Practice Christian Freedom With Head and Heart!

30. January 2012 by admin.

Pastor Jonathan Rockhoff

1-29-2012

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

 ¹ Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge.^[a] Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. ² The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. ³ But the man who loves God is known by God.

 ⁴ So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. ⁵ For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), ⁶ yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

 ⁷ But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. ⁸ But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

 ⁹ Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰ For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? ¹¹So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

In the name of him in whom we find true freedom, dear friends in Christ Jesus,

While he was home over the holidays, my wife and I had our son Thomas work on filling out a college application.  God-willing, he hopes to enroll at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota this fall to study for the pastoral ministry.  I looked over the application and noticed that, as with most applications, there were requests for information regarding how much knowledge he’s obtained so far in his schooling.  They wanted to know his ACT score, what courses he’s completed so far, and even what AP courses he’s taken or currently taking.  They want to make sure that intellectually he can handle the courses he’ll have in college.

But like most colleges, the admissions department at MLC also wants to know how that “head” knowledge is being applied in life.  Two other sections of the application seemd to seek more information on the person’s heart than just his head.  In one place it says, “Describe your involvement in your local church,” while in another it asks, “How will you contribute to the community of excellence at MLC?”  At Martin Luther College, having knowledge isn’t enough.  They also want students who know how to express that  head knowledge with their hearts in acts of love.

Today we’re going to listen as the apostle Paul talks to us about Christian freedom.  All the knowledge in the world about that freedom won’t do us any good unless we learn to use it in love as we deal with others.  Paul encourages us to do just that as we:

“Practice Christian Freedom with Head and Heart!”

                                                I. Learn of the freedom that is yours in Christ

                                                II. Use that knowledge in love toward your neighbor

The young church in Corinth was experiencing some growing pains.  The city itself was anything but Christian, boasting of at least a dozen temples devoted to a variety of pagan gods and religions.  The sacrifices made at the altars of these temples were indirectly causing a problem for some of the Christians in Corinth.  Not all of the meat being offered in the many daily sacrifices was being burned up.  Some would be burned up, some would be given back to the worshiper, and some was given to the priests.  At times portions of the meat would also find their way into the local butcher shops for sale to the public.  Since many of the Corinthian Christians had once belonged to these pagan cults before their conversions, they wanted to know if they would be compromising their faith by purchasing some of this meat.  The Jews had been strictly forbidden from having anything to do with food sacrificed to idols.  So who was right?  They wanted to know.

Paul begins by telling the Corinthians that they already had the “head” knowledge they were looking for about this topic (v 1), “Now about food sacrificed to idols:  We know that we all possess knowledge.”  Here Paul is aiming his words specifically at the stronger Christians, those who had no issues with purchasing and eating this meat.  They understood that Christ had set them free from the law by fulfilling the law for all mankind, and they now knew that they were “set free from sin” as Paul wrote to the Romans (6:18).  They had learned of the freedom that was now theirs in Christ, freedom that had set them free from the Old Testament laws that were meant to point God’s people ahead to Christ.  But now, since Christ had arrived, such laws were no longer needed.  As Paul pointed out in Colossians (2:16,17), “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.  These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”

These stronger Christians had been blessed with a clear understanding of what it meant to be free in Christ.  They didn’t see any religious significance in eating this once-sacrificed meat.  Paul explains why (vv 4-6), “So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols:  We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one.  For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”

Paul makes two points here:  Idols are nothing but false gods, and there is only one true God.  Regardless of what the pagans believed, the Lord himself proclaims (Isa 45:5), “I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.”  So if these false gods don’t really exist, then eating meat sacrificed to non-existent deities didn’t pose a problem for most of these Christians.  As Paul says later in our text (v 8), “Food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.”  What does matter is learning of the freedom that is ours in Christ!

There was the temptation for some Corinthian Christians to flaunt their Christian freedom, to allow themselves to be “puffed up” with their head knowledge to the point of looking down on those still struggling with some of the concepts of their newfound faith.   That temptation is alive and well today.  Consider our frustration with the unchurched, how at times we become weary of dealing with people who keep rejecting our message.  How can they be so ignorant?!  Why even try reaching out to them?  We end up exalting ourselves for the knowledge we possess instead of exalting our Lord and what he’s done for the world.  We get more caught up in “head” knowledge without learning to use that knowledge in love toward our neighbor.

Paul wanted the Christians in Corinth to temper their knowledge with love (vv 1-3), “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.  But the man who loves God is known by God.”  All the knowledge in the world wouldn’t help these people if they weren’t using that knowledge in love.  If we truly are the people of God, people whom God knows and has made his own, we’ll love God and we’ll use both our head and our heart in dealing with others.

For the Corinthians, that meant understanding that not everyone may have been comfortable when it came to eating meat sacrificed to idols.  It wasn’t technically sinful to eat such meat, but Paul points out (v 7), “But not everyone knows this.  Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.”  In short, what’s OK for someone may not be OK for everyone.

Some couldn’t help but feel guilty when thinking about eating such “idol” food.  To do so made them feel that they were once again involved in pagan worship and sinning against the Lord.  And, if such eating caused them to go against their conscience, it was sinful.  That’s why Paul goes on to issue this warning to the others (vv 9-12), “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.  For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?  So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by knowledge.  When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.”

St. Paul wraps up his argument by saying that if eating such meat actually caused his fellow Christian to stumble in his faith, he was willing to become a vegetarian (v 13), “Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.”  Paul would make his “head” knowledge captive to his heart as he dealt in love with his neighbor.

So what does all this mean?  What’s the message for you and me in 21^st century America?  We still are called upon by the Lord to practice our Christian freedom with both our head and our heart.  Keep studying God’s Word to appreciate all the more the freedom won for you by your Savior’s death on the cross.  No longer are we captive to the law when it comes to our salvation, somehow having to prove ourselves worthy of God’s love and his salvation.  Now we are free to live for him to thank him for taking care of everything and welcoming us back into his family.

But let’s be careful how we use our Christian freedom.  As Paul says two chapters later to these same Christians (1 Co 10:23), “Everything is permissible – but not everything is beneficial.  Everything is permissible – but not everything is constructive.”  We have a responsibility to those around us who may be weaker in their faith.  So how does that translate into real life?

Allow me to use a few examples.  No show of hands needed, but how many of you have visited the new casino down in Mulvane?  One would be hard-pressed to find passages in Scripture that say that gambling is a sin, and yet we have to recognize for ourselves when such an activity is becoming excessive or if greed is dominating our attitude.  But should we be encouraging someone to join us if we know that they do struggle with such an activity?  That’s not using our knowledge in love toward our neighbor.  Or if we may enjoy a nice cold one every now and then, is it wise for us to do so in the company of someone who is obviously struggling with alcohol?  That’s not using our knowledge in love toward our neighbor.   Some might proclaim, “There’s nothing wrong with getting a tattoo” as they try to encourage someone to do the same, but it’s wrong to keep bugging someone who obviously doesn’t feel comfortable in doing so.  That’s not using our knowledge in love toward our neighbor.

It’s going overboard if we try and set up more rules and regulations to follow as New Testament Christians, but here are a few guidelines to keep in mind in practicing our Christian freedom:  In deciding what to do or not to do, always consider the feelings of others.  Always act in love.  Use your head and your heart!  If you think someone might be offended by your words and actions, think twice.  Don’t be so quick to insist on your rights as a Christian, but in love be quicker to give up those rights when you might be offending another.  As a Christian, remember that even though in Christ you are a lord of all, subject to none, you are still a servant of all, subject to everyone!

When it comes to practicing Christian freedom, we who are strong in knowledge must be equally strong in love.  Knowledge by itself is nothing, but knowledge combined with love is everything.  So make sure your “head” is guided by your “heart”!  Share your knowledge with others by first sharing with them your love and the love of their Savior!

                                                                                    Amen

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Fishing With Jesus

23. January 2012 by admin.

Vicar Dan Herold

1-22-2012

Mark 1:14-20

 ¹⁴ After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵ “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

 ¹⁶ As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” ¹⁸ At once they left their nets and followed him.

 ¹⁹ When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. ²⁰ Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

This past week I read an article on Field And Stream’s website titled, “Why Do 50 Million People Fish?” The article was written rather jokingly, but it raised the question of why so many people fish when it costs so much and yields such a seemingly small payoff. The best part of the article was a quotation from former president Grover Cleveland. The former president was quoted as once saying, “At the outset, the fact should be recognized that the community of fishermen constitute a class or sub-race among the inhabitants of the earth.”  Anyone who logically looks at someone who enjoys fishing would probably share President Cleveland’s opinion. Why do people spend money to stand outside for hours in the rain and cold trying to catch a fish that they could buy at the grocery store for much less? And if you really want to see something strange go to Minnesota in the winter and look out on a frozen lake full of people ice fishing. Personally, I enjoy ice fishing. However, if you asked me why, it might be hard for me to make a logical case for it. After all you have to be crazy to drive out on a lake and sit there fishing through a tiny hole you drilled through the ice, right?

 

            In the context of our gospel lesson this morning, it probably wasn’t the fact that Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen that caused people to wonder about them because they lived in an area known for its fishing industry. However, I’m sure some people thought it was strange that these men left their jobs to follow Jesus on a different sort of fishing trip. This morning we hear about how the disciples, and you, and I, are called to go fishing with Jesus. And, as we set out to go fishing with Jesus we are told that we have been equipped with the gospel, that we are guided by Jesus on this fishing adventure, and that as faithful believers in God’s promises we eagerly look forward to sharing the gospel.

 

            First of all, how are we equipped? In order to fish you need some equipment. Most often you use a rod and reel, but you can use nets, spears, traps, and many other methods. But even the simple rod and reel has an infinite number of ways to be used. You can change the weight of your line, the size of the hooks, and just about everything else you could think of. The fishing tackle industry is a billion dollar business because the possibilities are endless.

 

            You also need bait. If you go up to Sedgwick County Park and just throw a hook tied to some fishing line into the water, you probably won’t catch anything more than sticks, weeds, and rocks. You need to put some bait on the hook to lure the fish in so you can hook it.

 

            These are the basics of fishing and even people who have never gone fishing before know these basic principles. So surely, Peter, Andrew, James, and John knew what they needed in order to catch fish. Since they knew about the gear that was necessary to catch fish it wouldn’t have made much sense to them if Jesus had come up to them and said, “Go fish for people.” So instead of starting out with that line, Jesus first shows them the tools they would use to catch others. Jesus showed them the fishing gear they would use as fishers of men by first using that gear to hook these four men.

