of God. So he understood why that thorn had come (v 7), “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” God allowed this thorn into Paul’s life to keep him humble. But now Paul thought that the time had come for him to be relieved of this burden, so he went to the Lord on three different occasions, pleading for him to take it away.
God’s answer? “No.” God had his reasons for saying no to Paul’s request (v 9), “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” God was keeping Paul humble through his affliction, teaching him to rely on divine power instead of on himself. God’s “grace” – his undeserved love and mercy – was all Paul needed. Every time his “weakness” made itself known, Paul would remember the perfect, almighty power of God.
This changed Paul’s attitude about his human limitations (vv 9,10), “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul learned to take pride in his shortcomings and in his sufferings, understanding that his true strength didn’t come from within – it came from the Lord! That’s why in Philippians Paul could confidently proclaim (4:13), “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
We have that same God who makes his strength evident in our weaknesses, the same God who promises to let nothing become too much for us. You have that promise in writing (1 Co 10:13), “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” That’s quite a promise, one that only the almighty God could make! Only he has the power to reach down from heaven and bail us out of the many troubles and hardships that come our way. And when bad things do come, God promises to use them for our good (Ro 8:28), “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”
God used Paul’s thorn in the flesh for his good, and he does the same for us today. He keeps us humble. He keeps us dependent on him. He keeps reaching down to deliver us with his powerful and loving care. That’s why we can thank him for nothing – for letting nothing become too much for us!
III. For letting nothing separate us from your love
One of the loneliest and most depressing feelings in the world is to feel unloved — thinking that nobody cares about you, that no one wants you around, that you’re all alone and totally on your own. That will never happen as long as you are a child of God (vv 38,39), “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
There was a time when man chose to separate himself from God’s love. Back in the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve were persuaded to believe that God was holding back on his love. So they left his family. They found a new love, a false and misleading love, offered by the devil. They took his bait, thereby ushering sin into the world. And with sin came a wall of separation between God and his creation.
But God never stopped loving us. He wasn’t about to let sin keep him from bringing us back into his family. He refused to discard us, to start over, to give us what we deserved. Instead he gave us Jesus (Jn 3:16), “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” That was his plan to restore mankind, to bring us back to where we belong, to once again make us his children.
And it worked! Jesus won, the devil lost, and now we share in the victory. Nothing will separate us from God’s love. Nothing in this life can stop him from loving us. When we stumble and fall into sin, he lovingly calls us to repentance and welcomes us back. And when we die, not even death itself can pull us away from the love of God, because in death we are given life. What appears to many as the end is really only the beginning. For those loved by God, death is the beginning of life eternal in heaven.
It doesn’t matter how much or how little you have by way of material blessings, as long as you have the love of God. With that you have every reason to be thankful. You have a God who loved you enough to give up his Son for you. You have a Savior who loved you enough to give his life for you. You have the Holy Spirit who loved you enough to work saving faith in your heart. And you have God’s promise that he won’t stop loving you, that nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
So again it is good to make time to say “thank you” to our God. “Thank you for keeping our lives free from many troubles and hardships. Thank you for letting nothing become too much for us. Thank you for letting nothing separate us from your love.” That’s why it’s appropriate, tonight and always, to praise our God by saying, “Thanks . . . for nothing!”
Amen
–Rev Jonathan Rockhoff
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November 21, 2007 by admin.
Luke 20:27-38
“We Shall Live with God”
Many Deny It
God Confirms It
As the holiday season quickly approaches, many people are making plans. They might be planning a trip to visit friends or relatives, or maybe just a special meal. Making these plans sometimes can be quite difficult. There are so many things that need to be done and so many details that need to be addressed. Sometimes we wonder if we will ever be able to do everything we have planned or if this will actually work out the way that we hope.
Complicating things is the fact that there are certain variables that we can’t control. You know what I mean if you have ever had a trip cancelled because of bad weather or a visit with friends called off due to an illness. As we make our plans, we know that things are subject to change at any moment and that we might have to change or even cancel our plans. We might be very disappointed if this happens, but we realize that this is always a possibility.
