Long Live the King!

6. September 2010 by admin.

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

¹ Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness. ² He will ^[a] judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.

³ The mountains will bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.

⁴ He will defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
he will crush the oppressor.

⁵ He will endure  as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.

⁶ He will be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.

⁷ In his days the righteous will flourish;
prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.

⁸ He will rule from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth. 

⁹ The desert tribes will bow before him
and his enemies will lick the dust.

¹⁰ The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
will bring tribute to him;
the kings of Sheba and Seba
will present him gifts.

¹¹ All kings will bow down to him
and all nations will serve him.

¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.

¹³ He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.

¹⁴ He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵ Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.

¹⁶ Let grain abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon;
let it thrive like the grass of the field.

¹⁷ May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.
All nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.

¹⁸ Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.

¹⁹ Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.

²⁰ This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.

 

Summary:  This messianic psalm portrays Christ as the King to whom “all kings will bow down.”

In the name of the living Savior, the King of kings, dear friends in Christ,

“Le Roi est mort.  Vive le Roi!”  History has it that these words were first uttered at the coronation of Charles VII following the death of his father Charles VI way back in 1422.  They signified the instantaneous transfer of the throne at the moment of death of the previous monarch.  Any French students out there to translate?  “Le Roi est mort?”  “The King is dead.”  “Vive le Roi?”  “Long live the King!”  And so this traditional proclamation has been used to welcome in a new monarchs in various countries for almost six centuries.

But not every recipient of such a sincere sentiment is able to comply by living a long life.  Many a king has had his reign cut short by death – often at the hands of someone who may have hypocritically joined the crowds in calling for a long life.  In the end, people can wish it and yell it all they want, but no one can guarantee a lengthy reign just through the wishful thinking that accompanies the phrase, “Long live the King!”

. . . unless you’re talking about the King of kings, Jesus Christ!  Handel got it right in his “Hallelujah Chorus”: “And he shall reign forever and ever!”  Today we’re taking a closer look at Psalm 72, what we call a “messianic” psalm because it speaks of the promised Messiah, our Lord and Savior.  Through this psalm we’ll see how Jesus surpasses every king, past and present, praising him as we do so, “Vive le Roi!”:

“Long Live the King!”

                                                                 I. His reign is righteous

                                                                  II. His reign is eternal

                                                              III. His reign is universal

Even though the heading of Psalm 72 says “Of Solomon,” it could be translated as either “by” or “for Solomon.”  Some think David wrote this psalm for his soon-to-be king son.  Others lean toward Solomon as the author, as one who even at the height of Israel’s prosperity still could picture a more extensive and much grander kingdom, one ruled by a far greater and more perfect King.  Either way Psalm 72 was written by one of the two greatest kings in the history of God’s people, both of whom longed for the day when God would fulfill his promise by sending the Messiah – a righteous, eternal, universal King!

Righteousness and justice will be the marks of the Lord’s King (vv 1-4), “Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.  He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.  The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.  He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.”

There was once a ruler who came upon the scene when his country was militarily weak, politically divided, and economically destroyed.  And yet this man was able to reinvigorate his country by creating 6 million new jobs.  He assembled one of the greatest militaries the world had ever seen.  He regained all the land his empire had lost in previous years, and he received an astonishing 90% approval rating from those he ruled.  Who was this great ruler?  It was Adolf Hitler – perhaps the most tyrannical, atrocious, and unrighteous ruler in modern history!

Compare him – yes, compare any ruler – to the King of kings, whose righteous reign is unparalleled in history, “He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.”  The “afflicted” and the “needy” will be able to clothe themselves in the righteousness that the Messiah himself provides.  The cross was only the means to an end, the way of transferring his righteousness to his subjects.  He took upon himself their iniquities, making sure that justice was served – divine justice.  Because of his Son, God the Father was able to declare each of us “not guilty” – Jesus paid the punishment for our sins!  But though his time on this earth ended with cries of “The King is dead,” his death was only temporary.  The grave couldn’t hold our Savior, so once again our wishes are fulfilled as we cry out, “Long live the King!”

Don’t ever picture our heavenly Monarch as one who sits back and takes an idle approach when it comes to ruling over his subjects.  King Jesus has invested far too much in his subjects to just ignore them (vv 12-14), “For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.  He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.  He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight” (vv 12-14).  We so often picture the blood of Christ as being “precious” because of the role it played in our salvation.  But here it’s the blood of the King’s subjects that is precious to him.  No matter what we may suffer here on this earth, no matter how much blood is shed by Christians who are persecuted for their faith, the righteous King will rescue us and all his subjects, delivering us from sin and all its deadly consequences.  Long live the King!

Over history some monarchs have been able to rule for many years, while others only for months, weeks, or even less than a day.  Pharaoh Pepi II of Egypt was said to have ruled for 94 years, while the longest current reign of a monarch belongs to Queen Elizabeth who has been on the throne for – want to feel old? – 58 years!  But for every lengthy reign there’s one that didn’t last as long as we might think.  If you’re 34 or older, you’ve outlived the well-known Macedonian king and conqueror, Alexander the Great, who died of a fever at age 33 – which happens to be the same age of another King when he died, a King whose reign nevertheless is eternal!

That Savior-King is described in verses 5-7, “He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.  He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.  In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.”  There’s a wonderful sense of permanence in these verses.  We live in a world where nothing is permanent.  Jobs are lost, possessions get old, loved ones pass away.  “Nothing lasts forever,” or so the saying goes, and the end result of such a reality is often sadness, pain, and depression.

How refreshing it is to know that we have a King who “will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations”!  As Jesus promised us before returning to heaven (Mt 28:20), “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  He’s not going anywhere, and he promises to be right by our side, coming to us like a gentle shower that brings much-needed water to the earth.  When Jesus came to this earth, grace and salvation were showered down from above, providing eternal relief to a sin-starved world.  “In his days the righteous will flourish,” since we live with the knowledge that our eternity is secure in Christ our King!

Jump down to the first half of verse 17, “May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun.”  Whereas the names of many kings are remembered for centuries, they all proved to be mortal – they died and remained in the grave.  The difference with Christ the King?  It’s not just his name that endures forever, but he himself endures forever – “as long as the sun” and even beyond!  He’s eternal, and so is his reign.  That means something (Heb 13:8), “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  So when you marvel at his great love as you picture him on Calvary’s cross, that love hasn’t changed!  He loves you just as much today as he did then – and that’s not going to change!  He – and his love for you – is eternal!  Long live the King!

When scholars debate about who is the greatest conqueror of all time, they often consider how much land mass each ruler was able to acquire.  In the span of only 13 years, the previously-mentioned Alexander the Great was able to amass over 2 million square miles of land – about 3½ times the state of Alaska or 5½ times the state of Texas!  Pretty impressive, until you realize that 1500 years later Genghis Khan shattered Alexander’s record with over 8 million square miles of kingdom – over two times the size of the United States!

Jesus has them all beat (vv 8-11), “He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.  The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust.  The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.  All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.”  Christ’s reign is universal!  It has no boundaries.  It’s worldwide.  The British Empire once boasted that the sun never set over its entire empire.  That empire has disappeared.  But the church of Jesus Christ extends “from sea to sea.”  As we’ll be singing later this morning (CW 84:1), “Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does its successive journeys run.”  The result?  “All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed” (v 17).  May we always be among those who are blessed by him and who call him blessed!

I find a very obvious “take home” lesson here when we speak of the universal nature of Christ’s reign.  If his reign is universal, if it’s meant to include all people, then we have work to do!  Knowing what our King has done for us, we join the angels in heaven in proclaiming (v 15,18,19), “Long may he live! . . .   Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.  Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory.  Amen and Amen.”  Our King has come.  He has conquered our greatest enemy.  Now all that’s left to do is to spread his name throughout the world.