            The fishing gear which Jesus used was the gospel. It was the life-giving message of free and full salvation that hooked the first disciples and also hooks us. There weren’t any flashy techniques used or any gimmicks that tricked these four into following Jesus, it was simply the power of the gospel that hooked them and brought them to their Savior. Jesus preached a simple message which we have recorded in verse 15, “The time has come, and the kingdom of God is near repent and believe the good news.” The power of the Word is all that is needed to bring souls to their Savior, and it’s all Jesus used to hook these first disciples.

 

            A common mistake of a beginner fisherman is to not trust his gear. It always amazed me that my dad would sit there patiently holding his cane pole with a worm on the hook while I was feverishly reeling in my line, changing to a new lure, casting again and changing again if I hadn’t immediately landed a trophy walleye. New fishermen quickly get bored if there isn’t an immediate bite and easily give up.

 

            The gospel is certainly powerful, but, God works on his own timetable. If we don’t immediately see the effects of sharing our faith with someone it doesn’t mean that it didn’t work or that there’s something more we need to do. God has promised us that the tool he has given us is all that we need. So since we have all we need, God urges us to keep trying. Always keep your line in the water, keep casting the gospel out to bring in a catch.

 

            However, just because you are holding a fishing pole doesn’t mean you are a master fishermen. As a fisherman, there’s always something new to learn about how to use the equipment you have or about where or when to fish. Jesus promised the newly called disciples that he would guide them and show them how to use the tool he had used to hook them as they followed him on this fishing trip.

 

            In any task, not just fishing, it’s helpful to learn from someone knowledgeable. Fishing is a pretty simple concept, but it can seem intimidating to get into at first. Before you start there are a few things it is helpful to know. It helps if you have a good map of the area you are fishing so that you know where the deep water is and what the bottom is like.

 

            It is also helpful to know what fish you are fishing for. If you throw out a lure bigger than any of the fish in the lake you won’t have much luck. You need to know what fish are in the lake so that you can decide how best to use the bait and tools that you have. In all these cases a fishing guide would be able to help you. A guide who knows the area and has fished there before is a valuable resource when you are fishing a new area or just beginning to fish.

 

            Peter, Andrew, James, and John, knew the waters of the Sea of Galilee very well and could have guided someone fishing there, but they were not experienced fishers of men. That is why Jesus said in verse 17, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Jesus invited the four to follow him and also promised to guide them by making them fishers of men.

 

            These four now had a different target. No longer would they use their nets to catch fish from the sea, but they would now use the gospel to catch souls. Peter, Andrew, James, and John had been hooked by the gospel which was preached by John the Baptist and Jesus, and now Jesus would teach them how to use the gospel to hook others as well.

 

            One of my professors in college once said while we were discussing these verses in class that, “God qualifies the called, he doesn’t always call the qualified.” What that means is this. If we had been in Jesus’ position and had been looking for people to help us spread a message we probably could have found people more qualified for that task than four blue collar fishermen. We probably could have gone to Jerusalem or one of the bigger cities and found some educated people who were good public speakers and recruited them. However, that’s not how God chose to work.

 

            God, in his infinite wisdom, called these four men. He called men whom none of us would have ever expected to be entrusted with the incredible task Jesus called them for. Peter, Andrew, James, and John weren’t called because they were such well known speakers and preachers, but they were hooked by the gospel and Jesus promised that by the power of the gospel they would be made into fishers of men.

 

             It’s comforting for us to know that God promises to make us what we are called to be. Sometimes we sound a little too much like Moses complaining that he isn’t a good speaker when God told him to lead the Israelites. I’m guilty of having that attitude far more than I would like to admit. But it’s at times like that when we need to remember Jesus’ promise to his first disciples…his promise that he would make them into what they were being called to do. We need to remember that his promise has also been extended to us and he promises to give us every gift we need to share our faith. Even if you feel like you’re not a very good speaker, you can rely on God’s promise that he will guide you. It’s not about how good of a speaker you are, but about how powerful God is.

 

            What better mentor could Peter, Andrew, James, and John have asked for than Jesus? For that matter, what better guide could we ask for than our Savior whom we meet and learn from in the Word? So, since we have the most powerful tool in the world and the best guide possible, as God’s fishermen we’re eager to get to work.

 

            Take a look at verse 18 and see just how eager Peter and Andrew were to get to work. In verse 18 Mark writes, “At once they (Peter and Andrew) left their nets and followed him.” And in verse 20 we can see the eagerness of James and John. Verse 20 tells us that they, “…left their Father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.” In both cases these weren’t reckless reactions, but rather the response of faith to the gospel. It would have seemed absurd for these professional fishermen to abandon the tools of their trade on a whim. A construction worker would never abandon his tools unsecured at a job site and intend to come back and work tomorrow. These four men knew that their lives changed drastically, and they changed because of the gospel.

 

            Our lives too have been transformed by the power of the gospel. It was the gospel that hooked us, and because of its wonderful power we want others to be hooked as well. However, our sinful nature never ceases to throw up roadblocks that hinder our eagerness. Our sinful nature makes us doubt the power of the gospel to change hearts, it makes us doubt Jesus’ promise to guide us, and the doubt that sin creates makes that eagerness to share God’s Word fade.

            Thankfully though, God assures us that the power of the gospel doesn’t depend on our eagerness. God has promised us that his Word will never return to him empty, that it always accomplishes the purpose he has chosen.

 

            God has done wonderful things for us. He has blessed us immensely and most importantly offered his Son as a sacrifice for us to wipe away our sins. Since Jesus bridged the gap that separated us from God, we can come to our heavenly Father in prayer and ask that he be with us and help us in those times that we aren’t so eager to do the work he has given us. We can also be certain that God will answer our prayers and be with us because he promises to do so in his Word. The Word of God is a reliable tool that we can trust as we go out fishing with Jesus.

 

            Fishing really is an excellent pastime, in spite of what President Cleveland said about fishermen. It’s a great way to enjoy God’s creation, learn about patience, and spend time with friends and family. But even though it has so many good points fishing for fish pales in comparison to what God has equipped and guided us to do as his through the gospel. We have been equipped to bring the life giving message of our Savior to those who haven’t heard it.

 

            As the gospel works in our hearts it makes us eager-eager to put our gifts to use and eager to see the effects of God working in the lives of others. We have been outfitted very well for this fishing trip. We have been equipped with the most powerful tool in the world, the gospel. We have the best guide possible in our Savior Jesus. And because of all that our gracious God has given us we can share the gospel, which has us hooked, and eagerly wait for the Lord to hook others.

Amen.

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Listen To The Lord!

17. January 2012 by admin.

Pastor Jonathan Rockhoff

January 15, 2012

1 Samuel 3:1-10

 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.

 ² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple^[a] of the LORD, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then the LORD called Samuel.

   Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

   But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

 ⁶ Again the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

   “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

 ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

 ⁸ The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

   Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

 ¹⁰ The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

   Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Dear fellow servants of the Lord, called to faith and called to service by his grace,

One activity that people in general find to be quite difficult is listening.  It shouldn’t be that hard to listen.  All you have to do is sit there and take in the words that another person is speaking to you.  And yet so many people will admit to not being very good listeners.  Perhaps we’re too self-absorbed, like the husband so caught up in watching that football game that he doesn’t hear a word his wife is saying.  Or try talking to a teenager sometime while they’re texting on their cellphone.  Some find it hard to listen because they’re always too busy talking.  They think that people should be listening to them, so they make no time to listen to others.

If you want to become a better listener, there’s hope – you can join the International Listening Association, a group whose mission is “to advance the practice, teaching, and research of listening throughout the world.”  And, for the bargain price of just $200, you can enroll in a program that will make you an official “Certified Listening Professional.”  For those of you interested, when you get home just log on to www.listen.org, and you, too, can learn to be a better listener!

We all can admit that we need to become better listeners, but poor listening can be eternally fatal when it has spiritual repercussions.   I assume each of us owns a Bible.  We may all even open it up from time to time.  It’s there, in the pages of Scripture, that God talks to us.  He reveals who he is and what he’s done to save us.  And yet we can hear these words and even read them for ourselves again and again, but fail to take them to heart.  We can be guilty of “turning a deaf ear” to these words and to our Lord.

This morning we hear the familiar story of a young boy named Samuel.  We do well to emulate Samuel’s example as we learn to:

“Listen to the LORD!”

                                                             I. With the ears of a servant

                                                            II. With the actions of a servant

Samuel was one of those “miracle” babies of the Old Testament.  A barren woman named Hannah had made it a yearly practice to approach the Lord in prayer at his place of worship in Shiloh, asking him to bless her with a son.  She even vowed that if the Lord enabled her to conceive and bear a son, she would turn him over to the Lord to serve him his entire life.  Hannah was true to her word.  After Samuel was born, out of love Hannah gave back to the Lord what he had given to her, (v 1), “The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli,” the high priest.

God had special plans for Samuel.  In those days, the Israelites did not have the ears of a servant.  They could barely be recognized as the Lord’s people, having sunk to an all-time low in their idolatry and immorality.  The spiritual leaders of that day weren’t getting it done either – and this included even the offspring of the high priest himself (1 Sa 2:12), “Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD.”  Such spiritual apathy typified the nation as a whole – and they paid the price, (v 1), “In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.”  God had withdrawn his prophets from his people along with most of his divine revelations.  Since the people stopped listening, the Lord stopped talking.

But there was at least one person in Israel who would listen to the Lord.  Even though Israel deserved to have the Lord’s Word removed from them forever, God in his mercy saw fit to raise up for them a Spirit-filled messenger who would once again reveal to them the will of the Lord.  The God of Israel was a God of grace, one who offered his love and forgiveness again and again.  It’s the same God who reaches out today to a world that needs him just as much.  At the time of our text, God chose to work through his servant Samuel.

God called this young boy to his special task in a unique way, as described in our text (vv 2,3), “One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.  The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.”  Eli was getting up in age and didn’t see as well as he once did.  It must have been quite common for him to have Samuel help him in his daily routine.  It was now night, with the seven-branched candlestick still burning.  Samuel was lying down in his usual spot – right next to the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God’s presence.