There is one plan that we have that we would be very upset if we had to change. Imagine how we would feel if we were told that we had to change our plans for eternal life. Think about what it would mean if we were suddenly told that our plan to spend eternity in heave with God just wouldn’t work out. No doubt there would be a great deal of panic, sorrow, and fear caused by such an announcement.
Our text for today addresses the fear that some have about their eternal future. It also is very reassuring for us as we hear our Lord confirming the plans of all true believers. Let’s go to these words now to see why we can be very certain that
“We Shall Live with God”
Many Deny It
God Confirms It
At the time of Jesus, there were many who were contradicting what he was teaching. Among those was a group known as the Sadducees, who among other things, taught that there was no resurrection from the dead. If there was no resurrection, that meant that there would be no eternal life in heaven. When people heard these things, they understandably became quite upset.
In our text a group of these Sadducees cam to Jesus with a hypothetical situation that they believed supported their teaching and disputed Jesus’ teaching. We are told in our text, “Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife by no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. The second and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. Finally, the woman died too. Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
These men believed that with this question they would force Jesus to admit that there was no answer. If so, then his teaching of heaven must not be right. And if Jesus’ teaching about the resurrection was wrong, then the rest of his teachings would also be thrown into question.
The devil continues to send out people to sow such seeds of doubt into the hearts of God’s people. They come with human arguments and ridiculous questions, trying to make us doubt the things that God says to us in his word. They will question, for example, our belief in angels, creatures that we have never seen, but believe exist. They will ask us why a powerful and loving God would allow his followers to suffer. They will tell us that they will only believe what they can see or experience.
If we try to combat these people on their playing field, they will quickly talk us into a corner. Our beliefs and our faith are not based on logical conclusions drawn from earthly experiences. The author to the Hebrews wrote, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (11:1) Jesus expressed this same thought when he said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) We are blessed because we believe God’s Word by the power of the Holy Spirit who works through it. We belief without seeing, without earthly proof. Those who do not, deny what Jesus says because “they do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” (Matt. 22:29)
We call people who only believe what they can see or understand Rationalists. They let reason be their guide as to what is right or wrong. If it can’t be explained, they contend, it can’t be right. That was where the Sadducees went wrong. They ignored God’s counsel, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. (Is. 55:8)
The Lord has done and will do things that are far beyond our comprehension and our imagination. That’s what makes him God and sets him so far about us. When God clearly and plainly tells us that we shall live with him, we believe him. No matter how many people may deny it, as long as God says it, it will happen. We are so certain about our eternal future because our Lord himself has confirmed it.
God Confirms It
The Sadducees thought they had finally backed Jesus into a corner that he could not get out of. They thought they finally had a question that Jesus could not answer. If a woman had seven husbands on earth, who would be her legal husband in heaven? Jesus was not fooled by their question. He answered the Sadducees, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.”
Jesus gets right to the point in showing the faulty logic of the Sadducees. The next world isn’t going to be the same as this world. Marriage is an institution that God has given us for this world. When Christ raises us from the dead on Judgment Day, we will be taken into heaven. There we will live under different circumstances than we do here. We will live in perfect unity with one another as sons and daughters of our Lord. The family structure as we know it on earth will no longer be necessary.
The Sadducees were looking to prove that what Jesus said was not true. Patient in his love for them, Jesus pointed to an incident from the Old Testament that would support his teaching of an eternal resurrection. He said, “But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not a God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
Jesus pointed to the fact that God called three men who had died earthly deaths “alive.” Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, but they were not left ofr dead. Their souls lived on in heaven where their bodies would join them on Judgment Day. If they were still dead, then God would be a God of the dead, which even Moses denied. In Matthews account of this story he added, “He is not he God of the dead but of the living.” (Matt. 22:32)
A pastor once was called on to perform a funeral. As a young man he decided to look to Jesus for an example of a funeral sermon that would bring comfort and peace. He turned to the four gospels to find a sermon that Jesus preached at a funeral, but he didn’t find one. In fact, every time that Jesus encountered a dead person, they were raised to life! God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. He is not the victim of death, but the master of death.
