You are currently browsing the Sermons weblog archives for July, 2008.
July 27, 2008 by admin.
It was one of those mornings for Mrs. Smith. First of all her husband came rushing downstairs frantically trying to find his blue dress shirt and matching tie. Apparently he had an important business meeting that morning, and that was the only shirt and tie that he could wear that day.
Then, Sally, her 6th grade daughter casually mentioned that she had volunteered her mom to bake 4 dozen cookies for the school play that night. She had “forgotten” about it until that morning, but she figured that her mom would have plenty of time to get them done by 2:00 that afternoon.
Finally, Mikey, her 5 year old came down with huge chunks of his hair missing. He had found a scissors on the bathroom counter and had decided to give himself a haircut. Mrs. Smith patched it up as well as she could and sent him on his way. The day was only ½ hour old, and already she was ready to collapse.
Have you had any of those days lately? You finally just want to throw up your hands and ask, “How am I suppose to do all of this?” Imagine how you would have felt if you were Jesus on that day on the shore of the Sea of Galilee as he looked out at the 10,000-12,000 hungry people who had followed him. Our text for today shows us how he reacted, trusting in his heavenly Father to meet their needs. We’ll see today that all who put their trust in the Lord will always be able to face life’s challenges. We’ll learn from these words today that we can–
The people in our text were in a bit of an unusual situation. Matthew tells us that Jesus had gone across the Sea of Galilee by boat to a “A solitary place.” John the Baptist had just been murdered by King Herod, and Jesus’ disciples had just returned from an evangelism outing and were excited to tell Jesus what had happened. Jesus went across the lake to rest and talk to his disciples.
But by this time, Jesus was well-known throughout Israel. Word got out that Jesus had crossed the lake, and a large crowd quickly followed. By the time Jesus landed, the people had already arrived. Matthew says, ”When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
As we know, that is only the beginning of the story. Dinner time came and went and the people, who had been out all day, had had nothing to eat. Matthew wrote, “As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
Although Jesus had come to this place to take care of his own needs, he never forgot about the needs of the people. And when he saw the people, he put aside his own needs and concentrated on helping them. And we shouldn’t find that unusual. Jesus’ own family once tried to drag him away from the people, fearing that he wasn’t getting enough rest for himself.
But I’m sure you know how difficult it is to leave someone who needs help. It’s hard to watch someone who is suffering or trying to do something. You naturally want to go and help them. But sometimes you aren’t able to and it makes you feel bad. When I was young and my family would go on a trip, I remember my dad pulling over to help others who were having car trouble. But today, you don’t know if it’s safe, and you may have to drive past without stopping to help. I’ve done that quite a few times and always kind of wonder whether I should have stopped or not.
Our text says that when Jesus saw the people “…he had compassion on them.” This story is recorded by all four gospel writers, and Mark says that Jesus thought of these people as “sheep without a shepherd.” (Mk. 6:34) Jesus knew that many of these people were only here to have him help them with their earthly problems. They brought their sick friends and relatives to Jesus, and he healed them. But Jesus also saw the spiritual needs of these people, and he used this opportunity to reach out to their souls too.
When Jesus sees people, he sees more than what we see. He is omniscient, all knowing. He sees beyond the brave fronts that we put up to the insecurities that we have. He sees past the smiles we force to the hurt and pain beneath. He knows better than we do what dangers we face and what troubles lie ahead. And Jesus knows that these dangers and trouble threaten more than just our bodies. He sees the dangers and troubles that threaten our souls every minute of every day.
On the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus looked out at the 10-12,000 people who had come to see him. He saw their needs, and, we are told, he met their needs.
As the sun began to set, Jesus called his disciples together to see what they thought about feeding the people. The disciples suggested that Jesus just send them home so they could find their own food. But Jesus had a different plan. He said, ”They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” The disciples didn’t think that was possible since they had found only 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish among the people. What could so little do among so many?