That night the Lord would make his presence known to Samuel in a very special way, even if Samuel didn’t realize it at first (vv 4,5), “Then the LORD called Samuel.  Samuel answered, ‘Here I am.’  And he ran to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’  But Eli said, ‘I did not call; go back and lie down.’  So he went and lay down.”  One might imagine that Samuel had occasionally been summoned by Eli during the night for assistance, due to his age and decreasing sight.  So Samuel may not have been all that surprised to hear his name being called.  He likely assumed Eli needed his help, and as his servant Samuel faithfully “ran to Eli” to see what he needed.  But Eli said it wasn’t him.  He was fine.  Maybe he was just dreaming.  Eli told him to go back to bed.

But the call came again (vv 6,7), “Again the LORD called, ‘Samuel!’  And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’  ‘My son,’ Eli said, ‘I did not call; go back and lie down.’  Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD:  The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.”  Same reaction, same result.  Here we’re also told that Samuel had not yet had any previous divine revelations.  Certainly he knew the true God by faith — his mother Hannah had taught him about the true God.  But he had yet to receive the call into service that he was receiving that night.

Finally, the third time was the charm, at least for Eli (v 8), “The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’  Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.”  If you were called out of bed three times in one night, no one would blame you for getting a bit frustrated – especially if it kept being a false alarm!  But not Samuel!  He had the ears of a servant!  He didn’t ignore the call or just wrap his pillow around his head.  He listened, and he would soon discover what Eli finally realized – “the LORD was calling the boy.”

When Martin Luther was a student at the university, he found a copy of the Bible in the school library.  As he paged through the Scriptures, he happened upon this story about Samuel and read it with great interest.  How he wished he could be like Samuel and hear God’s voice!  The great discovery of Luther’s life was that on the pages of the Bible God does speak to us as he once spoke to Samuel.

First of all God calls us to faith with a call of pure grace.  In Luther’s explanation to the Third Article we confess, “I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him.  But the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”  Now that he’s made us his own, he calls us to service through his Word.  But are we listening?  Do we have the ears of a servant like Samuel?

Jesus once proclaimed (Jn 8:47), “He who belongs to God hears what God says.”  If God speaks to us in his Word, how often are we connecting with him?  Is it automatic for us to be here for worship to listen to our Lord?  Do we give him the chance to speak to us in our homes by opening up our Bibles?  Or are we like the woman who was being visited by her pastor?  She hadn’t been in church for a while, but she wanted to assure the pastor that he shouldn’t be concerned about her spiritual welfare, so she pointed out the large Bible on her coffee table, saying, “We still have the Word of God in this family.”  But her young son overheard the conversation and said, “Well, if that’s God’s book, we better send it back to him ‘cuz we never read it!”

Having the ears of a servant is one thing, but actually using them to listen to our Lord is another.  And, if we truly are listening to the Lord, we’ll not only have the ears of a servant.  We’ll have the actions of a servant as well.

Eli wanted Samuel to realize who was calling him (v 9), “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”  Eli gave good advice for the young Samuel on how to answer the Lord’s call.  His was to be a humble response, one of trustful obedience.  Samuel was to be ready to accept the Lord’s Word as truth, to believe it, and to obey it.

Samuel listened to Eli – and prepared to listen to the Lord (v 10), “The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel!  Samuel!’  Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’”  Notice here that the Lord didn’t just speak to him, but this time he actually “came and stood there.”  And Samuel was ready to listen.  “Speak, Lord, for I, your humble servant, am ready to listen to whatever you have to tell me.”  The Lord’s silence had ended.  Once again he would reveal himself to his people, calling them to repentance through the promised Messiah, speaking to them through his servant Samuel.  Samuel’s answer reflected the willing obedience that would typify his entire life. “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Jesus once proclaimed (Lk 11:28), “Blessed . . . are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”  In his Epistle James warns us (Jas 1:22), “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.”  When it comes to listening to the Lord, having the ears of a servant is important.  But it’s just as important to have the actions of a servant.  Jesus tells us that it’s a wise man who “hears these words of mine and puts them into practice” (Mt 7:24).  So how do we listen to God and respond with the actions of a servant?

It’s highly unlikely that God is going to wake us up in the middle of the night with a direct call for some special mission.  But he does call us to serve him in ways less spectacular but just as meaningful to him.  He calls us first to listen to him at a time when our sinful nature wants to scream out, “Listen, LORD, your servant is speaking!”  Instead of ignoring his Word or treating it as a salad bar and picking and choosing what we want to listen to, God calls us to accept all of it and to live by it to show our love for what he’s done for us in Christ.  So if God says it’s wrong to live together without the promises of marriage, then it doesn’t matter what society says or what we think is best.  If God says that it’s wrong to slander others, then there’s no way we can defend gossiping.  If God says that he deserves our firstfruits, it’s sinful for us to litter his throne with excuses for insufficient offerings.  Our actions will serve as proof as to whether or not we’re listening to the Lord!

God has given you opportunities to serve him by being faithful in whatever vocation he’s given you.  If you are a husband, the Lord asks you to serve him by loving your wife.  If you are a wife, the Lord says you can serve him by respecting your husband.  Children are called to serve the Lord by obeying their parents and others in authority and for showing love to their brothers and sisters, even though at times they may get so mad they want to “punch them in the face.”  Employees serve the Lord when they faithfully do their jobs as if God himself was their boss.  Unlike Samuel, you may not be called to serve the Lord by leading an army, serving as a judge, or anointing someone king.  But by faithfully carrying out your everyday tasks to his glory, you still serve him with your actions.  And don’t forget, every day he gives you opportunities to do what’s most important – to share his gospel message with others.

I think it’s safe to say that all of us here this morning need to become better listeners, especially when it comes to God and his Word.  We haven’t all been Samuels.  We haven’t always had the ears of a servant, and we haven’t always served our Lord with the actions of a servant.  But there was a Servant who did listen perfectly to his heavenly Father.  Jesus Christ did everything we could not do, and thereby wiped away all our failures.  Now we can greet every day with a clear conscience and a Spirit-filled heart, eager to serve our Lord.  As we live for him here on this earth while waiting to live with him eternally in heaven, we can become better listeners.  We do so by echoing the words of Samuel:  “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”

                                                                                    Amen

 

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God Speaks Through Baptism.

9. January 2012 by admin.

Dan Herold

1-8-2012

Mark 1:4-11

⁴ And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁶ John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And this was his message: “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸ I baptize you with^[d] water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” ⁹ At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

 

 Have you ever thought about how awesomely powerful water is? More often than not we take water for granted. During the extreme heat this last summer and the drought that this part of the country experienced we might have become a little more aware of how important water is, but still every time I turn on the faucet to get a drink water comes out. In some parts of the world though that isn’t the case. In some places countries have even gone to war over water. Water makes up the majority of our bodies and has amazing power in our lives, but water has amazing power in nature as well.

 

            Water can give as well as take away life. Water can shape the land around it and drastically change landscapes. I was reminded of that awesome power last week as I travelled to Minnesota to visit my parents. One of the dominating natural features of the area surrounding St. Paul, Minnesota is the Mississippi River. It is simply amazing to stand and look at the beautiful valley the mighty river cut through the landscape. The walls of the valley are sometimes over 100 feet high. The banks of the river are surrounded with trees and wildlife which the water of the river supports. But also, every spring brings a reminder of the destruction which water is capable of. As the winter snow melts, the banks of the rivers begin to swell. Floods affect thousands of people every spring, and the sheer force of water inspires awe as you watch the news reports of the flood damage.

 

            Water is one of the most simple substances on earth, but it is extremely powerful.  The same could be said of God’s Word. The almighty Word of God is both simple and powerful. So, when the two are joined together in baptism, they form something of unimaginable power. They form a means of grace by which God creates and sustains faith in our hearts through the work of the Holy Spirit. Water is powerful on its own, but the true power of baptism comes from the Word of God being used with water. So since the power of baptism comes from the Word, as we look at the verses before us from Mark 1 listen to what God says in baptism. Listen as God speaks in Baptism as he speaks to Jesus and to us.

 

            Our text begins with a brief description of the ministry of John the Baptist. As John baptized and preached he taught this message which is summarized in verse 7. John taught that, “After him will come one more powerful than he.” John recognized the purpose of his baptizing was not that the people needed to do something, but rather that he was preparing the way for Jesus, the one who would be more powerful than John.  John’s focus was on God, on Jesus, and never on himself. In the accounts of Jesus’ baptism in the other gospels John is reluctant to baptize Jesus because he recognized that baptism was about God’s forgiveness coming to us, not us doing something for God. But nonetheless, Jesus needed to follow God’s command to be baptized even though he was without sin in order to show that he had come to take man’s place.

 

              At his baptism God the Father voiced his approval of his Son and thus began Jesus’ public ministry.After Jesus was baptized by John, the heavens opened and the voice of God the Father was heard saying, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” This simple sentence is packed full of wonderful Gospel comfort. First of all, God says that this man Jesus, who was standing before this whole crowd of people who had come to be baptized by John, is his Son. God is publicly identifying Jesus as God’s Son, and therefore God himself is testifying publicly that Jesus is God.

 

            Next, God says that he loves Jesus and is pleased with him. While God loves all of us as his dear children, we know that as sinful creatures we are not pleasing to God. So when God says that he is pleased with Jesus he is saying that Jesus is without sin and that Jesus was perfectly carrying out his mission as our Savior.

 

            It’s comforting for us to hear God’s testimony here that Jesus was without sin because leading up to his baptism we don’t know a whole lot about Jesus’ life. The last time we heard about Jesus was when he was 12 years old and visiting the temple at the end of Luke 2. There’s about a 20 year gap in the history of Jesus’ life that we aren’t told much about in Scripture, but God reassures us here at Jesus’ baptism that during that time Jesus still lived a perfect life and was without sin. Hearing God’s words here reminds us and reassures us that Jesus did live a holy life and fulfilled all the requirements to be our Savior.

 

            Furthermore, God uses the occasion of Jesus’ baptism to show us the Trinity. All three persons of the Trinity are present at Jesus baptism, and all are united in their affirmation of Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus was physically present and submitting to God’s will by being baptized. The Father was present and his words were heard by all the people there as he voiced his approval of Jesus and his work. And we are told in verse 10 that the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove, thus showing the unity of the Trinity. Though there are 3 persons in the Trinity there is one God who is unified in purpose, and that purpose is to save souls through God’s Son and our Savior, Jesus.