That’s where we come in.  We praise the name of our King and we spread the name of our King every time we place our hard-earned dollars into those circular plates every Sunday.  We’re saying, “Lord, I want others throughout the world to know that you are their King, too.”  We help fund others with our offerings so that they can go abroad and take that message to the world.

We praise the name of our King when we reach out to our community through our child care center.  Jesus himself said (Mt 19:14), “Let the little children come to me,” and we share that same desire as we reach out to the children God entrusts to us every day at Loving Arms.

We praise the name of our King through our own personal witness efforts and through the invitations we extend to our friends, relatives, acquaintances, and neighbors.  This morning in your bulletins you’ll find an insert that might look familiar.  It’s a form advertising next month’s Bible Information Class, asking for any referrals you may have to offer.  It’s the same one I ran back in June, but for the first time that I can remember, I had to postpone a Bible Information Class.  Why?  Because no one signed up.  Because no one offered any referrals.  I’d like to believe that invitations were extended, that you did seek the Lord’s help in inviting someone you know to join you for class.  Or are you telling me that all the people in your circle of friends are already Christian?  No need to worry – you’ve got another chance to praise your Lord by sharing his name with others.  Spend some time in prayer over the next week or two and ask the Lord to open your eyes to the opportunities you have to make a lasting difference in someone’s life by inviting them to come hear more about their Savior and their King, so that they may join you in proclaiming (v 15), “Long may he live!”

“Le Roi est mort.  Vive le Roi!”  I couldn’t help but notice some spiritual irony in these phrases, “The King is dead.  Long live the King!”  Usually they’re talking about two different people – the deceased king and the one who is succeeding him on the throne.  But both phrases could be spoken of Jesus, the King of kings – at least, to some extent.  There was a time when our King died – it had to be that way, or else we could never live.  But to be truly correct, we’d have to change the phrase to “The King was dead,” because today you won’t find him in any tomb.  “He lives, he lives, who once was dead” (CW 152:1)!  Long live the King – the King whose reign is righteous, eternal, and universal!

                                                                                                                                                Amen

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Have Faith!

15. August 2010 by admin.

Hebrews 11:1-3 , 8-16

Hebrews 11

By Faith

¹Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ²This is what the ancients were commended for. ³By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

⁸By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

¹¹By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he^[a]considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹²And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

¹³All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ¹⁴People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Summary:  This text is from the Bible’s “Hall of Faith Chapter.”  It celebrates the faith in which Abraham responded to the Lord’s covenant promises.  There is unspoken encouragement here for us to be like Abraham.

In the name of the immortal, invisible, almighty God, dear Christian friends,

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof.  The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump!  I’ll catch you!”  He knew the boy had to jump to save his life.  But all the boy could see were flames and smoke.  As we might expect, he was afraid to move from that roof.  His father kept yelling, “Jump!  I will catch you!”  But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you!”

How often don’t we feel surrounded by the fires of life, the pressures and disappointments that keep coming our way, so much so that we feel trapped and unable to budge, afraid to hurl ourselves into the protecting arms of our heavenly Father!  We, too, often feel blinded and unable to see God intervening in our lives, and so we assume that he’s not there for us.  If only we could see him!  If only he’d make himself known to us!

The apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians (5:7), “We live by faith, not by sight.”  But that’s easier said than done, isn’t it!  Not if we listen to the words before us from Hebrews!  This morning we’re told why we can always, at all times and in all circumstances:

“Have Faith!”

        I. The nature of faith

       II. The power of faith

      III. The result of faith

The 11^th chapter of Hebrews has been called “the grandest chapter in the Bible on faith,” and rightfully so.  Read it in its entirety, and you’ll understand why.  It begins with a wonderful definition of faith (v 1), “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Here’s another way to think of it:  Faith believes the future and accepts the past.

Faith believes the future – it assures us of things hoped for.  The evening before his death Jesus pointed his disciples to the sure hope of faith when he told them (Jn 14:19), “Because I live, you also will live.”  We haven’t seen him return yet, but we’re confident our Lord will be coming back to take us home, simply because we have faith in what he promised when he said (Jn 14:3), “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”  In the meantime we have faith that he’ll take care of us, because he’s promised us (Mt 28:20), “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Credit is given to the Old Testament believers who had this same kind of faith.  In verse 2 we’re told, “This [faith] is what the ancients were commended for.”  Think about it!  They never saw the Messiah in the flesh.  They didn’t witness his humble service, his sacrificial death, or his final victory.  They never heard him preach a sermon or saw him perform a miracle.  Abraham never met Jesus, and yet we heard earlier this morning that God credited his faith to him as righteousness.   Later in this chapter from Hebrews you’ll find a number of people mentioned who lived by faith, not by sight – Abel, Enoch, Noah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and many others.  They were all sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they did not see!

Faith believes the future, but it also accepts the past.  None of us here this morning witnessed the resurrection of our Lord, but we accept it as an actual, accomplished fact.  Why?  Because we have faith in what God tells us in his holy Word.  By faith we accept what has taken place in the past, especially what the Lord has done for our salvation.  That’s why we have no problem accepting the simpler things, like how this world came to be (v 3), “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”  We can’t explain it with human reason, but we accept it by faith!  Ironically, you could say that it is logical to believe the only eye-witness who was there — and that’s God!  But instead of subjecting God to our human reason, we do well to subject our human reason to the almighty God.  And don’t let some liberal, pushover churches out there tell you it doesn’t matter if you believe in a six-day creation.  If you question creation, you question the past.  And if you question the past, you would have every reason to question the future, including your salvation.  The same God who tells you how the world was formed tells you how you are saved.  Question some of what he says, and you have to question it all.  Instead, believe what he says!  Instead of questioning his Word, have faith!

Not seeing, but still believing – that’s faith!  Jesus said as much when he told Doubting Thomas (Jn 20:29), “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  Faith is the blessing our Lord gives to all believers who didn’t have the benefit of witnessing his resurrection.  Faith is the blessing he’s given to you and to me!  Rejoice that the Holy Spirit has worked that saving faith in your heart – a faith that enables you to be sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see!

Now that we know what faith is, let’s take a closer look at its power.  It’s faith that links us to the only one capable of rescuing us from our sins.  Faith links us to Jesus!

Notice what the patriarch Abraham was motivated to do because of his faith (vv 8,9), “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.”  Don’t take lightly what Abraham was asked to do.  He was told by God to gather up his wife and servants and all that he owned and to leave his homeland – and God didn’t give him a Garmin or a MapQuest to guide him either!  He just told him to go, and Scripture tells us (Ge 12:4), “So Abram left, as the LORD had told him.”  Abraham’s obedience to the Lord’s command was a fruit of his faith.

God would lead Abraham to the land of Canaan, a land he promised to someday give to his descendants.  But for now Abraham would live like a foreigner in tents.  The only land he ever owned was a small burial plot he purchased for his wife Sarah.  His son Isaac and grandson Jacob never actually owned the land either.  But they all had faith in God and his promise, and they knew that the land would someday belong to their descendants.  For now Abraham had his mind set on better things (v 10), “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”  Doesn’t that statement put it all into perspective for us?  Unlike tents secured only by pegs or earthly cities built by men, Abraham had dreams of the city with permanent foundations, the one built by God himself.  The power of faith led Abraham to look beyond this life to the life that is to come – an eternal life with his Lord in heaven!

But that’s not all.  Abraham believed in God’s promise of salvation, but he also had faith in another promise the Lord had given to him (vv 11,12), “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age – and Sarah herself was barren – was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.  And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.”  Faith empowered Abraham to believe the impossible.  He knew God was faithful to his word.  And, at the age of 100, with his wife Sarah 90 years young herself and to date unable to bear children, Abraham became a dad.  In Romans Paul puts it this way (Ro 4:18,19,21), “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him. . . . Without weakening in faith, . . . being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”  From that one son grew a great nation, and from that great nation came an even greater descendant – the promised Messiah himself!