Jesus said to his disciples, “Bring them here to me.” He directed the people to sit down, and, after saying a prayer to thank God for the food that he had, he “gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.” Matthew then reports that “They all ate and were satisfied…” In fact, the verb used to describe the people eating is the verb that is used to describe how a cow is fattened, almost force-fed, before it is butchered. It implies that everyone had more than enough to eat, with leftovers that filled twelve baskets.
This story is so familiar to most of us that we might overlook its message. Think about the details of what took place that day. 10-12,000 people sat down and had dinner on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Imagine trying to feed that many people in a restaurant or cafeteria! And when everyone had eaten what they wanted, more food was left than what they had started with! Now add to that the fact that Jesus had healed those who had been brought to him who were sick!
We might find ourselves in situations where we don’t know exactly what to do. We might not have all the answers to the questions that we have in our lives. Maybe we’ve been struggling with something for a long time and haven’t been able to find an acceptable solution. The disciples put their heads together to try to figure out how to feed the people, and they came up empty. They stood before Jesus with a blank stare on their faces.
But Jesus has the solutions. He had the solution on that day at the Sea of Galilee, and he has the solutions to our problems. He has said through his Word, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you.” (Ps. 50:15) King David wrote with confidence, “Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him.” (Ps. 4:1) What needless worry we endure and problems we bear because we forget the invitation of our Lord!
Each one of us can listen to this story and hear our Savior talking to us. He who sees each sparrow that falls from the sky sees each of us just as clearly. He who provides food and shelter for the little animals of the forest has shown us that we are much more important than they are. He came down from heaven and offered his own life to save us. He took away our sins and secured eternal life in heaven for us. And he has promised to give “all these things as well” to those who “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” (Mt. 6:33)
And listen to the prayer of Paul for the Christians in Ephesus: “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17-19) The power and love and mercy and grace of our Savior stretch far beyond our understanding. He knows our problems and he has the solutions. Let this familiar story encourage you to rely more confidently on the Lord. In his name. Amen.
Posted in Sermons | Print | No Comments »
July 21, 2008 by admin.
In the name of Jesus, our souls’ delight and our treasure, dear fellow-redeemed,
Last month on our way to my brother’s wedding in Wisconsin, my family and I stopped in Stanton, Missouri to tour the Merrimac Caverns. One piece of information that I found rather interesting was that the caverns were used by Frank and Jesse James and their gang as a hideout. They even had one spot marked where they found some old guns and a chest – believed to be the spot where they stopped to count their loot after one of their robberies.
Even more intriguing to some are the stories of loot buried by the James brothers – some of which are yet to be found. One such legend has to do with the loot taken in a payroll robbery at Dodge City, estimated at $180,000. According to the story, the money was buried in Cutthroat Gap, down in the northwest corner of Comanche County in Oklahoma. There were three maps which led to the treasure. Frank and Jesse James each had one. The other was given to a man named Conley, a friend of the James brothers and one who claimed to be a lookout for them during some of their robberies.
The map showed the treasure hidden in a sealed cave near an old log cabin where many outlaws use to hide. Pictured was a Winchester rifle mounted in the fork of a tree – a sign to show the way to the treasure. On the map was a long black streak on the summit of Mount Pinched. Somewhere between this streak and the rifle was the sealed cave, which held the buried treasure.
Treasure-seekers have come across the cabin, they’ve identified the black streak, and they’ve discovered the Winchester, but the mysterious cave has never been discovered. Some claim that Frank James may have retrieved some of the money, but others like to believe that the treasure remains buried to this day.
Before you make vacation plans to head to Oklahoma, this morning I want to tell you about an even greater treasure that was once hidden, but now has been revealed as a blessing for all people. Today let’s listen to Jesus tell us four parables to encourage us to:
“Treasure the Gospel!”
Today Jesus speaks to us about “the kingdom of heaven.” Some like to think this kingdom is to be understood as some type of millennial reign of Christ here on this earth. And yet other portions of Scripture tell us his return will not be to reign but to judge. Here it’s important for us to understand the kingdom of heaven as simply God’s activity of proclaiming the gospel during our time of grace here on this earth. It’s his work of calling sinners to faith and salvation through his Word and sacraments. In short, the kingdom of heaven is the gospel.