 

            It’s interesting to note that Scripture never describes how Jesus was baptized, but rather always focuses on what happens in baptism. God comes to us in baptism. God comes to us as the whole unified Trinity. The Holy Spirit creates faith and God marks us as his own dear children through baptism. God never tells us how Jesus was baptized, other than that there was water and that it was according to God’s command, because baptism is not about what we do. Baptism is entirely about what God does for us.

 

            So now having heard about Jesus’ baptism, apply it to yourself… Now that you have looked at what God said to Jesus, what does God say to you?

 

            First and foremost, God speaks to us in baptism by sending his Holy Spirit to create faith in our hearts. God has chosen to work through means, and those means are the means of grace; the Word and the sacraments. Through this sacrament of Holy Baptism, God comes to us and creates the faith through which we receive the blessings his Son died on the cross to win for us.

 

 

 

            In baptism we are joined together with Christ in his death and resurrection. Baptism creates the powerful bond that holds us together with Christ and makes the blessings of Christ’s death and resurrection available to us. The power of that bond does not rely on a promise that we make or on anything that we do, but the power of that bond is based on the water combined with the promise of God’s Word. Without the Word the water of baptism is powerless. The power of baptism doesn’t depend on us…on how strong our conviction is, or where we are baptized, or how much water is involved; but depends entirely upon the Word.

 

            A prematurely born baby that is baptized with a few drops of water in the intensive care unit of a hospital receives the same baptism as an adult who stands at the baptismal font here in church to be baptized. Both are baptized with water and the Word and both receive the same benefits of baptism. Both are welcomed by their loving God and given the assurance of their salvation through this means of grace.

 

            In baptism God marks us as his own dear children as we receive the sign of the cross over our heads and hearts. He marks us as his own, just like a shepherd marks the sheep of his flock to let others know they belong to him. Through baptism we become God’s own, not because of anything we do, but entirely because of what God does and says to us.

 

            Through the waters of Holy Baptism, God has called us to be his own. However, that is just the beginning of the story. Just like Jesus’ baptism began his ministry, our baptism is the beginning of our Christian lives. It is the sure foundation upon which our life of faith is built and since it is such a sure foundation we can go back to it for comfort in hard times. When the troubles of life are attempting to shake your faith remember the solid foundation of your baptism. When you are faced with the possibility of losing a job remember that your salvation is certain. If your health is failing remember the promise God made to you at your baptism, that your sins are forgiven and no disease can take your Savior from you. If the uncertainty of the future seems like too much to bear, fall back on the foundation of your faith…the relationship you have with your Savior through your baptism. In all situations we are sure of our salvation because God says we can be. God voiced his approval of Jesus as our Savior, so since we are joined together with Jesus in baptism you can live securely knowing that, because of Christ, God has voiced his approval of you.

 

            Our focus in baptism should always be like Mark’s in his account of Jesus baptism. One of the characteristics of Mark’s Gospel is that he focusses on the action in his accounts, and in doing so he focuses us on God’s action in baptism because that’s the only action there is. By nature we are spiritual roadkill, unable to move and get across the street. But through the life-giving water and word of Holy Baptism, we are made alive in Christ. In baptism God reassures us that we are no longer slaves to sin and death, but we have been made alive and free through the bond we have with our Savior.

 

            Baptism creates a beautiful image of the incredible power that is found when an awesome natural force like water is coupled with the even more awesome supernatural force of God’s Word. It’s a beautiful image because of its power, but also because it is entirely the work of God’s grace. The focus is always on God’s action; on his words to his Son, and on his words and actions toward us, his children. In all of life’s troubles we can fall back on the solid foundation we have with Christ through baptism. Thanks be to God for the wonderful gifts he has given us, and the awesome assurance we have through baptism.

Amen.

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The Gifts Keep Coming

2. January 2012 by admin.

Pastor Jonathan Rockhoff

1-1-2012

Colossians 3:15-17

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

In the name of Jesus, God’s Gift to us who comes bearing gifts for us, dear fellow redeemed,

It’s the day after Christmas.  You crawl out of bed and head down the stairs, looking only for that first cup of coffee to get you going.  On your way to the kitchen, you cast a glance into the living room, but something makes you stop and look again.  You even rub your eyes to make sure you’re awake and not dreaming.  There, under the tree, are a whole new batch of Christmas presents, wrapped up, waiting to be opened!  You’re sure you opened all your gifts a day or two before, but here are even more gifts.  What child — or what adult, for that matter — wouldn’t be overjoyed to find even more gifts awaiting them under the tree!

Just a dream, a fantasy that would never happen?  Well, it has happened!  It happens every day of a Christian’s life.  That’s the news we have before us this morning as we enter another new year. The apostle Paul points us to our Lord and to his continuous love, telling us that, with Christ:

      “The Gifts Keep Coming”

                              I. God’s peace to rule our hearts

                            II. God’s Word to make us wise

                              III. God’s name to give us life

God’s gifts were being challenged by a host of false teachers in the city of Colosse.  There was the heathen influence of human philosophy, with some proclaiming they could lead people to a deeper enlightenment and a more complete spiritual life than Christ could.  From the other side came the attack of the ones called Judaizers, those who insisted that the Old Testament laws were still binding, and that obedience to them was necessary for salvation.  Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians to counter both of these false groups.  In Colossians 2:8 he tells them, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”  In regards to the Judaizers Paul instructs them (Col 2:16,17), “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.  These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”

From there Paul proceeds to remind the Colossians that they were “God’s chosen people” (Col 3:12).  This calling wasn’t exclusively for the Jews.  It included Gentiles as well.  It was a gift of his grace, undeserved and unmerited.  But it’s this same calling which motivates us to serve our Lord.  We do so, not to gain our way into heaven, but to thank God for already giving us heaven through Christ.  Our life of service is the reaction to and result of God’s love, not the cause of it.  As Scripture tells us (1 Jn 4:19), “We love because he first loved us.”

God has given us our faith as a gift (Eph 2:8), “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”  But the gifts don’t stop here.  They keep coming. Paul describes these “non-stop” gifts for us this morning.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (v 15).  The word “rule” here actually pictures an umpire or referee deciding the outcome of a play.  The peace of Christ settles things for us.  It settles the outcome of our lives, assuring us of the prize our Savior won for us.  The rules of the Judaizers and the philosophy of men are left out of the picture.  Only Christ’s peace gives us the answers we need.

We’re united by that peace, not by the rules of men (v 15), “. . . since as members of one body you were called to peace.”  Jesus gives us the peace we need – his peace.  As he told his disciples (Jn 14:27), “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.”  He suffered and died in our place (Isa 53:5), “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him.”  Our peace treaty with God the Father was signed in the blood of Christ (Eph 2:13), “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.”  We have peace with God once again.  So what do we do?  “And be thankful” (v 15).  Just say “thank you” to God with the way you live.  Nothing to pay back.  Nothing left to earn.  Christ has done it all.  His peace is ours.  Just “be thankful.”

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”  That’s the peace that gives us a glimpse into the future.  That’s the peace that tells us what lies ahead.  That’s the peace that gets us through adversities, that tells us everything is going to be O.K.  How can we be so sure?  Because we know how things will end.  If you watch a football game on tape but you already know your team won, you won’t worry no matter how bad things look during the game.  You know your team will end up winners.  We know we’ll end up winners no matter what happens here on this earth because of Jesus, the “Prince of Peace.”  We have no reason to be afraid, because his peace, one of God’s gifts to us, keeps coming every day of our lives.

The peace of Christ comes to us whenever we hear his message of salvation.  Another of God’s gifts to us which keeps coming is the gift of his Word, “the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation” (2 Ti 3:15).

For our spiritual welfare it’s important that we get a proper dose of “soul” food (v 16), “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”  In the Greek language Paul is actually telling us to let the Word of Christ “take up residency” inside of us.  Let it do so “richly.”  Allow that Word to occupy every nook and cranny of your being.  That Word supplies true nourishment.  As Jesus told the devil in the desert (Mt 4:4), “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

When God’s Word takes root in our hearts, we’re able to use it for the benefit of others (v 16), “. . . as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.”  So often we think that it’s only for our own benefit to stay close to God’s Word.  But in Philippians we’re told (2:4), “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  That includes offering warnings when another is putting his faith in jeopardy.  In another of his letters Paul writes (1 Th 5:14), “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”  God isn’t telling us to be judgmental, but to simply let the Word do the work.  Let that Word dwell in you so that it can work through you.  In Hebrews we’re told (4:12), “The word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  In Jeremiah God asks (Jer 23:29), “Is not my word like fire, . . . and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”  Use that Word to “teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.”  It’s a gift meant to help you - and to help others!

We can display God’s gifts to us by the way we worship (v 16), “. . . as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”  True worship comes from the heart as a sign of our “gratitude.”  It isn’t meant to be mere lip service.  We’re never supposed to show up on a Sunday morning and just “go through the motions.”  Our singing, our worship is an expression of the joy and thanksgiving in our heart.  It’s a picture of the relationship we have with our God and the bond we have with one another.  During the time of the Reformation one monk complained that Luther did more “damage” with all the hymns he wrote than with all of his writings. “Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”  Why?  We get into the Word so that we can get something out of it.  Does that Word “dwell in you richly”?  Or is it only renting a room every now and then?  What’s more “normal” for you — to be here on Sunday morning, or to be somewhere else?  God has promised us that his Word will produce some wonderful results (Isa 55:11), “My word . . . will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”  And yet we’re also told (Ro 10:17), “Faith comes from hearing the message.”  We’re missing out on something when we’re not in church and when we’re not opening our Bibles at home!  Being here does make a difference!  It is important to be in the Word in our homes!  That’s where we get wisdom – wisdom which guides our lives and helps us guide others.  Put that wisdom to use in your own life and when you see a fellow Christian straying from the Word.  It is your business to admonish and correct!  Use the Word!  Let it dwell in you richly!  It’s yet another of God’s gifts which keeps on coming!

By God’s grace you’ve been called into his family.  You’ve been given his name.  You can answer to the title of “Christian.”  All of us bear our Lord’s name, the only name which can give us life.