With the power of faith Abraham believed in the promises of God, no matter how unbelievable they may have seemed.  Take that example home with you this morning.  You may be faced with some rather troubling challenges in your own life right now.  Employment concerns, relationship struggles, financial woes – add to the list whatever else is disrupting your life at the moment.  In the midst of whatever foe you may be facing, your Lord comes to you with a simple directive – have faith!  After all, it’s faith that allows you to look back at how your Savior overcame your biggest obstacle – that of your sinfulness.  So if we have a God who has taken care of your sins and has defeated the devil, why not trust him with the rest of what you face in life?  Have faith in the God of your salvation, the God who is able to do the impossible!

The Holy Spirit gives us the power to put our faith in our powerful Lord and Savior.  The end result?  The promise that the best is yet to come!

The Old Testament believers lived for what was yet to come, something they would not see during their lifetime on this earth (v 13), “All these people were still living by faith when they died.  They did not receive the things promised (at least, not while on earth); they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.”  Even though these believers didn’t receive the fulfillment of God’s promise while alive, they all still rejoiced to see the promised Savior by faith, “from a distance.”  And that was OK with them, because they all knew that their time on earth was meant to be temporary (vv 13-16), “And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one.”  They felt restless here on this earth, almost as if they didn’t belong here.

Shouldn’t it be that way for us also?  How can we get too comfortable living in a sinful world when we know the best is yet to come, when we’ll be taken to “a better country – a heavenly one” with our Lord and Savior?  As Paul reminds us in Philippians (3:20), “Our citizenship is in heaven.”  Our visas here are only temporary.  The time will come for us to go back home to heaven.

Those who keep focused on what is yet to come find favor with the Lord (v 16), “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”  In our Gospel lesson earlier this morning we heard Jesus remind us (Lk 12:34), “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Make your relationship with God “your treasure,” and you’ll put your heart into whatever it takes to make that relationship the best that it can be.  The end result will be God joyfully calling you his own and giving you membership into the eternal city prepared for you and all believers before the creation of the world!

If we’re truly looking forward to better things, how evident is it in our lives?   Our time here is so very short and yet so very important.  The few years of our earthly existence can’t possibly compare to the unlimited time we’ll spend in eternity, and yet what we do with our time here is vital.  The temptations are obvious, and they are abundant.  Satan loves to get us so preoccupied with the here-and-now that we overlook the hereafter.  We spend such a small fraction of our time in the Lord’s house and around his Word, and yet we may even allow that time to be sacrificed in favor of time spent on worldly pursuits.  We spend our dollars on so many things temporal, only to squirm and fidget when it comes to supporting things spiritual.  We lie awake at night, worrying about how to supply our children with the best things this world has to offer, only to so often neglect the things they need for the next world.  While proclaiming to be looking forward to better things, too often we try to obtain those “better things” in this life when they can only come from God and the life that is come.

This is where faith comes in.  Make use of the opportunities you have to grow in faith, because faith changes everything.  It points you in the right direction, to your Savior’s cross, past the things of this world, assuring you the best is yet to come.  Faith makes you sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see.  That’s why, along with Paul (2 Co 4:18), “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

The boy on the roof was afraid to jump from the burning house because the view of his father was blocked by the flames and smoke around him.  “Daddy, I can’t see you,” he cried in fear.  But then he heard the reassuring voice of his father, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.”

Faith lets us believe in the one we cannot see; and the reward of such faith is someday seeing the one in whom we believe!

                                                Amen.

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Guard Against Greed!

8. August 2010 by admin.

Luke 12:13-21

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” ¹⁵Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

¹⁶And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. ¹⁷He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

¹⁸“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘

²⁰“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

²¹“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Summary:  Jesus brings his warnings against a materialistic lifestyle to a climax with his Parable of the Rich Fool.  It challenges us to ask ourselves:  Am I building my life just on temporary things?  It’s not too late to decide to pursue eternal values. 

In the name of our Savior, who became poor to make us rich, dear friends in Christ,

“What are you willing to do for $10 million?”  That was the question asked in a survey of Americans about 20 years ago by two authors working on a book entitled, “The Day America Told the Truth.”  People were given a list of eight things and asked how many would they do for $10 million.  Two-thirds of those polled said they would do one or more of the things on the list.  I think you’ll be stunned when you hear the list:

                                    Would you put your children up for adoption? – 3%

                                    Would you kill a stranger? – 7%

                                    Would you withhold testimony and let a murderer go free? – 10%

                                    Would you leave your spouse? – 16%

                                    Would you give up your American citizenship? – 16%

                                    Would you become a prostitute for a week or more? – 23%

                                    Would you abandon your entire family? – 25%

                                    Would you abandon your church? – 25%

What sinful human beings won’t do for money!  Do a word search of your Bible and you’ll find that the word “money” comes up 179 times in Scripture – and there’s a reason why.  We’ve allowed the devil to take what God intended as a blessing and turn it into a curse.  Is it any wonder that our Savior spent so much of his preaching addressing this topic?

The portion of God’s Word before us this morning contains one of Christ’s strongest warnings against what has been defined as “an excessive desire to possess wealth or goods” – otherwise known as greed.  Many unbelieving people of this world consider the acquiring of earthly treasures as the chief purpose of this life.  Sad to say, many Christians get sucked into this way of thinking as well.

Listen today as Jesus warns us through the words of a parable to:

“Guard Against Greed!”

                                                                       I. It promotes a foolish life

                                                                   II. It brings a fool’s death

Jesus found himself in a familiar situation – being followed by a large crowd of people.  A man approached him with his mind on earthly things (v 13), “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”  This man knew that Jesus was respected as a teacher, so he asks Jesus to use his influence to make his brother give him his share of the inheritance.

But Jesus refuses this man’s request (v 14), “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”  This man was just one of many who didn’t grasp that Jesus had come to be the world’s Savior.  Instead he and many others saw him only as a rabbi, a gifted teacher who could serve as a judge or governing official to help them settle their disputes.

But Jesus could tell that there was more behind why this man had come to him, so he uses his request to teach him and those around him a lesson about the dangers of greed (v 15), “Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed!”  As Christians we need to constantly be aware of the devil’s temptations to capture our hearts with greed, with that sinful desire to never be happy with what we have but to always want more.

The next verse is on the cover of your bulletin and deserves a place on your refrigerator this week (v 15), “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”  Let me restate that for you:  the one who dies with the most toys does not win!  We live in a world in which there seems to be constant competition among people to acquire more and more “things.”  But the amount of our possessions has no bearing on where we’ll be spending eternity – and actually could threaten our eternal welfare if we don’t guard against greed!

If you dare to consider your earthly possessions to be more important than your relationship with your Lord, then Jesus is talking about you in this parable (vv 16, 17), “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do?  I have no place to store my crops.’”  Who wouldn’t want this man’s “problem”?  He had been blessed with such a bountiful crop that he didn’t have any place to put it.  But he didn’t get rich by sticking his head in the sand.  He came up with a solution (v 18), “This is what I’ll do.  I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”

So far the rich man has done nothing wrong.  As a matter of fact, we might be inclined to say that he’s showing good stewardship by making the best use of God’s blessings.  We do something similar when we put some money away into savings or into stocks as a little “nest egg” for the future.  But the rich man reveals the sinful attitude behind his planning (v 19), “I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.  Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’”  Jump into the mind of this man for a moment.  An abundance of crops meant an abundance of money which meant a lifetime of ease and pleasure.  “No worries!” he thought.  “I can do what I want to do when I want to do it.”  The world would be his playground.   He had big plans for his life.  But none of his plans included the Lord.

Perhaps his monetary problems were solved, but now he had a much bigger problem to deal with.  He had allowed greed to take over in his heart.  The prophet Jeremiah gets to the heart of the problem (Jer 6:13), “From the least to the greatest; all are greedy for gain.”  From the wino in the alley who only wants a few dollars for his next bottle to the oil tycoon eager to buy up another oil field, from the small child who considers everything “mine” to the old man down the street who complains about the little amount he gets back on his social security check – all are tempted by the sin of greed.