As he prepared to return to heaven, Jesus left his disciples with a very comforting promise. He said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (Jn. 14;2,3)
Eternity is a long time. It’s good to know where we will be spending ours. That is one plan that will not change. As surely as God has given us the life that we are living here on earth, he will give us an eternal life in heaven. Hold onto that promise and make it yours through faith in Jesus.
Amen.
-Rev. Roger Rockhoff
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November 12, 2007 by admin.
Acts 2:36-41
In Christ Jesus, dear fellow recipients of our Lord’s baptismal grace,
There are some things which are important to you, even though you may not truly understand how they work. Your car is a good example. You can’t live without it, but do you really understand how it works? If some light on your dashboard suddenly appears, indicating that something isn’t right, and your car quickly stalls out, would you know how to fix it? You open the hood and put on a good show by staring at what lies before you, but you really have no clue as to what went wrong. Our cars are important to us, but how many of us truly understand how they work?
The same could be said about your computer. Suddenly the screen turns blue, and the word “error” appears with some other lingo that makes absolutely no sense to you. What do you do? Turn it off and on again, and hope it goes away? And if that doesn’t do it . . . ? Computers are another thing that we depend on, even though we may not know much about how they work.
Let’s put baptism into this category. According to the Bible, it’s something that’s very important, something we need. Remember what Jesus said in that well-known passage (Mk 16:16), “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” It’s important enough for Jesus to include with faith as things necessary for salvation. Those who believe what God’s Word says will seek to be baptized and to have their children baptized. So we can picture the world as being made up of two types of people – those who are baptized and those who need to be baptized. It’s that important.
Sadly, there are too many churches today – even Christian churches – that minimize the importance of baptism by claiming that it’s only symbolic, or that it’s something meant only for adults who can “decide” to be followers of Christ, that by itself baptism doesn’t really have any power. Here at Messiah, we beg to differ. This morning I want to show you why. From God’s Word, I want to show you that:
“Baptism Matters”
I. The need for baptism
II. The blessings of baptism
III. The meaning of baptism
First of all, why do I even need baptism? Why should I be concerned if I’m not baptized or if my children aren’t baptized? Picture baptism as a spiritual cleansing or washing, something that cleans us up and makes us fit for heaven. Still think that you don’t need it? Still think that you’re not that dirty, that you’re “good to go” as you are? Thinking that your children, although they’re not always saints, still can’t be all that bad? Let me give you one passage from Scripture that says otherwise – Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” That’s King David talking, one of our “heroes of faith.” And yet he was led by the Holy Spirit to confess the way it is. We’re born – yes, even conceived – dirty with sin. And it’s not as if we can clean ourselves up either. On our own we can only make things worse. Paul says that finally we’re “dead in [our] transgressions and sins” (Eph 2:1). So much for us being able to fix things! Dead people don’t have that kind of power.
That goes for our children as well. They may inherit our good looks and our perky personalities, but they also inherit something else from us. No matter how cute and adorable those little babies appear, by nature those little bundles of joy are nothing more than little bundles of sin, spiritually dead in the eyes of God. As Adam passed on his sin to his children, so also we’ve done the same. To try and argue otherwise is to argue against Scripture itself. We all, like David, can only admit, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”
When Peter preached his powerful Pentecost sermon, there were some pretty worried people out in his audience. He told them about Jesus, the one “whom you crucified” (v 36) was how he put it. He didn’t pull any punches, and his message had an effect (v 37), “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” They realized they had sinned. They realized they needed help.
Peter had the answer for them (v 38), “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Here’s the solution to sin – God’s forgiveness! And baptism provides that forgiveness! That’s what every infant, every child, every adult needs to be declared fit for heaven. The simple water of baptism contains the powerful promise of God that all our sins are taken away through Christ. In baptism we’re joined to our Savior. Paul tells us the blessing that goes with such a union in Galatians (5:24), “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” In baptism the old Adam is ripped from us and nailed to the cross of Christ. We are forgiven, and with forgiveness comes life and salvation!