It’s possible to hide our thoughts from those around us, but our words and actions will give us away every time.  That’s why we have Paul’s encouragement (v 17), “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Do everything the way you think Jesus would.  That applies to what you say (1 Pe 4:11), “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God.”  It also apples to what you do (Mt 5:16), “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Speak and live “in the name of the Lord Jesus,” in such a way that people will respect and honor your Father in heaven.

This is how we show our appreciation for the gifts God keeps giving to us.  The common response to receiving a gift is to say “thank you.”  The greater the gift, the more the appreciation.  If someone gave up a kidney so that you could live, you’d be grateful to that person for the rest of your life.  What about the One who gave up his Son for you?  Through Jesus we can again approach the throne of God’s grace. His name is our only ticket to God’s love (Ac 4:12), “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

We could never earn the right to bear our Savior’s name.  It comes to us only as a gift of God’s love.  By his grace we can call ourselves “Christians.”  With such a title bestowed upon us, let’s not hide our name tag.  Ask yourself at the end of every day, “What have I done today that nobody but a Christian would do?”  Did you show someone the joy inside you?  Did you tell someone the name of him who saved you from eternal death and damnation?  If a doctor would cure you of a life-threatening disease, you wouldn’t forget him.  His name would roll so easily off your lips as you sang his praises to everyone you met.  What about Jesus, our even greater Physician who’s cured us all of the plague of sin?  Sing his praises!  Proclaim his name!  He’s given us a new life, here and hereafter!  His name is yet another gift which keeps on coming!

By this time next year you will most likely have forgotten what you got for Christmas this year.  If you don’t believe me, then just tell me what you got last Christmas.  It’s not that easy, is it!  The gifts which seem so essential and so wonderful now may soon lose most of their luster.  And yet again this year you did receive something which always stands out.  You’ve once again been reminded of Jesus Christ, God’s greatest Gift to the world, and all the gifts he brings with him.  These gifts — his peace, his Word, his name, and many more — are new to us every morning.  What a joy to experience all of God’s gifts to us — gifts which keep on coming, into the new year and beyond!

                                                        Amen

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The Angels of God And The Final Advent

19. December 2011 by admin.

Vicar Dan Herold

December 18, 2011

MATTHEW 25:31 ANGELS’ CANDLE

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him,

he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.”

This morning we conclude our series on the messages of the four Advent candles. We’ve looked at the Candle of Prophecy and how God passed on the promise of his Son, our Savior, throughout history. We’ve seen the Bethlehem candle and how God chose such a tiny city for such a great purpose. We’ve examined the Shepherds’ Candle that reminds us that we have a Shepherd who cares for us and guides us. And now we come to the one called the Angels’ Candle. 

If you talk to people these days about angels you’ll probably get various kinds of reactions. Some will just smile at you as if to say, “Oh, that’s nice that you think that.” Others may not be so polite, as they laugh out loud and ridicule you. In this scientific age of ours, angels are just another superstition from a the unenlightened past, in the same category as elves and leprechauns and pixie dust.

If you look in the Bible though, you’ll find a different reaction. There you’ll find that angels are never the punchline of a joke, and never a laughing matter at all. Angels are real. And if, by God’s grace, we still believe the Bible, then these holy messengers of God will still inspire our awe and respect.

But the modern day Christian may have a different problem when it comes to angels. Today’s Christian may not reject the whole idea of angels, but far too often we find ourselves thinking that angels live only on the pages of the Old and New Testaments — and never in the world today — never in our own daily lives.

But there are many people today whose lives have been touched by angels. People have walked away unharmed from what should have been a deadly car accident, who survive in a pocket of safety while a tornado rips apart everything around them, but the world naturally would scoff at the idea of a guardian angel. 

And since it is both necessary and helpful for us to study angels, the Advent season is a very appropriate time to do so. The Gospel accounts for this season of the church year is full of appearances of angels.

Luke opens his Gospel with the events leading up to the birth of Christ. He tells us of the angel who appeared to Zachariah the priest and told him that his wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son who would become the great Advent prophet John the Baptist. Six months later this same angel Gabriel came to a young virgin with the earth-shaking news that she would become the mother of the Savior. In Luke 1 the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary saying, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… His kingdom will never end.” 

On Christmas Eve an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. This messenger of God preached the first Christmas sermon in Luke 2: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord.”  And then the heavenly host “of angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold,” sang “Glory to God in the highest!”

Later an angel would appear to Joseph in a dream and warn him to take the Christ Child to Egypt and remain there until Herod’s death.

It was angels who appeared to Jesus after he was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights by the devil, and who ministered to him. An angel from heaven strengthened Jesus in the depth of his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. On the great day of Christ’s resurrection, it was again an angel who preached the first Easter sermon speaking to the women at Jesus’ tomb in Matthew 28, saying: “He is not here; he is risen, just as he said.” And on the mount of his Ascension, two of these heavenly messengers appeared to the speechless disciples and told them: “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

And now our text today tells us: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.”

All the accounts and references of the Bible concerning angels teach us that they are spirits who act according to God’s will. Angels are always presented in a serving and ministering role. Scripture comforts us by assuring us that angels serve God’s people and watch over his children. This idea was so comforting to Martin Luther that he included this phrase in both his Morning and his Evening Prayer: “Let your holy angel be with me that the wicked foe may have no power over me.” God sends his angels to protect us from dangers in this world and also to provide help to resist temptation. 

The fact that angels are holy, that they’re mighty, and that they’re numerous is comforting for us today as we look forward toward the uncertainties this life holds. But the greatest comfort is that just as these angels  who ministered to Jesus, also serve us. We’re united with Christ by faith. We are all the children of God through faith in his son, Christ Jesus. And so it’s a privilege to know that God gives us, his children, such a mighty and holy bodyguard. And we know that one day we’ll see them and join in their triumphant heavenly song.

The entire focus of Advent season is always on Christ’s coming — both his first coming as the baby boy in Bethlehem, and his final coming to judge the living and the dead. While, we can — and we should — celebrate and observe the anniversary of his holy birth, and praise our God for such a great salvation. But every Advent yet to come, as long as the earth still stands, points our attention to the second coming of Christ.

This season of Advent should really heighten and sharpen our hunger to be with Christ forever. It’s the time we have to repent of our sins and confess them to God and to our fellow men. It’s the time we yet have to pray that the Christ who; came to Bethlehem so long ago, who paid the supreme sacrifice for our sin on Calvary’s cross, who rose on Easter and then returned to his heavenly Father, and will come again to take us home.

Living in such an Advent hope, we can live our lives and perform our Christian duties in gratitude and devotion to our Redeemer. And we can live confident lives, knowing that our Advent Lord will yet send his holy angel to be with us in death and to carry our souls home to him in heaven.

And then, as the final moment —  which only the Father knows the time of—  breaks upon this world, our Advent King in a blinding display of power and glory, will come with all his holy angels. And the trumpet will sound. And the dead will be raised. And all — both good and evil — will come before his glorious throne for judgment.

It will be a devastating experience for the unbelievers. They will be separated from God for all eternity. But it will be an experience filled with joy for God’s believers, who together with angels and the archangel will raise a mighty chorus of praise that will fill heaven’s halls. We will join in the angels praises saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

So, let the light of the angel’s candle of the Advent wreath remind you of God’s love through Christ and all his holy angels who serve you. Think of the final Advent yet to come. And then lift up your heads, for your redemption surely draws near.

Amen.

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What Did You Get For Christmas?

12. December 2011 by admin.

Pastor Jonathan Rockhoff

12-11-2011

Isaiah 61:1-3, 10,11

 

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, 
   because the LORD has anointed me 
   to preach good news to the poor. 
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 
   to proclaim freedom for the captives 
   and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a] 
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor 
   and the day of vengeance of our God, 
to comfort all who mourn, 
 ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion— 
to bestow on them a crown of beauty 
   instead of ashes, 
the oil of gladness 
   instead of mourning, 
and a garment of praise 
   instead of a spirit of despair. 
They will be called oaks of righteousness, 
   a planting of the LORD 

   for the display of his splendor.

 ¹⁰ I delight greatly in the LORD; 
   my soul rejoices in my God. 
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation 
   and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, 
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, 
   and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 
¹¹ For as the soil makes the sprout come up 
   and a garden causes seeds to grow, 
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise 

   spring up before all nations.

 

 

Dear Christian people, preparing for the Savior who takes our sins away,

If you took a peak at your bulletin this morning and saw the theme for the sermon, you might have been a bit confused.  How can the sermon be about what we got for Christmas when Christmas is still two weeks away?  Certainly this would be a more fitting question for the Sunday after Christmas – not for the Third Sunday in Advent.

Let me assure you that there is no mistake in today’s theme, no whimsical rearranging of the church year.  Instead, it’s meant to make a point.  I can ask you what you got for Christmas, because the best Gift you’ve ever received was given to you over 2000 years ago.

This morning the prophet Isaiah reminds us again of God’s greatest Gift to mankind, helping us answer the question:

“What Did You Get for Christmas?”

                                                          I. A Savior who brings good news

                                                         II. A joy which shines for all

The prophecy from Isaiah before us this morning speaks of joy and deliverance, and once again it would find its fulfillment in two ways.  There would be the joy of being delivered from the 70-year Babylonian captivity, but an even greater joy would come many years later when they would be delivered from the eternal captivity of their sins by the arrival of God’s Messiah.  Some have argued that Isaiah couldn’t possibly have had the birth of the Savior in mind when he wrote these words, but Jesus himself read this portion of Scripture in the synagogue and then proclaimed (Lk 4:21), “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”  So even though Isaiah may have written these words, it was Jesus who was speaking through him.

The Messiah begins by pointing out his credentials (v 1), “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.”  Jesus was “anointed,” or chosen, for the purpose of bringing “good news” to those who are “poor” in spirit – spiritually bankrupt.  He wasn’t anointed with oil like the kings and prophets of the Old Testament.  No, he was anointed by the Holy Spirit, chosen and equipped by his heavenly Father to bring the good news of salvation to the world.

When did this anointing take place?  It occurred when Jesus asked John to baptize him.  Jesus wasn’t baptized to have his sins forgiven.  After all, he’s the sinless Son of God.  His baptism was more of an installation.  It served to mark the beginning of his public ministry.  It was then that John witnessed the Holy Spirit’s “anointing” (Jn 1:32), “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.”  And the Spirit didn’t come empty-handed!  Earlier Isaiah speaks of the gifts the Spirit would provide for Jesus (Isa 11:2), “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”  Jesus had everything he needed to bring us the good news of salvation.