And so are we.  Even as Christians we find it so easy to adopt the world’s philosophy that money can buy happiness, that we wouldn’t be so stressed or so depressed if we just had a little more of whatever carrot the devil is dangling before our eyes.  Even though our currency bears the statement “In God We Trust,” it’s somewhat ironic that we end up trusting in the Almighty Dollar that bears that statement rather than in the Almighty God.  This reality is summarized in Proverbs 18:11, “The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.”  We’d feel invincible, just like the rich man in the parable, if only we could get more!

Men who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ring-tailed monkey.  For the Zulu people of that continent, however, it’s simple.  They’ve been catching these agile little animals for years, and it’s easy.  The trap they use is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine.  The seeds of this melon are a favorite of the monkeys, so the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon, just large enough for the monkey to insert his hand to reach the seeds inside.  The monkey sticks his hand in, grabs as many seeds as he can, then tries to pull his hand out.  But he can’t, because his fist is now larger than the hole.  The monkey pulls and tugs, screeches and fights the melon for hours.  But he can’t get free unless he gives up the seeds, which he refuses to do, making him an easy target for capture.

This isn’t one of those sermons where you can say, “Well, this really doesn’t apply to me,” because to some extent we’re all guilty of being greedy little monkeys.  We’re tempted to surround ourselves with the “latest and greatest.”  Just take inventory of the TV commercials some evening and note how many are promoting greed.  So we give in and use those little rectangular plastic cards in our wallets and purses to satisfy our need for instant gratification (when was the last time you actually “saved” for something?), and then to afford all those things that Discover and Visa so gladly paid for to begin with we end up working 60+ hours each week, wearing ourselves out and often neglecting our families in the process, so we buy more things out of guilt to make up for it and then we have to work even harder to pay the bills –  we end up with our fists full of seeds but still stuck in the melon.  It’s a vicious cycle, the unending cycle of greed. 

Understand me correctly.  There’s nothing wrong with being rich.  Abraham, Job, David, Solomon, and many other believers in Scripture were blessed by the Lord.  So there’s nothing wrong with having “things.”  But remember to guard against greed, against the sinful desire for more.  Paul puts it this way in writing to young Timothy (1 Ti 6:9), “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.”  Greed promotes a foolish life.  As the rich man in our parable would find out, it also brings a fool’s death.

Proverbs 19:21 states, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”  That was the lesson learned by the rich man (v 20), “But God said to him, ‘You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you.  Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’”  Bigger barns – check!  Life of fun and games – check!  Get ready for eternity – oops!  Another passage from Proverbs introduces the harsh reality learned by the rich – make that, foolish – man (Pr 23:5), “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.”  As we hear at almost every committal service (1 Ti 6:7), “We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”  The pharaohs of ancient Egypt were buried with many of their riches to take along to the next life.  They died as fools.  And so did the rich man whose riches didn’t follow him either.  But even worse than that was the fact that he had no spiritual resources to fall back on.  Greed brings a fool’s death.

Jesus wraps up his parable with this statement (v 21), “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”  Jesus warns all of us that the rich man won’t be alone in hell.  He’ll have plenty of company, because his is the same mistake that leads many to their soul’s destruction.  Desire more and more possessions, and you’ll leave no room in your heart for God, and you’ll be forced to stand before him as spiritual beggars with nothing but eternal damnation in your future.

It really comes down to a matter of priorities, to what you think is important in life.  So if you think working on Sundays because you get time and a half is more important than hearing God’s Word, you’re a fool.  If you work late every night at the expense of sharing time with your family and leading them in devotions and prayers, you’re a fool.  If it’s more important for you to “live it up” in life than to live for God as his child, you’re a fool.  If you invest all your money in stocks and IRA’s and leave little if anything for the Lord’s work, you’re a fool.  If your life is all about this world and what you can get out of it with no regard to what comes after this life – say it with me – you’re a fool!

But, if you’re “rich toward God,” then it’s a completely different story – with a much happier ending!  Such people are still concerned for the future and work hard to provide food and clothing for their families, but they don’t worry – or work – themselves sick about it.  They trust that God will take care of them, realizing that there are more important “riches” than earthly possessions.  Forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are the treasures they seek – the only “riches” that guarantee a future with the Lord!  It’s not wrong to be concerned about the future, if you remember that your most important future comes after this life!

Greed promotes a foolish life and leads to a fool’s death.  So guard against greed in your life.  Take that home with you this morning, along with these words from the apostle Paul (1 Ti 6:17-19), “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

Yes, take hold of the life won for you by Christ, and don’t let go – not even for $10 million!                                                                                                                                                Amen

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Lord, Teach Us to Pray!

1. August 2010 by admin.

Luke 11:1-13

Luke 11

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer

¹One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” ²He said to them, “When you pray, say:
” ‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
³Give us each day our daily bread.
⁴Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’ ”

⁵Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’

⁷“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

⁹“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹²Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

 

Summary:  Jesus teaches us about prayer as he gives us his model prayer and encourages us to be persistent in our praying. We have a heavenly Father who knows how to give the best of gifts to his children. But, like most fathers, he often waits for his children to ask – and he appreciates a hearty “Thank You.”

In the name of our Savior and our Friend, dear fellow redeemed,

How many of you here this morning would be able to change a flat tire if you had to?  How many of you have actually done so at some time in your life?  How many of you would rather call AAA to come change the tire for you?

AAA is a wonderful thing.  It stands for “American Automobile Association.”  For a fairly reasonable membership fee, AAA will send someone out to change your flat tire, jumpstart your battery, or get your keys out of your locked vehicle.  I honestly can’t remember the last time I changed a flat tire.  It’s so much easier to call AAA and let them handle it.  To ignore such an obvious source of help would be foolish — especially if the situation presented something that you could not do yourself.

As Christians we have a source of help that doesn’t charge us a membership fee; that never lets us down; and that is open 24-hours a day, seven days a week.  And yet it’s not unusual for us to fail to make use of this source.  As a result, we end up living as if we’re stuck with an uncharged battery, with flat tires, and with the keys to life locked away out of our reach – and we’ll continue to do so, until we understand how to reach out to our God in prayer!

Not a person here this morning would try to tell you that prayer is a bad thing.  And yet, why don’t we use this privilege more often?  My guess?  I’m afraid all too often I’ve heard people admit that they just don’t know how to pray.  If this is the case with you, you’re in the right place this morning.  We can tag along with the disciples as they make this request of Jesus:

“Lord, Teach Us to Pray!”

                                                             I. For the proper things

                                                            II. In the proper manner

Let me begin with a disturbing statistic.  Several years ago a poll was taken among pastors, asking them how much time they spent each day in prayer.  The average answer?  Ten minutes!  That’s just a little over one-half of one percent of a day – and this by pastors!

Not only does Jesus teach us how to pray this morning, but we can also learn from his example how important it is to make time for prayer.  Our Lord always made time for prayer.  We’re told that he prayed at his baptism and at the transfiguration.  On occasion he would spend the entire night in prayer.  Sometimes he would withdraw from the crowds for private prayer, while other times he would pray with people in public.  The disciples couldn’t help but notice, just as many of them had also seen John the Baptist pray as well.  They wanted to know more (v 1), “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.  When he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’”

In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus had already taught some of his followers what we know as “The Lord’s Prayer.”  Here he gives a shorter version of that prayer, providing a pattern for prayer rather than insisting on a set form for memorization and recitation.  He begins by teaching us what to pray for (vv 2-4), “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.  Give us each day our daily bread.  Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.  And lead us not into temptation.’”  Familiar words, no doubt, but also words that are often spoken without thinking.  But that’s not the prayer’s fault.  When you pray these words, keep in mind what a great privilege it is to call God our “Father,” respecting him as such but also knowing we can approach him with confidence.  We ask him to help us keep his name holy by our words and actions.  We pray for his kingdom of grace to come to our hearts and to the hearts of many others.  Each day we look to him to provide for all our bodily needs, so he teaches us to pray for “our daily bread.”  And yet we realize that our greatest need is not illness or poverty, but our sins.  So Jesus also instructs us to pray for forgiveness, while also reminding us of our duty to forgive others as well.  Finally, when temptations come our way, we are to seek God’s help to keep us from falling into these traps of the devil.