How do you know that you’re forgiven? Peter mentions another blessing we receive in baptism (v 38), “And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The only reason you believe that Jesus is your Savior is because of the Holy Spirit. Before baptism, we’re “Spirit-less.” God changes that. In baptism he reclaims us as his own and fills us with the Spirit to latch on to the truths of his Word so that we can always be part of his family.
God wants a big family. He wants all mankind back in his fold. Peter proclaims (v 39), “The promise is for you and your children [note that children are to be baptized too!] and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Baptism is God’s promise to us, not ours to him. When a child is adopted into a family, that child doesn’t take any oaths or make any promises to be faithful to his or her new parents. The adopted child doesn’t have to pay any legal fees. But the parents make an oath of love and faithfulness to that child. They’re the ones who choose to have that child as a part of their family, and they pay the price to make it happen. It’s the same with us being adopted into God’s family. We didn’t choose to be his – he chose us! And he paid the price by sending his Son to die for us. Baptism matters because it assures us that we are once again members of God’s family!
But what about after baptism? What does it mean for us 10, 20, 40, 60 years after the fact? As powerful and unexplainable as it may be, baptism still isn’t some kind of magic formula that guarantees our ticket into heaven. There are people in hell today who were baptized. You can lose the blessings of baptism. So just what does baptism mean for us today?
Baptism signifies a change in us. It casts off our sinful nature and replaces it with the Holy Spirit. But that ugly old Adam keeps coming back to wreak havoc in our lives. That’s why God wants us to keep growing in our faith, to “keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal 5:25), to center ourselves around his Word so that the Spirit can continue to strengthen us and lead us closer to our Lord. That’s why it does no good for us to baptize our babies and then just neglect them spiritually the rest of their lives. That newborn faith created inside them by the miracle of baptism needs to be nurtured! You need to teach them what their baptism means to them. Tell them about their Savior. They’re never too young to learn about Jesus. Visit our child care center and watch those little ones during chapel or Bible Time and you’ll see faith growing before your very eyes. Expose your children to God’s Word. It troubles me that on a weekly basis only about half our children are in Sunday School. I doubt that it’s their choice not to be there. Parents, are you the problem? Your kids need to be there. You wouldn’t dream of keeping them from school during the week, so why keep them from learning something much more valuable in Sunday School? And don’t forget about the older kids. Do you know that only about 1/3 of our teens are in Teen Class on Sunday morning? Again, parents, are you encouraging them to be there, or do you assume they get enough “church” during the worship service? There is nothing more tragic than having a child become a member of God’s family through baptism only to lose that faith later in life through neglect of the Word. Do everything in your power to keep that from happening by having your children in church and Sunday School so that they learn that their baptism does matter.
And it doesn’t hurt you as adults to remain strong in your baptismal grace by taking regular time to be in the Word as well. We have a tendency to downplay the importance of God’s Word when our time schedules are overwhelmed and our priorities get yanked out of whack. I don’t think many people “plan” to neglect the study and hearing of God’s Word, but it still happens. It might be a slow bleed at first, but after a while it can be fatal. Now’s the time to stop the bleeding! Seek God’s forgiveness for past failures in making time for him and his Word, and use the Holy Spirit he’s given you to make some needed changes. Remember God’s promise in baptism, a promise that he never removes, even if we forget about it for a time. It’s like coming upon an old birthday card from a few years ago and finding a $20 bill inside. You may have forgotten it was there, but that didn’t lessen the gift or make it go away. That’s how baptism works. We may set aside God and his promises and go back to our sinful ways, but that doesn’t make him recall his promises. He’s still there for us, still offering us the forgiveness he first gave to us at our baptism, still holding out the gift of eternal life for us as his children. That’s what baptism is all about. That’s what motivates us to make some changes and to follow him. That’s why baptism matters.