The first two parables are rather easy to understand. Let’s look at the first one (v 44), “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Hidden treasures may have been a bit more common back at that time. Understand that there was no Bank of Jerusalem or First Mediterranean Credit Union to protect people’s savings. Instead, wealthy people would often divide their wealth into three parts: 1/3 would be kept for daily use; 1/3 would be converted into precious stones or jewels, making them easy to carry if forced to flee; and 1/3 was often buried somewhere for safekeeping. If something happened to the owner, the treasure would remain buried until someone stumbled across it, such as the man in the parable.
The man was so impressed with what he found that he “went and sold all he had and bought that field.” He truly appreciated the value of this buried treasure. The gospel’s message of salvation is like such a treasure. Once hidden by sin from mankind, God has revealed its saving message through his Word in the form of our Savior Jesus Christ. Nothing is more precious to a person with a burdened conscience than to hear the good news, “Your sins are forgiven.” You heard that same wonderful message again this morning and will experience it personally later through the Lord’s Supper. Treasure that gospel message!
Parable #2 is similar but offers a slightly different perspective (vv 45,46), “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Here you have a man looking for treasure. He’s a buyer of pearls, making daily trips down to the docks to inspect the pearls coming in from the Red Sea or the Mediterranean Sea. He’s acquired some dandies over the years, but now he comes across the perfect pearl – “one of great value.” Like the man in the first parable, he also liquidates all that he has to purchase this treasure. He gives up his search, truly appreciating how unique and precious this treasure is.
In both parables we have men who truly appreciate the treasure they’ve found. The first man stumbles upon his treasure. That doesn’t make it any less valuable, but the man was clueless as to where this treasure was. Sin makes us clueless and blinds us to the hidden treasure of the gospel. But then, by God’s grace, he leads us to it. We can’t find it on our own. But God takes us to it. For many, it came to us first in the miracle of baptism. Others may have had parents or friends bring it to us. Even though we weren’t looking for it, God knew we needed it.
The second man was looking for that “treasure of treasures.” He represents mankind’s emptiness when it comes to spiritual answers. We may search the world over for “pearls of wisdom,” for what’s missing in our lives, but nothing will suffice until God leads us to the gospel. There we find eternal answers and lasting peace. There is no need to look further. The gospel is the “pearl of great value,” the only message that guarantees heaven. Only in the gospel do we find a true treasure!
Treasure the gospel with true appreciation! You’re doing that right now by having gathered in God’s house around his Word. You do that when you spend less time with the newspaper and searching the Internet so you can have some personal time for reading your Bibles at home. You show your appreciation for the gospel when you don’t let anything else become more important – your job, your hobbies, or even just a morning to sleep in. Continue to treasure the gospel with true appreciation!
And when you fail at times to show that appreciation, don’t despair. That same gospel that we treasure offers us forgiveness when we sin. That’s why we treasure the gospel in true repentance.
Not everyone who hears the gospel treasures it. Jesus said there are “people [who] honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Mt 15:8). There might be some who are members of a church and appear very pious as they rarely miss a Sunday, and yet they come only to satisfy Mom and Dad, or their one hour of piety is rarely duplicated in the rest of their lives as they live only for themselves and their sinful natures. Others may come because it’s good for them and their reputation and for business to be “church people.” Others may give the impression that they’re servants of Christ on the outside, but their repentance is hollow when they continue to be slaves to sin in their hearts and in their lives.
No one will get away with “faking” their appreciation of the gospel. That’s the point of the third parable (vv 47-50), “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad fish away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Just like fishing with a dragnet, the gospel draws many people. But not everyone who comes to hear the gospel really believes it. Some are hypocrites – unrecognizable now, but on Judgment Day the angels will expose them for who they are. And even though only 59% of Americans believe it exists (according to yesterday’s paper), hell is real. Those faking their appreciation of the gospel and offering a sham repentance will hear Jesus say (Mt 25:41), “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
This parable encourages you and me to make use of the time of grace that God has given us. Paul tells us (2 Co 6:2), “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” Now is the time for us to admit we can’t save ourselves, to confess ours sins, to truly repent and trust in Jesus for forgiveness and salvation. Repent and look to Jesus, not as a lifeguard who tries to save us from drowning by giving us quick swimming lessons so we can save ourselves, but as the Savior who saves us by diving in after us and swimming us to shore. In true repentance, treasure the gospel – the message that proclaims all that our Savior has done for us!