A shorter version of the Lord’s Prayer, but once again it’s more important that we mean what we pray than to always use a written script that we may just recite without thinking.  That’s a danger all too common.  Think of the prayers you use at mealtime (and I hope you do pray before you eat!).  Do you always think about what you’re praying, or is it just the necessary ritual required before you “dig in”?  Later this morning as you pray the Lord’s Prayer, will your mind be on the petitions you’re presenting to God or on what you’re having for lunch or what you’re doing later that day?  There’s nothing wrong with using memorized prayers, but be careful not to become too mechanical in your prayer life that your prayers end up being nothing more than a mere recitation of thoughtless words.

Jesus teaches us to pray for the proper things.  Perhaps you’ve heard someone break down the Lord’s Prayer as we know it, with its seven petitions (or “requests”), and come to the conclusion that it’s heavily weighted toward the spiritual side.  There’s really only one petition that centers solely on physical needs, when we pray for our “daily bread.”  The rest of the petitions center on spiritual needs:  keeping God’s name holy, praying for his kingdom to come, asking for forgiveness and for help fighting temptations, and the like.

Do your prayers follow this pattern?  Are they prioritized to emphasize the spiritual over the physical?  Mine aren’t.  Not that I’m proud of it, but they just aren’t.  Too often I give in to my human nature and approach God with the temporal things that I need or want in life.  The spiritual things?  Sometimes I remember to tack them on at the end.  Not a shining example to follow, but I’m just being honest.  If you take stock of your own prayer life, you might find that you have the same problem.

One thing I’ve found helpful is to make a conscious effort to pray for spiritual needs – for forgiveness, for a stronger faith, for the spread of God’s Word – before I rattle off the physical needs that so easily come to mind.  That helps me keep my priorities straight.  Perhaps that will help you as well as we all strive to follow Jesus’ example in praying for the proper things.

After teaching his disciples what they should pray for, Jesus moves on to address how to approach God’s throne of grace by teaching us to pray in the proper manner.

Jesus uses a parable to get his point across (vv 5-8), “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’  Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me.  The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed.  I can’t get up and give you anything.’  I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.”  The last line contains the main point – God wants us to approach him with “boldness”!  With the heat of the day, it wasn’t unusual for people to travel at night.  A midnight traveler catches a man short on groceries, so he turns to his friend for a few loaves of bread.  The custom of that time was for entire families to sleep in the same room, so his friend was a bit reluctant to help out for fear of waking up his kids.  And yet he would finally give in to his friend’s request because of his friend’s “boldness,” or persistence, in coming to him.

Apply the lesson to approaching God in prayer.  The man in the parable went to a friend for help.  We come to our best Friend when we “take it to the Lord in prayer” (CW 411:2).  The timing wasn’t the greatest for the man in the parable to be asking for help.  There is never an inconvenient time to approach God in prayer.  He’s never sleeping or too busy or unavailable when we come to him.  The request in the parable was a small one – three loaves of bread.  We come with bigger requests for our heavenly Father – forgiveness, life, and salvation.  The man in the parable finally gave in and helped.  God isn’t reluctant or hesitant in helping us.  As a matter of fact, he invites us to bring our requests to him!

Not only does he invite us to pray, but he promises to answer (vv 9,10), “So I say to you:  Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Keep asking!  Keep seeking!  Keep knocking!  Don’t give up – God will answer!  He answered Abraham’s prayer and agreed to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if he would find ten believers in the cities.  Abraham didn’t give up.  He was bold and persistent.  May we have the same attitude when we pray!  Prayer can be compared to shaking a fruit tree.  Our first efforts might not seem to be producing any fruit from the tree, but if we’re persistent, soon fruit will fall.  Be persistent with your prayers, and answers will come.  God always answers the prayers of his children.

Keep in mind that prayer isn’t simply a blank check for us to fill in.  God always answers our prayers, but he does so in his own time and in his own way.  That’s why we are to strive to have our prayers be in line with his will.  In 1 John we’re told (5:14), “This is the assurance we have in approaching God:  that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”  Too often we come to God in prayer with our requests along with the answers we expect to receive.  Allow God to provide his own answers, according to his own timeline.  He knows what’s best for us.  He knows how to answer our prayers.

That’s the lesson Jesus teaches in the last verses of our text (vv 11-13), “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”  If sinful human fathers know how to give their children what they need, certainly our heavenly Father can be trusted to do the same.  He’s given us our greatest gift – “the Holy Spirit” – who has brought us to faith and made it possible to approach God through the work of Jesus Christ, our Savior from sin.  The same God who gave us his Son won’t stop there.  Paul reminds us in Romans (8:32), “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”  Pray confidently, fully trusting that God will give us all we need!

Jesus is giving us a lesson in spiritual patience.  He’s teaching us to be eager to pray, but then also to be patient in waiting for God to answer.  Remember, his time and his way of answering may be different than ours.  But that’s O.K.  We recognize that God knows what we need far better than we do.  That’s why we add the words, “Thy will be done” to our prayers, giving our permission to God to overrule our prayers when he has something better in mind for us.  We’re acknowledging that God knows how to give good gifts to his children!

Today we’ve heard Jesus teaching us to pray for the proper things and in the proper manner.  When we follow his instructions, we know God will hear our prayers – and he’ll answer them.  His answer is often “yes” when our prayers are in line with his will.  Sometimes he’ll answer “no” when what we ask for isn’t good for us or if he has something better in mind.  And at times his answer may be “maybe later” when the time isn’t right for us to receive what we’re seeking.  But he will answer every prayer!  So we have every reason to pray – regularly, boldly, and confidently!

Allow me to close this morning with the words of one writer who sums up what we’ve learned from our Lord this morning:

I know not by what methods rare,

But this I know . . . God answers prayer.

I know that he has given his word,

Which tells me prayer is always heard,

And will be answered, soon or late,

And so I pray and calmly wait.

I know not if the blessing sought

Will come in just the way I thought,

But I leave my prayers with him alone,

Whose will is wiser than my own . . .

Assured that he will grant my quest

Or send some answer far more blest.

Yes, “what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer” (CW 411:1)!

                                                                                                                        Amen

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Don’t Forget Where You’re Going!

25. July 2010 by admin.

Colossians 1:21-29

²¹Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²²But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Paul’s Labor for the Church

²⁴Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. ²⁵I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— ²⁶the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. ²⁷To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. ²⁹To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

Summary:  Paul reveals the secret of his success B something we can use in the ministries to which God has called us.  Paul says he labored, struggling with all of Christ’s energy, which was so powerfully at work in him.

In the name of Jesus, who’s given us the “one thing needful,” dear fellow recipients of his divine Word,

One of the greatest scientists of our time was Albert Einstein. He was a man who was so focused on his scientific theories that he often neglected even the simplest things of life, such as his personal appearance (as evidenced by his out-of-control hairstyle). On one occasion, Einstein was taking a train out of town for a speaking engagement. As he sat in his seat, engrossed in his work, the conductor stopped by to punch his ticket. But there was a problem – Einstein couldn’t find it. He began to frantically search his coat pockets, and then his briefcase, but still no ticket. Finally the conductor reassured him, “Don’t worry about it. We all know who you are, Dr. Einstein. I’m sure you bought a ticket.” But as the conductor moved along he looked back to see Einstein on his hands and knees, searching under the seats for his ticket. The conductor walked back and said, “Dr. Einstein, please, don’t worry about it. I know who you are.” Exasperated, Einstein looked up and said, “I, too, know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going.”