Perhaps it’s helpful to picture baptism as a boat. On that boat you’ll find forgiveness and love. When you’re baptized God puts you in that boat. During your lifetime you might jump off that boat. You might stray from your Lord. But God’s love and forgiveness are always there – that boat never sinks. That’s why we don’t “rebaptize” people — God never breaks his promises even when we do. When you repent, God is still right there, reaching down with his almighty hand to pull you out of the waters of sin and back into his boat of forgiveness and love. He’s been there all along, waiting to bring you back into his family. That’s his promise in baptism. That’s why baptism matters.
Back in 2004 a giant tsunami hit Southeast Asia and snuffed out 250,000 lives and did billions of dollars worth of damage – all because of one wave! That’s how powerful water can be. But the destructive power of a tsunami pales in comparison to the constructive power of baptism. With a few drops of water connected to the powerful Word of God, heaven opens up and God makes a sinful child of the devil a saved child of his very own. Can I explain how that’s possible? Not really. After all, it’s a miracle. I can’t figure out how my vehicle runs or how my computer works, but they do, and they’re important to me. In the same way, I don’t need to know how baptism works. I’m just glad it does. God says it’s his way of making me his very own, and that’s good enough for me. I hope you feel the same. That’s why baptism is so important. That’s why baptism matters!
Amen
– Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
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November 6, 2007 by admin.
Romans 3:19-28
In the Name of Our Savior, Dear Fellow Heirs of the Reformation,
I talked with one of our former vicars, Carlos Leyrer, last week. He was the first vicar with whom I began coaching sports down at the local YMCA. It made me think of the first basketball game we ever coached a couple of years ago. I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty. After our first two practices, I told Carlos that the group of 4th and 5th graders we had agreed to coach were far from ready for their first basketball game. Of the ten boys assigned to our team, only three or four of them had any kind of experience. So when we walked out onto the court for our first game, we knew we were in trouble. Aside from the fact that our tallest player was still shorter than their shortest player, we also found out that our opponents had been playing together for five years. Our team? About a week and a half. When it was all said and done, it resembled Custer’s last stand. We forgot to dribble. We didn’t play defense. We couldn’t rebound. Our shooting was a disaster. And we lost. We scored all of six points – not nearly enough, considering the other team scored 64!
When we regained consciousness, Carlos and I talked over our coaching strategy for the upcoming season. We couldn’t give our team instant experience. We couldn’t make the guys taller. So we decided we’d have to go back to the basics. We’d have to teach them how to dribble, how to get open for shots, how to play defense. Nothing fancy – just the basics. After all, if they couldn’t get the basics down, everything else would be a mess.
At the time when Martin Luther was about to make his mark in the world, the Roman Catholic Church had made a mess of things. God’s free gift of salvation was no longer free. It came with a price tag. You had to earn your forgiveness – or at least pay for it through indulgences, the pieces of paper that said all your sins were forgiven because you had purchased that forgiveness yourself. Luther tried to play this game as a loyal monk, but somehow things didn’t fit. It all seemed so wrong. So Luther decided to see for himself what God had to say about his salvation. He decided to go back to the basics of God’s Word.
Today we celebrate Reformation Sunday by doing the same thing. After all, when it comes to how we get to heaven, it’s not all that difficult to figure out. Today let’s go back to class:
“Back to the Basics: Salvation 101″
I. Works won’t work
II. Faith can’t fail
When it comes to our salvation, there are basically two ways for us to get heaven. One way is to get there by ourselves. Jesus tells us how (Mt 5:48), “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” If you take a test and get a grade of 99%, you’d feel pretty good about it, right? But a 99% grade isn’t enough to get you into heaven. Scripture is clear (Jas 2:10), “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” In other words, we don’t have a case. There’s nothing we can say in our defense when the mirror of God’s law shows us the ugly picture of how often we’ve shattered God’s perfect standard. That’s how the apostle Paul opens the words before us this morning (v 19), “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.” We don’t have a leg to stand on. We open our mouths to complain, to try and argue our point, but we’re silenced. In God’s courtroom, we’re guilty as charged. When it comes to salvation, our own works just won’t work.