Finally, there’s a reason why Jesus told these parables. In the last parable he explains why. He wants us to treasure the gospel and use it for true service in his kingdom.
Jesus wanted to make sure his disciples were learning the lesson he was teaching (vv 51,52), “‘Have you understood all these things?’ Jesus asked. ‘Yes,’ they replied. He said to them, ‘Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.’” Think of what the disciples learned from Jesus! Added to all the “old” things they had already learned from the Old Testament were now these “new” truths that were coming to them in the age of fulfillment, with Jesus himself as their teacher. They were hearing and seeing things never heard or seen before – and it was all being done in preparation for their lives of service as the Lord’s ambassadors. Jesus was teaching them so that they might teach others. He was teaching them to treasure the gospel so that they might lead others to do the same.
Simple applications here, right? You’re are not here just for yourselves. You are not gathered around God’s Word to have your own faith strengthened simply to then hoard the gospel and keep it to yourselves. You are being taught to treasure the gospel for true service – to serve others with the “one thing needful.” Here you are being equipped from God’s Word for Christian living, for Christian witness, and for Christian service. And God wants you to keep digging into the “storeroom” of his Word. He has lots more for you to learn – more treasures for you to discover. And he wants you to serve him and others by sharing the treasures you find.
Today we’ve learned that we’re surrounded by treasures – and we don’t have to have an outlaw’s treasure map to find it! We have before us today examples of the gospel in its three forms – in the Word of God, the sacrament of Holy Baptism, and the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. What wonderful blessings! What a treasure the gospel is! May it always remain our most treasured possession!
Amen
–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
Posted in Sermons | Print | No Comments »
July 16, 2008 by admin.
Romans 8:26,27 In the name of him who sent the Spirit of life into our hearts, dear fellow recipients of God’s grace,
With all the advances in technology over the last few years comes the need for people who can bail us out when our technological devices don’t work as they should. These people come with the rather generic label of “tech support.” They are the men and women you call and get hooked up to for help when your computer or cable TV or iPod suddenly stops working the way it should. Who hasn’t experienced one of these phone calls? You feel rather humble as you try to explain just what happened, even though in reality you really don’t know what happened. But then you hear the tech on the other line surprise you by saying, “OK, I think I know what happened. We should be able to fix that rather quickly.” All of a sudden you let out a sigh of relief. Your troubles are gone – all because you were hooked up to someone who understood your problem and was willing to lend a helping hand.
We also have some “tech support” when it comes to our spiritual struggles, someone with whom we can get “hooked up” to who listens to our problems and sorts through our inadequate and frustrated attempts to explain what’s wrong. In the words before us this morning from the apostle Paul, we have a fascinating section of Scripture that gives us comfort and reassurance in times of trouble – especially as we live out our years on this earth with our eyes fixed on our heavenly destination. This morning let’s discuss our prayer life while learning that as Christians we all are assisted by God the Holy Spirit:
“A Helping Hand from Our Heavenly Hook-Up”
Today’s Scripture is a continuation from our readings in Romans. Last week Paul told us how we are in a time of waiting, a time in which we suffer along with the creation surrounding us, but still we’re able to do so patiently because of the hope we have – the hope of our redemption to life everlasting. “In the same way” that this hope helps us be patient, Paul goes on to tell us there’s even more help out there for us (v 26), “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” And what is that “weakness”? “We do not know what we ought to pray for” (v 26). Let’s take a look back even further. So often our weakness may be that we don’t pray enough! How often do you pray? Inventory your prayer life for one day (no fair using Sunday!). Hopefully there are the mealtime prayers, even though they may often be said in a robotic, rhythmic chant without a lot of thought put into them. Bedtime prayers? One in the morning when you get up? Any times during the day when you take time to talk to God? Now put an imaginary stopwatch on those prayers and estimate how much time you spend. Anyone out there spend more than 15-20 minutes, tops, in prayer each day? When it comes to prayer, weakness #1 may simply be that we don’t do it enough.