Even today some of the world’s wisest people don’t know where they’re going, especially when it comes to their eternal destination. How can that be? Even though they may have worldly wisdom, they’re lacking true wisdom.

Today we’re centering our thoughts around the theme, “True Wisdom Is Found Sitting at the Lord’s Feet.” True wisdom is God’s wisdom, and when we have that kind of wisdom, we know where we’re going. So today I urge you to make use of that wisdom so that you:

“Don’t Forget Where You’re Going!”

I. Remember what you are in Christ

II. Remember how to live as his saints

Last week we talked about how the Christians at Colosse had gotten to the point where they weren’t sure where they were going. Paul had taught them the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, but now some false teachers among them were telling them that Jesus wasn’t enough. They spoke of a “better way,” a way to God that involved subjecting themselves to the Old Testament laws and ceremonies. In this way they felt they could prove themselves worthy before God. Some of them even went so far as to push for angel worship. In short, the people were being told that faith in Christ just wasn’t enough to get to heaven. They themselves had to do more. Such “wisdom” was in direct conflict to all that they had been taught by Paul, and Paul wasn’t about to let this false philosophy steal these people away from their Lord. He wanted to make clear to them that God’s wisdom is the only kind of wisdom that makes a real difference in their lives. He wanted them to remember what they had become in Christ.

Paul begins by reminding them of what they once were when all they had was their own wisdom (v 21), “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.” Once upon a time the Colossians had been enemies of God, barred from being in his company by the load of sin that they bore, as evidenced by their sin-stained lives. But in his divine wisdom, God changed all that (v 22), “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” Sin had mankind heading in the wrong direction, but God set us straight. He “reconciled” us, meaning that he turned us around. The verb form used here means that this reconciliation was a “once-and-for-all” action. It’s a done deal, because it took place “by Christ’s physical body through death.” God’s wisdom called for a plan where his own Son would take on human flesh, live in man’s place, and then die in man’s place. Then instead of sin, we’d have righteousness. Then Jesus could present us to his heavenly Father, “holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” So now we have the holiness heaven requires. Now our sins are covered – we’re spotless in God’s sight. And we’re “free from accusation.” No one can say that we’re not good enough for heaven. The Savior has changed us and made us fit for his kingdom. Remember what you are in Christ!

The Colossians had all they needed, and Paul didn’t want them to give it up. Heaven was theirs as long as they trusted in God’s wisdom. Paul tells them that they have a future in heaven “if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant” (v 23). Paul wants them to remember what he had once told them. He wanted to jog their memories, to get them back to that wonderful gospel message that their salvation was secure because of what Jesus had done for them. The “better way” being peddled to them by the false teachers was the wrong way. Paul wanted them to hang on to what they had, to remember what they were in Christ. He didn’t want them to look elsewhere when all they needed was found in the gospel.

The only way to truly know where we’re going is to trust in Jesus and in Jesus alone. Our Savior says very clearly (Jn 14:6), “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Here’s what it boils down to: You can either trust in God’s wisdom and his plan of salvation through Christ, or you can seek what the world may think is a “better way.” Either your salvation is secure and your relationship with God has been restored, or your salvation is still up in the air and you have to do something yourself to make things right with God. Either you know you’re going to heaven because of Christ, or you’re hoping to do enough so you can get yourself to heaven. Which way do you prefer? The answer is clear. God’s plan is better. His plan was a complete success. Continue in your faith! Trust in Jesus! Heaven is yours already because of him, and because of him you know where you’re going!

You could tell by the way Paul lived how much of a difference this knowledge made in his life. No matter what he suffered, he was still content and could still rejoice. He knew that he was one of God’s children. He knew what he was in Christ — a saint in the eyes of God, washed clean in the blood of Christ. With the same knowledge, let us be motivated to serve our Lord. Let us remember how to live as his saints.

Notice the wonderful irony in what Paul says next (v 24), “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” Don’t misunderstand these words and think Paul was claiming that Christ’s suffering wasn’t enough for his salvation, that somehow he had to “add” to what Christ had done. No, Paul is simply saying that he was willing to take his turn in suffering for his faith. He states that he could actually “rejoice” in his sufferings, even though he knew there were more to come! We’re reminded of what Jesus said (Mk 13:13), “All men will hate you because of me.” Paul saw his sufferings as proof that he was on the right track! That’s why in Corinthians he could describe his life as “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything” (2 Co 6:10). Knowing what he was in Christ had made a difference in Paul’s life. No matter what the circumstances, he could rejoice because in Christ he had everything!

Paul knew that he had received a very special calling from the Lord (vv 25,26), “I have become [the church’s] servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.” God had appointed Paul to be a servant to his church on earth. He was to proclaim God’s Word in all its fullness. He was to present Christ in all his greatness, in all his supremacy, to everyone and anyone. What once had been a “mystery” during all those Old Testament times, now in the New Testament era has been revealed to all believers, the ones God himself calls “saints.” Yes, you and I are saints – holy and pure, fit for heaven, all because of Jesus. And to us the mystery of salvation has been revealed. To his saints “God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v 27). We live as God’s saints with Christ in us! He’s in our hearts and in our lives. He’s always with us, drawing us closer to him, leading us to live our lives for him, making sure we always hang on to “the hope of glory” that awaits us – all so that we never forget where we’re going!

This is a hope God wants all people to have. That’s where we come in. Just like Paul, God has work for us to do as we live our lives as his saints here on this earth (v 28), “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” It’s up to us to get the message of God’s wisdom out. That involves “admonishing,” letting people know when they’re sinning so that they see the need for a Savior. It involves “teaching,” sharing with people God’s wonderful plan of salvation in Christ. Our goal? To “present everyone perfect in Christ” — to present them “complete” as our Savior’s “finished products”! Then we, too, will share in the glorious vision of all people standing before the throne of God, covered in the robe of Christ’s righteousness!

A wonderful calling, but not an easy one. But notice what Paul says about our source of strength (v 29), “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” We often hear about the years of strenuous training athletes endure in their quest to become all that they can be. Paul also speaks of the hard work he was enduring to reach his goal – the goal of reaching the lost. But he wasn’t relying on his own strength or power. No, he was struggling with all God’s energy, the energy that was “powerfully” working in him. Paul himself had proclaimed (Php 4:13), “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” God gave him his assignment, and God gave him the strength to carry it out. Paul knew he was only the instrument. Saving souls was God’s work, and it would always be done to God’s glory. Paul knew the difference the Savior had made in his life, and he was willing to live as one of his saints to make a difference in the lives of others.

Personally, I need the reminders found in these verses. I need to be reminded that even though life as a Christian may involve some sad times at the hands of a sinful world, I can still rejoice because Christ has made me a saint in the eyes of my God. I need to be reminded of why I’m here on this earth as a Christian – to unveil the mystery of salvation so that all can see how much God loves them and what he’s done to save them. And I need to be reminded that my labors and struggles will not be in vain, because it’s God’s energy that keeps me going as I join with all Christians in striving to present as many people as possible as “perfect in Christ.” I need these reminders. And so do you.

That’s because we all face the temptation to be like Albert Einstein, to forget where we’re going. Even worse, we’re tempted to forget how we get there. But then our Lord calls us in and has us sit down at his feet. There we’re reminded of what we are in Christ — his saints, washed clean in his blood. There, at our Lord’s feet, we’re reminded of our responsibility to live as his saints and to share his salvation with others. We know where we’re going – our ticket’s already punched. It’s marked “paid in full” by our Savior! Don’t you forget it!

Amen

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Live a Life Worthy of the Lord

18. July 2010 by admin.

Colossians 1:1-14

Colossians 1

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

²To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— ⁵the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel ⁶that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. ⁷You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, ⁸and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. ⁹For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. ¹³For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Summary:  This section of Scripture is Paul’s words of greeting in his letter to the Colossians.  Any congregation would be pleased to have the reputation of these Christians and to receive such words of praise.