It seems pretty clear, doesn’t it? Just in case, Paul reiterates his point (v 23), “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” God has set the bar pretty high, and we all have missed the mark. We’ve all fallen short of his “glory.” Another way of translating this verse would be to say that we’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s “approval.” Our lives provide the evidence that condemns us. When it comes to keeping God’s law, we’re found lacking in what is needed. It’s like trying to buy a $2 ice cream cone and only having a nickel in our pockets. The result? NO SALE! The same can be said for anyone who thinks he can make it into heaven by his own works. The law can not save us (v 20), “Therefore no one will be declared righteous [i.e., not guilty] in [God’s] sight by observing the law.” No, the law serves a different purpose (v 20), “Rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” In other words, God’s law gives us the full knowledge of what sin is. It makes sure that we know that when it comes to our salvation, our works won’t work.
When it comes to “Salvation 101,” here’s the problem: Too many people are forgetting this basic fact. We did some canvassing yesterday, and once again our surveys were littered with answers from people who were banking their trip to heaven on what they themselves could do here on this earth. No one should have to go through life thinking this way. First of all, it’s fatal. It kills our chances of being with God. Secondly, it leaves a ring of guilt around the bathtub of life. No matter how hard you try, your life will be plagued with guilt if you think you can work your way into heaven, because deep down you’ll be tormented by the fact that works won’t work!
But thanks be to God – there’s another way to heaven! In that familiar section of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul once again gives us the basics (Eph 2:8,9), “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that on one can boast.” Knowing full well that our own works won’t work when it comes to our salvation, we’re given another option. When we go back to the basics, God’s Word assures us that faith can’t fail.
Without the Bible we would never know that the righteousness – the perfection – that God requires of us has actually been given to us. Paul tells us (v 21), “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.” Throughout the Old Testament Scriptures (“the Law and the Prophets”), God promised to provide the righteousness he demanded. How did that righteousness become our own? “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (v 22). God sent Jesus to do what we couldn’t do, to exchange his perfection for our imperfections (2 Co 5:21), “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus changed everything. Even though the fact remains that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” now we’re also told that all people “are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (v 24). God has declared us “not guilty” – without cost, free of charge, undeservedly – because Jesus paid the ransom price to free us from the slavery of sin. When it comes to our salvation, everything’s been done for us. We accept this fact by faith. Then we’re on the right track to heaven, because faith can’t fail!
Our sinful nature tries to tell us that getting to heaven can’t be that easy. It wants us to think that the road to heaven is a difficult one, one that we must walk on our own. But there’s one problem: our sins. They get in the way. And there’s only one way to get rid of them (1 Jn 1:7), “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” The writer to the Hebrews tells us (Heb 9:22), “The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” This is where Paul paints a wonderful picture for us. He puts it this way (v 25), “God presented [his Son] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.” The Old Testament Israelites carried around with them the Ark of the Covenant in which were found the two tables of the Law. On the annual Day of Atonement, the high priest would sprinkle the blood of animals on the cover of the ark of the covenant, signifying that whenever God would look at his Law, he’d see instead his Son’s blood, shed in our behalf. “Through faith in his blood” we are restored to God’s family, once again being made “at-one” with our Creator.
See how it all works together? God can be both a just God and a loving God because of Christ. He can be both “just and the one who justifies” (v 26). He demanded payment for sin, but he sent his Son to make the payment for us. In this way we see that faith can’t fail, because our faith is founded on a God who always keeps his word!
When we go back to the basics in “Salvation 101,” we can’t help but give credit for our salvation to God. Paul reinforces this thought when he asks (v 27), “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded [i.e., not allowed]. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.” Faith nullifies boasting, because the essence of faith is trusting in someone other than yourself. So how can you boast if you’re forced to turn to someone else for your salvation? You can’t. Instead you give all glory to God. You’re saved by his free gift of grace, and you know this is true by faith!