And that’s sad. Jesus told us to pray and even taught us how with the Lord’s Prayer. In Proverbs we’re told that “the prayer of the upright pleases [the LORD]” (15:8). But we still don’t make use of this privilege enough. Sad to say, from my confirmation classes I’m learning that we’re not doing a very good job of teaching our kids how to pray – and it might be because we’re forgetting how to pray ourselves. Perhaps it’s because we let doubt creep in, making us wonder if God even listens or has time to listen to us. Maybe we let guilt get in the way, thinking that we don’t deserve to bring our requests to God. We’ve forgotten that Christ won that privilege for us. Or maybe we’re afraid that we can’t put together a “proper” prayer, that we can’t come up with the right words, that we just can’t pinpoint what’s bothering us, and that it’s useless for us to even try. No wonder our prayers are often found lacking!
At times we all fall victim to what could be called the “Charlie Brown syndrome.” Remember the old Peanuts comic strip? It often featured “good ol’ Charlie Brown” being frustrated once again – either by throwing another home run pitch, getting his kite caught in the tree, or having Lucy pull the football out from under him yet again. The next strip would show him with his head tilted back, mouth opened wide, shouting out a single word: “AARRGGHH!” We don’t know what that word means – but, then again, maybe we do. It’s the same word – the same feeling – that we frustrated, disappointed, disillusioned, weak Christians have when we don’t know how to express what’s bothering us. It’s a constant reminder to us of how much our prayer life is lacking.
That’s why we need help. That’s where the Spirit comes in, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” We’re not left by ourselves to figure out how to fix things. God the Holy Spirit is there. He “helps” us. It’s an interesting Greek word that we translate “helps.” It’s a long word that actually breaks down to mean to “stand on the other side of a problem and lay hold of it along with us.” To simplify it we might say that the Holy Spirit is the one who “lends a helping hand” to us when it comes to our prayer life. When “hooked up” to him, we find the help we need.
And what is that help? “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (v 26). In other words, he translates our “AARRGGHH’s” and makes them make sense. He gets behind the meaning of what we’re trying to say, sorts out our confusion, and presents our requests to God the Father. Isn’t that amazing? The inner feelings that we can’t put into words are straightened out by the Holy Spirit, whose power goes beyond the limits of human speech. While our burdens here on earth can only leave us groaning and sighing, the Holy Spirit picks up our burdens and carries them to the throne of grace – in the same way that our Savior Jesus carried our burden of sin to the cross for us and took it all away. In distressing situations when we feel that we don’t have a clue what to pray and may not even be sure what God’s Word would tell us to pray, the Spirit steps in for us. He sees our tears, hears our stress-filled sighs, and rushes to our side. He lends a helping hand as our heavenly hook-up when our prayers are found lacking, speaking the feelings and thoughts which we are not able to put into words.
And he does even more! The Holy Spirit helps keep our prayer-life focused. He’s there for us with a helping hand when our prayers are lacking, but he’s also there when our prayers need direction.
All too often we’re guilty of treating God like some kind of divine pizza delivery boy. We call him up, tell him exactly how we want our order, and then expect him to deliver our “pizza” exactly how we ordered it in 30 minutes or less. When we don’t get what we want, we’re quick to get back on the phone with God and say, “Hey, where’s my pizza?” Or, “how come it’s not exactly what I ordered?” Left unchecked, our frustrations may build and ultimately cause us to stop “phoning in” our orders altogether. Then our connection – and our faith – is lost.
The problem isn’t on God’s end. The problem lies with our misdirected prayers. Not that we’re praying to the wrong person – God invites us, even commands us, to pray to him and guarantees he’ll hear us. The problem is we’re often praying for the wrong things – we’re ordering from the wrong menu. We have our shopping list in front of us, but God has a much better list he wants us to use. Our will doesn’t naturally correspond with God’s will, so we find ourselves focused in on too many earthly things, too many worldly concerns, too many temporal problems. We get too hung up with this life that we overlook the life that is to come. Again, your own personal inventory of the content of your prayers will betray you as much as I’m betrayed by mine. We may think we know what to pray for, but then we realize our prayers are selfish and short-sighted. We realize they need direction!