Anointing in the Old Testament meant that a person was being chosen or designated for something special.  As the “Christ,” the “Anointed One,” Jesus describes his mission (v 1), “[The LORD] has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners.”  Hearts burdened by the guilt of sin are shattered.  Jesus was sent to patch them up.  Souls enslaved by sin are Satan’s hostages.  Jesus came to pay their ransom.  As Paul proclaims in 2 Corinthians (3:17), “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”  Freedom from sin, freedom from Satan, freedom from death – the shackles have been removed!  That’s the “good news” brought to us by our Savior!

If the Savior has set us free, then he has nothing but more good news to tell us.  Jesus also came into our world “to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn” (v 2).  “The year of the LORD’s favor” is a reference back to the Old Testament “Year of Jubilee.”  God had declared that every 50 years any Israelite slave was to be set free, and all land was to be returned to its original owner.  This was a year of great rejoicing in Israel, but there would be even greater joy for those receiving the favor brought by the Messiah.  His arrival would restore the favor lost by Adam and Eve, allowing us once again to be members of God’s family, providing everlasting “comfort” for “all who mourn.”  But as for those who reject him and his saving work, all they have in their future is “the day of vengeance of our God,” for they will have no one to stand in for them before the judgment throne of the Lord.

What a different future lies ahead for God’s people!  The promised Savior would come to “provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (v 3).  Notice the exchanges that take place when the Savior comes.  Instead of “ashes,” a sign of sadness and grief, God’s people receive “a crown of beauty.”  Instead of “mourning,” we receive “the oil of gladness.”  To replace “despair,” that feeling of hopelessness so many wallow in because of their sins, Jesus supplies “a garment of praise.”  He gives us every reason to rejoice as we sing the praises of the Savior who brings us good news!

People who had no future and nothing to live for now have an everlasting hope and the promise of eternal glory – all because God gave us a Savior for Christmas!  It doesn’t matter what treasures will be revealed under your Christmas tree later this month, because you’ve already received your greatest Gift.  Every year from God’s Word you receive the good news that a Savior has been born to you – Christ the Lord!  We may not see him wrapped up under our trees, but we can still find him where it matters the most – in our hearts!  He leaves no room for “ashes” or “mourning” or“despair,” because he brings with him “beauty” and “gladness” and “praise.”  Every Christmas season we can rejoice because we have a Savior who brings good news!

Is that joy always evident?  One of the neat things about Christmas is being able to watch children when they open presents.  There’s no hiding the joy on their faces.  An even greater joy is ours when the gift of a Savior is revealed to us.  It’s a joy that can’t be hidden but is meant to shine for all.

Remember how Adam and Eve felt after they sinned?  We’re told that they “realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves” (Ge 3:7).  Remember their reaction to hearing God in the garden?  They ran and “hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden” (Ge 3:8).  Little ‘fraidy cats, ashamed of what they looked like and shaking in their boots over what they had become.  All the joy had been sucked out of their lives.

Jesus would change all that.  His arrival would change sinful, shameful people into “oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor” (v 3).  Once cowering in shame, now we can stand tall as an oak tree because we’ve been given “righteousness,” the declaration by God himself that in Christ we are fit for his heaven, having been “planted” by him in his kingdom to display “his splendor” to others.  It would be foolish to decorate your house with lights at this time of year but then never turn them on.  In the same way, God has “decorated” us with the splendor of Christ’s righteousness.  And he wants us to let our lights shine!

Being able to prophesy about the Lord’s Messiah gave Isaiah more joy than he could contain (v 10), “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God.  For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

That’s the joy we share today.  Over our sin-stained bodies, Jesus throws “garments of salvation.”  Around our guilt-ridden souls, he wraps “a robe of righteousness.”  On their wedding day, a bridegroom would wear a turban of fine linen and a bride would wear her best jewelry – all to symbolize the joy in their hearts.  In the same way, God’s people reflect the joy of being adorned with the “salvation” and “righteousness” of Christ.

God has always intended for us to let that joy shine forth.  It comes naturally for his children (v 11), “For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.”  You might say that we are God’s garden.  Earlier Isaiah describes us that way (Isa 58:11), “You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”  God has planted faith in our hearts and now is constantly working on us as we grow in faith and produce fruits that display his splendor and the joy in our hearts – joy which he first gave to us in the form of his Son!

Every Christmas season we get to sing (CW 62), “Joy to the World.”  But are we letting that joy shine for others?  The last two days we were given wonderful opportunities to do just that.  Friday night through the mouths of children at our child care center’s Christmas program, almost 400 people received the message of joy that a Savior had been born for them.  Then yesterday over 20 volunteers shared the joy of the Christ-child with 52 children at our Christmas for Kids program – 19 of whom do not have a church home.  I can’t imagine anyone who participated in these events claiming that it was a waste of their time and an unpleasant experience.  Not that it wasn’t hard work to put these things together, but the joy of sharing Jesus overcomes any frustrations or weariness that comes with the territory.  It’s all worthwhile when we can share our joy and watch the Lord “make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.”

If you feel as if you’re missing out on that joy this holiday season, there’s still time.  You still have time to center your thoughts on the manger instead of the malls, to focus more on the Savior than on the sales, to feast more on the Christmas story than the Christmas cookies.  You still have time to share your joy with others with invitations to worship with you in God’s house.  You still have time to share God’s Gift of a Savior with the world!

During the next two weeks, no doubt, people will be asking you what you want for Christmas.  Whether your list is made up of only a few items or a mile long, try not to center all of your attention on what you want.  Instead, take time to look back at what you already have!  Tell people you’ve already got exactly what you wanted – exactly what you needed!  Tell them you got a Savior!

                                                                                                                                                            Amen

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The Lord of Glory Is Coming!

4. December 2011 by admin.

Pastor Jonathan Rockhoff

December 4, 2011

Isaiah 40:1-8

 ¹ Comfort, comfort my people, 
   says your God. 
² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, 
   and proclaim to her 
that her hard service has been completed, 
   that her sin has been paid for, 
that she has received from the LORD’s hand 
   double for all her sins.

 ³ A voice of one calling:
“In the desert prepare
the way for the LORD^[a];
make straight in the wilderness
a highway for our God.^[b]
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

 ⁶ A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”

   “All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall,

   but the word of our God stands forever.”

Dear fellow children of God, gathered together to hear the good news about the King of kings,

How many of you were members of Messiah in December of 1999?  Of those of you who were, who remembers the unique thing that took place 12 years ago tomorrow, on December 5, 1999?  On that day, for the only time in the 24½ years of my ministry here at Messiah, we canceled our Sunday morning church service.  I’ve forgotten the actual amount, but we were hit with a wet, heavy snowfall overnight that all but paralyzed the city.  After three organists backed out one-by-one because they couldn’t get out of their driveways, and after my wife kindly informed me that every other church in Wichita had already canceled services, and after I couldn’t get my own car shoveled out of the driveway, I reluctantly gave the O.K. to cancel out the worship service for that morning.

With the potential of this weekend’s rain turning to snow, perhaps you might have made a few preparations for some severe weather.  Maybe you checked to see if you had some ice melt for your sidewalk or located an ice-scraper for your car.  With our organist living in Arkansas City, we had our HymnSoft operator on standby for today’s services just in case the weather turned nasty.  Even though we don’t get too much snow here in Kansas, it makes sense to be prepared just in case some wintery weather does come our way.

Preparation is important when we know a change in weather is coming.  But preparation is essential when we know that our Savior is coming.  That’s why you’re here this morning.  You want to be ready, because:

“The LORD of Glory Is Coming”

                                                             I. Listen to his gracious comfort

                                                            II. Prepare his desert highway

                                                            III. Believe his everlasting Word

Isaiah believed in preparation.  His job as a prophet of the Lord was to prepare God’s people for the coming Messiah – even though that Messiah wasn’t scheduled to arrive for another 700 years!  In the first 39 chapters of Isaiah we find primarily a harsh message of law.  Isaiah tells us why in the very first chapter (Isa 1:4), “Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption!  They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.”  Chapter 39 ends with the gloomy prophecy that Babylonian invaders would strip the temple and take Jerusalem’s people into exile.  But now with the beginning of chapter 40 comes the abrupt announcement that God intended to bring the exiles back.  He would come for his people.

The message meant to bring forth guilt was now followed up by a message of comfort (vv 1,2), “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.”  The wounds of God’s people would be bound up.  In spite of their rebellion, God still loved his people.  Through the harsh discipline of captivity and the stern rebukes of the prophets, the people would be brought to repentance.  That’s why Isaiah’s message changed from doom and gloom to mercy and comfort.  God’s prophets were now to “speak tenderly” (literally, “to the heart”).  They had a message of gracious comfort for Jerusalem and its people.

There were three main points to God’s message of comfort.  First came the announcement that Israel’s “hard service”was over.  Think of their captivity as an adult “time-out.”  Hopefully they had learned their lesson now that the time of their chastisement was over.  Secondly, Israel’s “sin [had] been paid for.”  Who paid for their sin?  Certainly not Israel.  Even 70 years of captivity wasn’t enough to make up for their idolatry and rebellion against God.  Israel’s sin could only be removed by the blood of an innocent victim, the Suffering Servant upon whose back the Lord would lay the sins of all people.  Later Isaiah would proclaim (Isa 53:6), “The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”  The final message of comfort:  Israel would receive “double for all her sins.”  Through the promised Messiah God’s people would receive a double portion of blessings, as Isaiah later explains (Isa 61:7), “Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, . . . and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.”  Such great news for those in exile – earthly blessings and heavenly joy!  Listen to the gracious comfort of the Lord of glory as he promises to come for his people!

For us today as New Testament believers that same message of gracious comfort comes to us.  We, too, can rejoice because our “hard service has been completed,” our “sin has been paid for,” and we’ve “received from the LORD’s hand” a double portion of his blessings.  Jesus has fulfilled our obligation by living the perfect life that we could not live.  He paid the price for our sins through the journey that ended on a cross absent of the Father’s presence.  And because of his sacrifice, we now receive his message of gracious comfort instead of harsh condemnation, abundantly blessed as we wait for the Lord of glory to take us home!