Paul sums everything up for us in verse 28, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” It’s here that Luther added the word “alone” to his translation to try and emphasize what Paul was saying. If it’s been proven that the law can’t save us, that it has to be “faith alone” that makes us heaven-bound. Jesus himself reminds us (Jn 14:6), “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” When all is said and done, there’s only one way to be saved. Faith can’t fail!
It’s been my opinion that the Book of Romans, more so than any other book, teaches us why we’re Lutherans. Here in rather basic terms, Paul explains to us the basic proponents of Salvation 101. Our own works will never work. The message is loud and clear. So give up that idea and instead look to Jesus! Faith in him cannot and will not fail! He’s done everything for our salvation. It almost seems too simple, too easy. But it’s true. God says so.
Martin Luther was so elated over what he had discovered that he took on an entire church body to make sure that others would hear the truth. As heirs of the Reformation, we can’t hide the truth. It has to be told. We have to do our part to get people back to the basics, to give them a simple message of law and gospel, of sin and grace. It’s our job to get the word out. The rest we’ll leave up to God.
The basics of God’s salvation plan aren’t all that complicated. Unfortunately, too many churches today have made a mess of them. Let’s get back on track. Let’s get back to the basics of “Salvation 101.” Works won’t work, but faith can’t fail. It’s really that simple.
Class dismissed!
Amen
– Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
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November 2, 2007 by admin.
Romans 10:11-17
During a long dry spell one summer, the pastor of a church announced that there would be a prayer service in place of the regular service the next Sunday. As the week went by, not a drop of rain had fallen, and on Sunday the sun rose again to bake the already dry ground. The members of the church arrived one by one and took their seats. The pastor of the church came out, looked at all of them, and then said, “Dear friends, you all know why we are here today. We are here to pray for rain. Why is it, then, that none of you has brought an umbrella?”
The word “faith” is a word that gets thrown around quite a bit. Fans of a certain sports team will say that they have “faith” in their team. Investors talk about having “faith” in the companies or products that they are investing in. And quite a few people talk about the “faith” that they have in God.
How many people really understand what it means to have “faith?” Sports fans quickly lose the “faith” that they have when their teams hit a losing streak. Investors will quickly change their loyalties when their company or product doesn’t produce the returns that they expect. And, sadly, many people who claim to have “faith” in God quickly turn from him when they have troubles or problems in their lives.
True “faith” is too important for people to misunderstand. True “faith” is the only way for people to have eternal life. Our text for today encourages us to follow the instructions that God gives us to enable people to have true “faith.” In fact, it makes it pretty clear that this is our greatest mission in life, and it should be our highest priority. Let’s turn to our text where our Lord through Paul encourages us to
“Spread the Saving Word”
I. The Word Meant for All
II. The Word that Produces Faith
Who here doesn’t have a little bit of fear about finding yourself in an embarrassing situation? We try to do everything that we can, no matter what we are doing, so that we will not embarrass ourselves. Nobody likes to find themselves in a situation where other people are laughing at them or making fun of them because of something they did or said. Nobody likes that.
The shame that such a person feels will pale by comparison to the person who, on Judgment Day, stands before God and realizes that he doesn’t have an answer to the one question that God will ask him, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” Literally millions of people will fumble around talking about their “faith,” but God will see through their shallow lip service to a heart that lacks true “faith.
Paul explains how we can be sure that we will not find ourselves in that not only embarrassing but eternally terminal situation. He wrote, “As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’ The key word in that verse is the word “trusts.” Paul was addressing a concern raised when people saw that God’s own chosen people, the Children of Israel, did not believe in him. They had crucified Jesus. Had God failed, they wondered? Had God embarrassed them or put them in a situation to be embarrassed because he let them down?
The Children of Israel embarrassed themselves. They had the Messiah in their midst, but they did not worship him as their Savior. They had the powerful Word pointing them to Jesus and his miracles supporting his claims, but they still rejected him. They did not trust in him for their salvation, and, as a result, they found themselves drowning in unbelief. Their “faith” was in their bloodline, their heritage as “Abraham’s children.” But when they would tell God to let them into heaven because they were “Abraham’s children,” thinking that earned them special privileges, they would only find a closed door to heaven.