Once again, heaven hooks us up with a helping hand (v 27), “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit . . .” The one who searches our hearts is God the Father. He “knows the mind of the Spirit.” God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are on the same page – after all, they’re part of the same Trinity. As such we’re told (v 27), “. . . the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” First of all, notice the precious title we’re given here – “saints.” Just another perk of being connected to Jesus Christ, the one who washed us clean in his blood and gave us our saintly status. As such, we are now assured of the fact that as the Spirit intercedes for us, he does so “in accordance with God’s will.” Literally, the Greek says “according to God.” Here’s what this means: The more the Holy Spirit works in your heart, the more pleasing to God your prayers will become. The more prominent a place the Holy Spirit has in your heart, the more your prayers will be found to be “in accordance with God’s will.” The more your life is guided by the Holy Spirit, the more clearly you will see and understand how God is working in your life – and the more trusting you will be when you can’t understand everything that he’s doing. Only the Holy Spirit can give our prayers the direction that they require. Only he can help us in our weakness.
It makes sense, then, for us to take advantage of every opportunity we have to be more “Spirit-filled.” The Spirit comes to us by working and then strengthening faith in our hearts. And Scripture tells us how we get that faith (Ro 10:17), “Faith comes from hearing the message.” Let’s line up the dominoes: Position yourself around the Word of God with regular church attendance, Bible Class, Sunday School, and your own personal devotional life at home. Then watch the Holy Spirit work his wonders in your heart as he waters that faith and causes it to grow. Finally, your prayer life will bloom and become more and more in step with God and his will, reaping many blessings to comfort and guide you in this life and giving you a sure and lasting hope for the life that is to come.
We really have no excuses left when it comes to prayer. Even if we feel we’re not “good” at it, we have a helping hand offered from heaven by the Holy Spirit. He fills in the gaps when our prayers are lacking, and he straightens them out when they’re misdirected. So, Christians, get on your knees and pray! And remember the words we sang earlier this morning (CW 189:4):
For he can plead for me with sighings
That are not speakable by lips defiled.
He bids me pray with earnest cryings,
Bears witness that I am your precious child,
Joint heir with Christ, and thus may dare to say:
O heav’nly Father, hear me when I pray!
Amen
– Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
Posted in Sermons | Print | No Comments »
July 8, 2008 by admin.
Just a few weeks ago we watched as parts of our country were flooded by heavy rains. Rivers began to overflow their banks and many homes were damaged or even destroyed. In some states, a few people even lost their lives as a result of the flooding. Under such circumstances, it would seem odd today to look at the theme of this sermon, “Let it Rain,” and fully understand why I would say that. But that is what I’m going to be telling you for the next few minutes, and you’ll soon see why. The theme is not based on the recent weather conditions around the country, but rather on the words of our Old Testament lesson for today from the book of Isaiah. He wrote these words during a drought—not a weather related drought, but a spiritual drought. The people of Israel had turned from God, and Isaiah knew that a downpour of God’s word was the only thing that could change their condition. So he prayed for rain—for God’s word to pour down on the people.
You and I have come here this morning because we want to be blessed by God’s powerful word. With Isaiah we will turn in faith and confidence to the Lord and ask Him to
I. The Word Sent by God
II. The Word Used by Us
Drought and famine have devastated many nations during the course of history. It is painful to watch as fields dry up and crops wither and die. But on the other hand, floods and heavy rains have done just as much damage. Many farmers today are still waiting and hoping that their fields will soon dry up enough to be able to plant their crops. In spite of our best efforts, we cannot completely protect ourselves against the effects of drought or flooding.