In the name of the Savior who deserves nothing but our very best, dear Christian friends,

 

“That’s impossible!”  Maybe you don’t say it out loud but that’s what you’re thinking when your boss says you have to have that report done by the end of the day.  “That’s impossible!”  Maybe you do say it out loud when Mom tells you your room has to be clean before you can go out and play.  “That’s impossible!” might be the thought crossing your mind as you wonder just how you’re going to make the weekly paycheck stretch farther than the bills will allow.  Now look at the cover of your bulletin – “Live a life worthy of the Lord.”  “That’s impossible!  How can I, a sinful human being, ever live a life that’s considered worthy of the Lord?”

 

That phrase is taken directly from our text for this morning (v 10), and it would be impossible if it was something each of us had to do with our own ability and with our own strength.  But, as Jesus himself reminds us (Mt 19:26), “With God all things are possible.”

 

This morning let’s see how God enables each of us to do the impossible, to:

 

“Live a Life Worthy of the Lord!”

 

                                         I. Motivated by the gospel that has come to us

                                        II. To please him in every way

 

We have no record of Paul ever having served in the city of Colosse.  However, in Acts 19 we are told that he did do ministry in Ephesus where “the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power” (Ac 19:20).  Colosse was only about 100 miles east of Ephesus where Paul’s co-worker, a man by the name of Epaphras, served as pastor.  Now, about five years later, Paul was under house arrest in Rome, and Epaphras was having some difficulty dealing with a new wave of false teaching that had begun to infiltrate the Christian congregation at Colosse.  Having been built on the solid foundation of Christ, now this congregation was being bombarded with a rather unique false teaching that attempted to mix Jewish ceremonial laws and Greek philosophical concepts under the disguise of Christian terminology.  Pastor Epaphras had a mess on his hand, and he knew something had to be done.  So he made the 1300-mile journey to Rome to ask Paul for help, who responded with the letter before us this morning, written to remind Christians of all time that in Christ we have all we need for our salvation.

 

You have to admire Paul’s style in addressing this problem.  He could have brought the hammer of the law down on the Colossians, lambasting them for having strayed from the truth.  But the Holy Spirit inspires Paul to go another route, to actually thank the Lord for the positive things being displayed in the lives of these Christians.  That’s the section we have before us this morning.  Listen again to verses 3-6, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints – the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.”  Having not ever met these fellow Christians, Paul could still say that he had heard about their “faith in Christ Jesus” and “the love you have for all the saints.”  Then he reminds them of the origin of these godly attributes, “that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven.”  Knowing that someday you’ll be with the Lord in heaven will change how you live.  That’s what produced the faith and love that was so evident in the Colossians’ lives.  They knew what they had waiting for them, and with such knowledge their lives couldn’t remain the same.

 

Where did they get this hope of heaven?  They received it from “the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.”  “Gospel” means “good news.”  Jump down to the last two verses of our text and you’ll see the good news that had changed their lives (vv 13,14), “For he [the Lord] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  The Greek verb forms used in these verses assure us that God’s mission is not ongoing but is an accomplished fact.  We’ve been “rescued” from the dark dungeons of hell and “brought . . . into” or “transferred” into the kingdom of his Son.  Christ has done what seemed impossible, saving us from certain destruction and transplanting us back into God’s family.  We can be certain of our new status because of our “redemption,” Christ paying the price to buy us back from the devil, shedding his blood to win for us “the forgiveness of sins.”

                                                                                                           

Epaphras, their pastor, was the instrument God used to bring the Colossians this gospel message (vv 7,8), “You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.”  The results that followed were typically found wherever the gospel was preached (v 6), “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.”  The progress of the gospel in that first Christian century was nothing short of amazing.  From just 12 apostles and perhaps several hundred other followers of Jesus at the time of his ascension, historians estimate that by the time the last apostle, John, entered eternity, the number of Christians had grown to half a million!  The Colossians were able to share in what had been happening all around the world.  The gospel had been planted in their hearts; the gospel had taken root in their hearts; and the gospel had been bearing fruit in their lives.  They were able to live lives worthy of the Lord because they were motivated to do so by the gospel that had come to them!

 

There isn’t a soul here this morning who doesn’t have that same motivation.  Each and every one of us has learned of Christ’s rescue mission here on this earth.  We’ve each been taught that our sins – no matter how many and how terrible they may be – have all been forgiven.  Every one of us knows that our Savior is preparing a place for us in heaven where we will spend all eternity with him.  How did we learn all this?  There’s a clue on the front of your bulletin — from reading the Word!  There we’ve learned the good news of our Lord’s salvation plan.  For all that he has done for us, for all that we have learned about his love for us, can we give him anything less than our very best?  Motivated by the gospel, we strive to live a life worthy of the Lord!

 

The Colossians had been taught God’s gospel message, but now they were facing temptations to fall back into their old “work-righteous” ways.  Paul wanted them to live a life worthy of the Lord, but not to be saved.  That had already been accomplished by Christ.  No, Paul wanted them to live a life worthy of the Lord because they were saved.  The same applies for us.  We want to show our thanks by pleasing our Lord in every way.

 

That was Paul’s prayer for the Colossians (vv 9,10), “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way.”  Perhaps the Colossians were wondering, “What happens now?”  Once the gospel had taken root in their hearts, they knew things would never be the same.  Their lives would be different.  But how?

 

Paul uses four phrases to explain how our lives have changed so that we now live to please the Lord.  First of all he mentions that we please him by “bearing fruit in every good work” (v 10).  To be productive, fruit trees need pruning and constant care.  As Christians, we need to be in the Word to allow the law to prune away the attitudes and actions not in line with God’s will so that the gospel has room to bear fruit “in every good work.”  Consistent use of the Word keeps us from practicing our Christianity only for an hour each Sunday morning only to live ungodly lives the rest of the week.  The more we let God “prune” us, the more fruit will be evident in our lives.

 

Paul’s second thought is similar: “growing in the knowledge of God” (v 10).  You know what happens to a fruit tree if it stops growing and stops bearing fruit — all it’s good for is firewood.  In the same way, there’s no room for stagnation in our growth as Christians.  There’s no plateau in the life of a Christian – either we’re growing or we’re declining.  Living a life worthy of the Lord requires the willingness to grow every day in the knowledge of God.

 

When high winds and hail come whipping in, fruit trees need to stand tall and strong.  So it is with Christians, who need to be “strengthened with all power according to [God’s] glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience” (v 11).  When the storms of family problems, illness, and job stress come crashing down on us, we need the “endurance and patience” that can only be found in the words of our God, who has promised us (Heb 13:5), “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  It’s with his power that we can endure whatever may come, patiently waiting for his deliverance, whether it be here on this earth or forever in heaven.

 

As we live a life worthy of the Lord, we do so “joyfully giving thanks to the Father” (v 12).  There’s our motivation once again – living not for ourselves but for him “who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light” (v 12).  If you go to a baseball game and find someone sitting in your seat, you might ask them to check their ticket to see if they’re “qualified” to be in that seat.  No ticket means that they’re not supposed to be there.  Sinners whose sins are not paid for are not fit or “qualified” to live in the presence of a holy God.  They don’t have a ticket to prove they belong.  Nor do they have the ability to produce one on their own.  But God worked a miracle!  He gave us the credentials — the ticket — needed to be allowed into his presence and to “share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”  With the ticket stamped by our Savior himself, we know we belong in his kingdom!

 

So let’s live like it!  Let’s live a life worthy of the Lord!  There’s really no pressure in doing so.  It’s not as if we’re taking a test to see if we get into heaven or not.  Our entrance exam has already been taken by Christ.  Now we’re just writing the thank-you notes with the way we live our lives until we get there.   And, when we stumble, God’s there with his ever-present eraser of forgiveness.  That’s why, like Paul, we “no longer live for [ourselves] but for him who died for [us] and was raised again” (2 Co 5:15).  We live a life worthy of our Lord!