Paul explained that it isn’t a person’s bloodline or heritage that opens heaven’s door. He wrote, “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” When God chose Israel to be his special people, he never intended that they would be his only children. When God told Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation and that through him “all nations on earth would be blessed,” (Gen. 12:3) he wasn’t talking about ancestries and family trees. Paul said very clearly, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
We are here today celebrating our Mission Festival. We are here to rejoice that God has opened his heart of grace to people of every nation and race. And we are here to ask God to help us to be his messengers, to spread that saving word in whatever way that we can so that people will know what to day when they stand before God on Judgment Day. Through Paul, God assures us that we will “never be put to shame” if we put our trust in him. If we “call on the name of the Lord,” which means to publicly profess faith in him, we “will be saved,” we will have the answer we need to God’s question, and we will not suddenly see the door being closed on us.
So, you might ask, how do we know that our “faith” is true faith and not just a here today gone tomorrow shallow hope that we have been lead to the true God? Paul explains in our text that true faith is not something that we can go out and find. It isn’t something that we can experiment with until we get it right. If you remember your Catechism lessons, you will remember hearing that we are dead, blind, and enemies of God because of sin, and putting our hope and trust in him would have been the farthest thing from our mind.
But something happened, something that God did for us, not that we did for God, that assures us of an eternity in heaven.
The Word that Produces Faith
What was it that happened that assures us that we will live eternally in heaven. Someone shared God’s Word with us and that word put true faith into our heart. Paul explains the process when he writes, “How, then, can they call on (which means to profess publicly) the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” Paul shows us how important it is for people to carry out God’s command to spread his saving word. If any one of the steps mentioned did not happen, peoples could not be saved. It’s that simple.
People can’t believe anything that they do not know. You cannot believe that Columbus discovered America in 1492 if no one ever told you that he had done that. You cannot believe that without first hearing that it happened. In the same way, you cannot believe that God has forgiven you because Jesus died on the cross for you unless someone has told you that he has done that.
But you are here today to worship God and to serve God because someone did tell you about him. Someone in your life brought that message, and through that message the Holy Spirit created faith in your heart, faith that gave you a new life, raising you from the spiritual death that sin had brought to you, opening your eyes to see through the blindness of sin, and breaking down the wall of hostility that sin had built between you and your God. You will not be embarrassed on Judgment Day, because you have been given the answer to that all-important question—“Why should I let you into my heaven?” You know that it is because of Jesus.
But there was still the question that caused this whole discussion. What happened to the Children of Israel? Paul wrote, “But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’” The warning is well taken. If it rains, everyone who is out in the rain will get wet. But when God’s Word is preached, it will not necessarily be received and believed by everyone who hears it. The devil will fight that Word, putting doubts and unbelief into the minds and hearts of some of those who hear it. Satan will not simply allow God to take everyone to heaven without putting up a good fight for their souls.
That does not change our mission. That does not alter our calling from God. God’s Word is still the one and only way for people to come to faith, as Paul wrote, “Consequently, faith come from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of God.” People cannot have faith, they cannot go to heaven if they do not hear God’s word. True, some will reject that word. But others will hear and believe. God has told us that his word does “not return to [him] empty, but will accomplish the purpose for which he sent it.” (Is. 55:11)
The Word works. You are proof of that and so am I. There are millions who need to hear that word. And there are people ready to take that word to them. Pray for those who are called to preach and teach God’s word. Learn it and share it yourself, and pray that God will use you to reach some of those who do not know that Jesus died for them. And stop worrying. You will not be embarrassed when you stand before Jesus, because he has called you to faith, true faith, through his gospel, and he promises to keep you in that one true faith. Confident of his promises, go now and share the saving word.
Amen.
“The peace of God….”
–Rev. Roger Rockhoff
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