It was difficult for Isaiah to watch the spiritual drought and famine that had affected Israel. He saw men, women, and children perishing in the clutches of sin and unbelief. He watched with a heavy heart as families set up altars in their homes to the false gods of their neighbors. For 39 chapters of his book, Isaiah warned the people about the consequences of their actions and pleaded with them to return to the true God.
Under those dark circumstances, Isaiah looked to the Lord. He prayed for the people and asked God to be merciful. He pleaded with God to step in and break through the walls of unbelief that were being built around the hearts of the Israelites. Isaiah prayed for rain, powerful rain from God that would free the people from the power of the devil and restore them as patrons in the kingdom of God.
And God promised to do just that. He said through Isaiah, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,–so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah’s plea for Israel was answered by a promise from the Lord. God promised that the word which Isaiah would speak to the people would accomplish the purpose for which God sent it.
God’s Word has that power. The Apostle Paul described the power of the word in his letter to the Romans saying, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17) Paul encouraged the Colossians to make use of that powerful tool writing, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Col. 3:16)
God’s Word has the power to do what nothing else can. God’s Word comes from His almighty throne in heaven and breaks through walls of unbelief to make a person believe that he will be in heaven because of the sacrifice of Jesus. There isn’t a person alive, nor will there ever be, who will get to heaven without the power of the gospel. Every true believer is a believer because God let it rain on him—He let His power, grace, and mercy rain on him through His word.
As that word is preached and taught faithfully and in truth and purity, God makes a very bold statement. He says, “It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” It is our prayer today that as God sends out His word, it will accomplish His purpose in our hearts. We pray that it will calm our fears, erase our doubts, and give us a sure and certain faith that will not fail us.
In order for that to happen, we have to use God’s Word. It has been sent, and we have it preserved by God in His holy Bible. So now step two is up to us. As we pray that God will “Let It Rain,” we have to commit ourselves to His word.
The words of our text show us that God has done what He promised to do. He sent His word through His prophets and apostles, and He gave it the power to overcome sin, death, and the devil. But that powerful word will not accomplish God’s purpose for us if it is left on the shelf.
The devil poses a dangerous threat to every one of us. He uses his wisdom and power to put doubt in our hearts, to lead us to question the love of God, and to drive us away from the safety of our Lord. We have all felt his presence in our lives. We have all been subjected to the temptations the devil uses to chip away at our faith. We have been tempted to stay away from the Word of God that highlights our worship services. We have been given excuses for not attending Bible Classes or having devotions. Some, and probably more likely all of us, admit that we don’t know the Bible as well as we should, but have failed to do anything about it.
And then we have the gall to wonder why God seems to be withholding His blessings from us, from our country, and from the world! We see the sin and evil that is spreading like the weeds in our lawns and gardens, and we whine against God for not doing anything about it!
But the fact is, God is doing what He has promised to do. He says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,–so is my word that goes out from my mouth…” God’s Word has been given to us! It is raining! When the rains began to fall on our lawns and gardens, I doubt that any of you quickly ran out and covered them with plastic tarps. But when God offers His Word through worship services and Sunday School and Bible classes and devotions, we run out with the plastic tarps of excuses that keep His word from reaching our ears and hearts.
We face our daily battle against the devil ill-equipped to overcome him. The weapons God gives us to defend ourselves and to fight back are too often left unused. And when we do not make the effort to strengthen our faith through God’s Word and sacrament it grows weaker.
Jesus once told His disciples, “The words I have spoken to you are the spirit and they are life.” (Jn. 6:63) God, through Paul, called His word “…the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Rom. 1:16) God is sending rain. We have opportunities to be nourished by His word every day, and special opportunities to come together as a church to be nourished. I urge you to make use of the worship services that we have where God’s Word and sacraments are key. I encourage you to join our Bible classes and Sunday School classes and to take and use the devotional materials we offer. Let it rain! Let God’s Word “dwell in you richly and daily.” When you do, you will see your life “bud and flourish” and “yield seeds for the sower and bread for the eater.” May God’s powerful word be given every chance in our lives to “accomplish what (He) desires and achieve the purpose for which (He) sent it.” Amen.
-Rev. Roger Rockhoff
Posted in Sermons | Print | No Comments »