Knowing that Jesus has prepared us for heaven, it’s now important for us to prepare for him.  The advent season is all about preparation.  Isaiah tells us to prepare his desert highway.

“A voice of one calling:  ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.  And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.  For the mouth of the LORD has spoken’” (vv 3-5).  Here we actually have a double deliverance foretold.  First, the Lord would deliver his people from captivity.  All the mountains and hills had to be leveled and the ditches and valleys filled in – to prepare a desert highway for the Lord of glory!  God would use history to accomplish his will as he would raise up Cyrus the Persian king to overthrow the Babylonian juggernaut in 539 B.C.  Then in Cyrus’ first year the Lord would move him to decree a release for the Jews and restoration for their temple.  All nations would see the Lord’s power.  They would see his glory as he brought his people home!

But this miraculous deliverance would only foreshadow the greater deliverance announced by a New Testament“voice.”  John the Baptist called for a level highway, encouraging the Jews of his day and you and me today to clear our hearts of any obstacles that might get in the way of our Savior.  The mountains we need leveled are made up of self-pride, self-satisfaction, and self-righteousness, which tempt us to think that we can approach the Father’s throne without the Lord of glory.  On the other hand, the valleys and ditches of despair need to be filled in with the hope that comes with the Savior’s forgiveness.  Make room for him in your heart!  Prepare the desert highway for the Lord of glory!

When the Savior has a clear path to our hearts, then “the glory of the LORD will be revealed.”  Israel saw the Lord’s glory revealed in the wilderness in the pillar of cloud leading them during the day and the pillar of fire comforting them at night.  New Testament believers saw his glory revealed in the form of a little baby on that first Christmas night.  That same glory was revealed to us in our hearts when the Holy Spirit brought us to faith.  And that glory will be revealed again when the Lord appears with all his angels on the Last Day.  “All mankind together will see it.”  There will be no mistaking the arrival of the Lord of glory then!

If God’s glory has been revealed in us, if the highway to our hearts has been prepared for our Savior, then let’s reflect that glory to others.  Even in the midst of the darkness of this world, we can reflect the light of our Lord.  Clear out everything in your life that threatens to snuff out that light.  Make sure your attention and focus this holiday season is on what’s most important so that the “trappings” of the season don’t “trap” you.  Give Jesus the place he deserves in your heart, and reflect his glory for all the world to see!

To do this requires that we keep our focus on what counts.  The Lord of glory is coming, so let’s put our faith in his everlasting Word.

The Lord now turns to Isaiah with instructions concerning the message he was to deliver (vv 6-8), “A voice says, ‘Cry out.’  And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’  ‘All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.  The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them.  Surely the people are grass.  The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.’”  Why such negative words so soon after God’s message of comfort?  Because by nature we still want to look away from him and, for some reason, think that we can work out our salvation on our own.  We put our trust in ourselves and in the things of this world.  We think we can carry the load of our sins and somehow be acceptable in God’s sight.

But no matter how green the grass looks or how radiant the flowers appear, still they wither and die.  In the same way, no matter how “good” we may think we are, no matter how much man-made “glory” we may display for the eyes of others, Isaiah still reminds us that on our own “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isa 64:6).  Without the Lord of glory, we can only wither and fall.

On our own we’re dying – physically, spiritually, and eternally.  In contrast to our own demise, “the word of our God stands forever.”  Because of Jesus, God’s message of grace rings out throughout Scripture, from the first promise in Eden of a serpent-Crusher to the promised Seed of Abraham to David’s Son to Isaiah’s Suffering Servant.  Even today the word of the Lord continues to be proclaimed faithfully in our church body from every pulpit, at every baptismal font, and from every Communion table.

Why trust in something temporary when you can put your faith in God’s everlasting word?  When bad weather comes in, we know that eventually it’ll pass – it won’t last forever.  Not so with the word of the Lord!  His promises do last – they’re everlasting!  So when the Lord promises he’ll watch over us, he means forever!  When he says that no matter how bad things get in this world, his church will endure, he speaks the truth!  And when he says his Son will come back to take us home, you can count on it!  God’s Word is sure!  Hear it, read it, believe it – for the Lord of glory is coming!

I’ve heard varying forecasts from different sources as to what kind of a winter we have coming our way.  Some proclaim a mild season, while others say just the opposite.  No matter what forecast proves to be true, we would be wise to prepare for whatever may come.  After all, as the saying goes, there’s no predicting the weather.

We can’t predict when the Lord of glory will be returning to this earth, so it makes sense to be prepared at all times.  Take the time to listen to his message of comfort, to prepare your heart for him, and to strengthen your faith with his everlasting Word.  Make time – now! – to get ready, because, ready or not, the Lord of glory is coming!

                                                                        Amen

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Watch Out–Jesus Is Coming!

27. November 2011 by admin.

Mark 13:32-37

³² “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. ³⁴ It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.   ³⁵ “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. ³⁶ If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷ What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

Vicar Dan Herold

11-27-2011

When I was in high school I worked at one of the food courts in the Mall of America. Every day was interesting, and you never really knew what the day was going to be like when you got there. Some days were so busy that you would work an 8 hour shift without a break. Other days were so slow that watching the janitors empty the trash seemed exciting. But there was one thing that every employee feared…the day the health inspector came to visit. As soon as the health inspector showed up every one began to worry; what am I going to get written up for? How bad is our report going to be? How mad is the boss going to be?

 

            The health inspector didn’t come by very often, so in between visits we tended to let our guard down. Maybe the floor didn’t get mopped as well as it could have, maybe the shelves weren’t as neatly organized as they should be,-it was those little things that slip first. Then, if it goes too long bigger things start to slip by. Maybe the health inspector finds a box of food that expired 6 months ago and never found its way to the dumpster. We knew that the day the health inspector came was never a good day because inevitably there was some way in which we weren’t prepared for the inspection.

 

            In our text today Jesus warns us about a different kind of inspection. He warns us about his inspection of us, or, in other words, Judgment Day. He warns us that he is indeed coming and that we should be watching for him and preparing our hearts for his return. He tells us to watch out, and he even tells us how. He tells us that we should watch intently for his coming, that we should watch faithfully, and that we should watch eagerly.

 

            First of all, we need to watch intently because we don’t know when he is coming. The words of Jesus that we have before us this morning are his answer to the disciples’ question, “When will the end of the world come?” And his reply is a little surprising…He says, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” He doesn’t tell them that it isn’t coming, in fact he says the opposite. He assures them that the end of the world is coming, but no one knows when, so they need to watch carefully and intently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            If you have ever had the privilege of being around the purple room when Pastor finds a cricket to feed Lizzy, the pet bearded dragon, you would see what it means to watch intently. The kids love watching Lizzy chase down a cricket, but she doesn’t always go after it right away. The kids know that Lizzy is going to get the cricket, but they don’t know when. They stand patiently, watching intently, and waiting for Lizzy to snap up the cricket. Similarly, we have been assured that Jesus is coming again, but we don’t know when. Since we don’t know when, Jesus told us that we need to watch intently as we wait for his return.

 

            Some people, however, think that we can know the time when Jesus will return. It seems like there is always a prediction out there for a date when the world will end. Jesus, however, tells us that we can’t know the day, or the hour, or even the season when he will return. Jesus says that he can’t tell us when the end will come because he himself doesn’t know. That statement from Jesus surprises some people. You mean Jesus, who is God, isn’t all knowing? The fact that Jesus says he doesn’t know when the end of the world will come doesn’t mean that he isn’t God, but it is an example of the power Jesus set aside to become our Savior. When Jesus took on human flesh he set aside some of his divine power. Jesus decided to set aside his knowledge of when the end would come, and he did so for our good.

 

            It was for our good because honestly, what good would that information be to us?  Some people say, “Well if I knew when the world would end it would be easier for me to start preparing.” However, if we think back to our school days and are honest with ourselves, knowing the due date for an assignment never made us start the assignment any earlier. Knowing the due date is just an excuse to push preparation off. It’s an excuse for us to be comfortable and say, “I don’t need to start that yet, it’s so far off!”

 

            That is the exact attitude Satan wants us to have. He wants us to feel comfortable in this sinful world. He wants us to get used to it and not want to change our sinful ways until it’s too late. Jesus, on the other hand warns us about becoming too comfortable. In verse 33 he says, “Be on guard! Be alert.” He tells us that we need to be aware and watching intently.

 

            When we say that Satan wants us to be comfortable we aren’t implying that God wants us to suffer, but he wants us to be a little on edge…always looking forward to his return. He doesn’t tell us when he will return because he knows us too well. He knows that we wouldn’t benefit from that knowledge. Instead he tells us to always be ready and always be watchful. Even though God hasn’t told us when he will return, he hasn’t totally left us in the dark either. He has given us the tools we need to prepare our hearts and faithfully watch for his return.

 

 

 

 

 

            God has blessed us with the means of grace, the Word and sacraments, which is all we need to prepare our hearts to meet our Lord. The way we prepare to meet him is by using the means of grace and by repenting of the sin with which Satan wants us to be comfortable. When Jesus told his disciples how to prepare for the end of the world he used an example of a master entrusting the care of his house to his servants while he went away. He said in verse 34, “It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

 

            In order to understand what Jesus was talking about, think back to your teenage years, to a time your parents went out of town for the weekend and left you in charge of the house. At first it seems like you’re on top of the world! The whole house is yours! Your parents probably left you a little money for groceries, the house was probably already stocked with food, the TV was all yours and there was no one to argue with about what you would watch. You were pretty well equipped to survive while your parents were gone and if you were like me when I was that age you probably made good use of the freedom you had been given.

 

            A day or two later though, reality begins to set in. Your parents are going to come back. You might have been lucky enough to have been told when they were coming back, but some parents may have thought ahead and not even told you what time they would be back. And then you realize that if your parents came home right now and saw the condition of their house it was not going to be a good day for you. But then all of a sudden you remember that in addition to all the good fun stuff that was in the house, there are also cleaning supplies and you have everything you need to get the house back in order. You have trash bags, cleaning rags, soap, and all that you need to clean up whatever mess you made.

 

            Similarly God left us with what we need to get our house in order, so to speak, before he returns. He left us with the his Word which is all we need in order to hear about our Savior and our need to repent of our sins. God has blessed us with a lot of freedom on this earth, but he reminds us the earth belongs to him and we belong to him and are accountable to him. We all sin and fall short of what God demands, but he blessed us with a Savior who takes that sin away.

 

             Just like the master and the parents return and want to find their house in good order, Jesus is going to return and expects to find us, his church, in good order. The parents and the master gave their kids and servants everything that was needed to maintain their house, and likewise God has given us exactly what we need to sustain our faith. When he returns he expects to find that we have put what he has given us to use and not let it go to waste.

 

 

 

 

            The kids who were left in charge of the house had cleaning supplies to clean up their mess. And we have our Savior Jesus who doesn’t just hide our messes, but makes it as though they never happened. As redeemed children of God we know what that last day means for us and we eagerly look forward to Jesus’ return.

 

            God assures us that he is without a doubt coming back. If we are watching intently and faithfully, there’s no reason why we would be caught off guard. Since we know what’s coming, and we know our Savior who is coming, we have nothing to fear and can eagerly await his return.

 

            If you were the servant who had been entrusted with taking care of the master’s house you wouldn’t want to be caught off guard. Even if the house was in perfect order you wouldn’t want to be caught sleeping on the job, would you? If you were the servant and knew your master was coming soon you would be eagerly awaiting his arrival, and in the same way we should be excited. We may not know exactly when he is coming, but we do know who is coming.

 

            We have every reason to be excited about Jesus’ return. For the food court employees where I worked, there was a level of uncertainty as to what the health inspector’s report would be so there was cause for them to be apprehensive. We, however, have already received Jesus’ report. We have been declared righteous before God, our Judge, by the holy precious blood and innocent suffering and death of our Savior, Jesus. We know what’s going to happen when Jesus comes back so we have every reason to be excited about it.

 

            So are you ready? Jesus says, “If the master comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.” Have you been watching? Part of you probably says, “yes” and part of you probably says, “no” to those questions. We know that we are ready for Christ’s return because we know that we are saved. But on the other hand we aren’t always as watchful as we could be. There are so many traps that Satan uses to lull us into a false sense of security, and being the sinful creatures that we are, we give in to them all too often.

 

            We allow ourselves to think that Jesus won’t be coming back for a long time so we don’t need to be ready right now. We fall into the trap of thinking that only the extremists actively look forward to the end of the world. Jesus saw that way of thinking at his time, and it is just as prevalent today. That is why Jesus issued the warning we read today in verse 37, “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” He warns us to watch out! He tells us to watch intently and faithfully, but he also reassures us that we can watch for his return eagerly.

 

            So as we begin a new church year today, keep that in mind. We don’t need to fear the future because our salvation is certain. But we must fight the temptation to let that knowledge make us complacent. We still need to watch out. We need to watch for our coming Savior; not fearfully, but we watch for him intently, faithfully, and eagerly. 

 Amen

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Go With A Winner!

20. November 2011 by admin.

Pastor Jonathan Rockhoff

11-20-2011

1 Corinthians 15:20-28

²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For he “has put everything under his feet.”^[c] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. ²⁸ When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

In the name of Christ, our King, dear fellow servants of our Lord,

“Nobody remembers who finished second but the guy who finished second.”  That’s a quote attributed to race car driver Bobby Unser which emphasizes how people tend to remember only the winners while forgetting the team or person they defeated.  Such a theory seems to apply in politics as well as sports.  To prove my point, let’s look back at past presidential elections.  In 2008, Barak Obama defeated . . . John McCain.  In 2004, George W. Bush defeated . . . John Kerry.  In 2000, George W. Bush defeated . . . Al Gore.  In 1996, Bill Clinton defeated . . . Bob Dole.  In 1992, Bill Clinton defeated . . . George H. Bush.  In 1988, George H. Bush defeated . . . Michael Dukakis.  In 1984, Ronald Reagan defeated . . . Walter Mondale.  In 1980, Ronald Reagan defeated . . . Jimmy Carter.  Get the point?

When it comes to politics, there’s not a lot of honor or attention given to those who finish second.  When it comes to spiritual matters, there shouldn’t be any honor or attention given to one who finished second in the battle for our souls.  Why give honor and attention to the devil, to the one who went one-on-one with God and lost?  Why follow him and his temptations when we know he’s a loser?  It makes better sense to hop on the bandwagon of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who defeated sin, death, and the devil and won for us salvation.

This morning we celebrate “Christ the King” Sunday by listening to the apostle Paul as he encourages us to:

“Go With a Winner!”

                                                                   I. Victorious over death

                                                                 II. Victorious over all

There were some in the Corinthian congregation who were struggling with the concept of a bodily resurrection.  Rising from the dead was contrary to nature.  It wasn’t that they doubted Jesus’ resurrection.  They just looked at that as an isolated event that had no connection to the possibility of their own resurrection.  Paul begged to differ and approaches their misguided views with the words before us this morning.

After stating the devastating results of having a Savior who did not rise, Paul continues by illustrating the connection between the very real resurrection of Jesus to the resurrection of his followers (v 20), “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”  Since they did acknowledge the resurrection of Christ, Paul points out that he was just “the firstfruits.”  Firstfruits were expected from people as part of the Old Testament ceremonial law.  Each spring the first sheaf of winter grain was waved before the altar of the Lord on the day following the Passover Sabbath.  This act symbolized the dedication of the coming harvest to the Lord.  It also served as a reminder that there would be more crops to come.  After the firstfruits, more would follow.

When it came to the resurrection, Jesus was just “the firstfruits.”  There is more to come.  The harvest of souls will take place when all believers are raised to meet their Lord and enter his heaven.  Jesus is just the first to be raised.  Next to come are those “who have fallen asleep.”  For believers, that’s what death has become – just a sleep.  When Jesus sounds the alarm, we’ll awake to eternal joy in heaven.

But how is this possible?  Didn’t the Lord tell Adam (Ge 2:17), “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” – not sleep.  Adam did eat of that tree, and death was the penalty for that sin.  And, as his descendants, you and I have inherited Adam’s sin, as Paul explains (Ro 5:12), “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”  So how can we refer to death as a sleep?

Because of Jesus!  As our Savior, he became our sin (2 Co 5:21), “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us.”  He became the penalty for our sin (Gal 3:13), “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.”  He went to the cross in our place.  There he gave his life for our sins.  Every time we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we’re reminded that those sins which once made us afraid of death are now all forgiven – they’re gone because of Jesus!  And if our sins are gone, then so is our fear of death.  Death is no longer the end.  Now it’s just a sleep from which we awake in heaven!

The death of his Son was part of God’s salvation plan, but it wasn’t the final chapter.  Adam may have introduced death into the world, but Jesus took away its power (vv 21-23), “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in his own turn:  Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”

Jesus is a winner, victorious over death!  It’s a bit ironic, isn’t it?  Adam’s sin brought death, but Jesus’ death brings life.  The fact that he rose from the dead serves as our guarantee that we also will rise someday.  Our bodies will leave the pit of the grave and the dust of the earth to greet Christ the King, the one who has overcome the power of death.  Time after time we parade to the cemetery to leave bodies, but we never bring one back.  Jesus will change all that.  The keys to the cemetery belong to him, and he’ll unlock the doors!

Did you notice who makes up the “harvest” on the last day?  “Those who belong to him.”  If you belong to Jesus, you have all the comfort you’ll need here on earth along with the sure hope of spending an eternity in heaven.  That’s because Jesus values his possessions.  Just like a mother writes the family name on the tag of her Kindergartner’s shirt before his first day of class, so also Jesus has written his name on us.  As Paul tells Timothy (2 Ti 2:19), “The Lord knows those who are his.”  If he’s gone to the cross to make us his own, if he’s gone to such great lengths to win us back, then rest assured that he won’t along anything – not even death itself – to separate us from his love.  We belong to him!

With the debt of sin paid and the power of the devil neutralized by his death on the cross, Paul tells us (v 26), “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”  It’s not that death hasn’t already been defeated.  But the sadness felt at the death of a loved one sometimes confuses us into thinking that somehow death still wins.  Not so!  Death’s ultimate defeat will be clearly on display at the time of the resurrection of all believers.  Then we’ll clearly see that death is powerless to hold the child of God, because death has gone down in defeat.  Then we’ll join Paul in proclaiming (1 Co 15:55,57), “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting? . . . Thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

If the devil’s greatest weapon has been vanquished, if death has lost its sting, then what else can prove to be a match for our Lord?  Jesus is the winner — victorious over not only death, but over all!

On the last day none of our enemies will be left standing.  Jesus guarantees it.  Paul tells us that once we are raised up, “then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (vv 24,25).  Every evil“dominion, authority and power” has gone up against Jesus.  At the final resurrection, the results will be in – and there will be no doubt as to who the winner is, when Jesus “hands over the kingdom to God the Father.”  God’s Son will lay his trophies at his Father’s feet – the souls of all believers.  For us the end will mark the beginning – the beginning of joy, blessedness, and eternal life with Christ.  Nothing will stand in our way, for Jesus is victorious over all.

Knowing death has been conquered means a great deal to us as Christians.  But knowing that Jesus is victorious over everything else is important too.  We live in a sinful world wrought with misery, pain, sorrow, and tears.  Our sinful nature keeps trying to pull us down with doubt, fear, and pessimism.  Knowing that our salvation is already won for us by Christ, still we don’t experience the full effects of that salvation here on earth.  This life still has a sour taste to it, and sometimes it feels as if we’re fighting an uphill – and losing – battle.

That’s why it’s so important to cling to Jesus.  Go with a winner!  By ourselves, we’re losers and will let this world get the best of us.  But if we go with Jesus and trust that he’s already won the victory over everything that ails us, then we know that the tears we shed on this earth are only temporary.  Then we know that the trials we endure are only meant to draw us closer to him.  Then we know that the troubles we experience can’t hold a candle to the joys awaiting us in heaven.  All those things will be forgotten.  All that will be left is an eternity with our victorious Lord!

Whether it’s in sports or politics, no one remembers the losers.  Over time the one who finishes second eventually fades from our memories.  Someday we will no longer remember death.  Someday we will forget all about the devil.  Someday sin will be obliterated from our memories.  That’s because Jesus has turned sin, death, and the devil into losers!  And no one remembers the losers.

So go with a winner!  Go with Jesus!  Celebrate his victory, and he promises that you’ll share in the results!

                        Amen

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