 

But isn’t that still impossible?  Don’t we still sin every day?  Sure, but when God looks at us, he sees Christ.  When God looks at us, he sees the righteousness won for us by his Son.  When God looks at us, he sees Jesus living a life worthy of him in our stead.  He’s made the impossible possible!

And doesn’t that deserve nothing short of our best efforts as we now live for him?

 

                                                                                                                                                Amen

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Go - God’s Light Is Green

11. July 2010 by admin.

Luke 10

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-two

¹After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. ²He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. ⁵“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. ⁷Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

⁸“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. ⁹Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’ ¹⁰But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’ ¹²I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Luke 10:16-20

¹⁶“He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

¹⁷The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

¹⁸He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

 

Summary:  Once Jesus sent out 72 of his followers to proclaim the kingdom of God to the people of Israel.  This reminds us that all of us have been commissioned to bring the good news to our world.  We may enjoy success or we may not.  But, like the 72, knowing we belong to him will help us order our priorities.

 

Dear fellow workers in the harvest field of our Lord,

 

Has this ever happened to you?  You’re out driving in your car, and you stop at an intersection because the light’s turned red.  As you wait, you start to daydream a bit about the weather, your grocery list, or what you’ve got planned for the evening.  All of a sudden you’re jarred back to reality by the sound of a horn blaring behind you.  You glance up and notice that the light has changed – and you’re not moving!  So you quickly step on it, give a little “I’m sorry” wave to the guy behind you, and make a hasty getaway to try and make up for your brief moment of inattentiveness.

 

Now, you didn’t commit a crime with your late start on the green light.  You might have felt a bit foolish, but there was really no harm done.  But if we delay when God gives us his green light, then the consequences can be fatal – perhaps not for us, but for many others.

 

Now is not the time for us to be daydreaming at the intersections of life, not when it comes to the Lord’s kingdom.  God has work for us to do.  This morning we’re encouraged to:

 

“Go – God’s Light Is Green!”

 

                                                              I. Recognize the need

                                                             II. Receive the instructions

                                                            III. Rejoice over the results

 

If you remember back to last Sunday’s Gospel lesson, Jesus had invited many people to “follow” him (Lk 9:59).  Perhaps there was a sense of urgency in his voice, for this would be our Savior’s last trip to Jerusalem.  He was going there to die.  Before long, his time on this earth would be over.  As he made his way to Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus wanted the people to be prepared for him, to understand that he was about to accomplish his mission.  So he sends out some of his followers with an assignment (v 1), “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.”  This would be more than the usual 12 disciples could handle, so 72 were sent out – not to set up parades and banquets in Jesus’ honor, but to let people know that the kingdom of God was near.  Their Savior was about to accomplish his mission!

 

There was plenty of work to be done (v 2), “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”  The workers were few then, and they’re still few today when compared to the number of people who still need to hear the gospel.  The workers are still few when compared to the forces of evil working against the Lord and his message.  The workers are still few, and yet the fields remain ripe for harvest.  Farmers tell me that when it’s time to harvest wheat, you can’t just sit idly by.  You have to get into the fields or you could lose a good share of the crop.  What an even greater urgency exists for us today to get into God’s field, to get at the harvest while there’s still time, to work while it is day.

 

When analyzing the situation within our own church body, one might be tempted to amend our Lord’s statement to say, “The harvest is plentiful, but the dollars to send out workers are few.”  We have graduates from Martin Luther College and from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary who are anxious to get to work in the Lord’s fields as pastors and teachers, and yet there are still some relegated to the sidelines.  It’s not due to the lack of opportunities.  The Board for Home Missions has dozens of places researched and ready to go as new mission fields, but most of them have been placed on hold due to a lack of funds.

 

The figures in our own bulletin this morning reflect the problem being felt synod-wide.  I recently shared with the church council that many of our plans to increase our ministry here at Messiah have been put on hold because we’re currently running 15% behind in offerings compared to last year – affecting our expansion plans for our children’s ministry, and causing us to be falling short in our support of Nebraska Lutheran High School and in our synod mission offering as well.

 

Dare we say that the challenges facing our synod and our own congregation are due to a lack of funds?  When we look around at how greatly we’ve been materialistically blessed by our Lord, isn’t it more accurate to say that the problem is a lack of proper priorities when it comes to using the dollars the Lord has entrusted to us?

 

What can we do about it?  The first step is always prayer (v 2), “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  It’s not that God won’t send out workers unless we ask him to, but by praying we’re led to realize that God is the only one who’s capable of providing what we need.  We’re given this wonderful promise in John’s first epistle (1 Jn 5:14), “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” – and it’s certainly his will that we recognize the need and pray for workers to go out and bring in his harvest.  God’s light is green!

 

Keep in mind that we’re not to limit our request to only full-time workers.  Remember that the Lord told 72 disciples to pray  for workers – but then he sent those same 72 out to be the workers!  Once we’ve recognized the need for workers, let’s pay close attention so we can receive the instructions the Lord gives to us to go out into his field.

 

As we’re given the green light to head out, God also wants us to be aware of our limitations (v 3), “Go!  I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.”  We’re heading out into a hostile environment.  By nature people don’t want to hear what we have to tell them about the consequences of their sins and their need for a Savior.  Jesus warned his disciples (Mt 10:22), “All men will hate you because of me.”  Did you know that even today throughout the world almost 500 people are killed every day because of their Christian faith?  And now the Lord wants to feed us to the wolves?

 

We’d have reason to be afraid if we didn’t know who was sending us.  The command to go comes from Jesus himself, the same one who assures us (Mt 28:20), “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  If we rely on our own strength or our own abilities, we will be devoured by a world of wolves that sees our message as “foolishness” and “a stumbling block” (1 Co 1:18,23).  Instead we trust in the Lord as we follow his command.  The one who gives us the green light to go is also the one who promises to always be by our side.

 

The 72 men sent out by our Lord were given some pretty impressive credentials (v 9), “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’” The physical  healings would certify these men as God’s representatives, but their most important job would still be delivering the message, “The kingdom of God is near you.”  The people needed to know that their long-awaited Savior had come!  It was time to get ready for him!

 

Not everyone would be receptive to their message.  Jesus wanted his spokesmen to be ready for rejection (vv 10-12,16), “But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you.  Yet be sure of this:  The kingdom of God is near.’  I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. . . . He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”  Even when they would be rejected, Jesus wanted these men to deliver a warning.  Perhaps people would repent and listen to their message.  If not, the Lord himself would take care of things.  After all, he would be the one being rejected.  The workers were just his representatives.  They were supposed to go out and do the work.  The Lord would take care of the rest.

 

There are two things I want you to take home from this portion of our text.  First of all, keep in mind that it is the Lord who equips us to do his work.  Some receive greater instructions, greater responsibilities, such as pastors and teachers.  But everyone who knows what Jesus has done for our salvation is instructed enough to witness to others.  God’s light is green, but that doesn’t mean each of us has to hop on a jet to Africa or climb up into a pulpit on Sunday morning.  But it does mean that we are to keep our eyes open for opportunities to share what we know about Jesus.  We’re all qualified to do so, because the Lord has given us the instructions we need to bring in the harvest.

 

Secondly, realize that rejection is to be expected.  Do you know that a baseball player who makes an out seven times out of every ten at-bats is still considered a star?  That’s only a 30% success rate, meaning that 70% of the time that player fails to do what he wanted to do.  When it comes to sharing your faith, don’t give up if you don’t bat 1.000.  What do you think my success rate has been over the years in getting people to church or to my Bible Information Class?  10%?  5%?  Most likely, closer to 1%!  My son asked me how many people have joined our church as a result of us having a booth at the county fair for the last 15 years.  The answer?  Not a soul!

 

And yet the Lord tells us not to become disheartened.  He tells us not to give up.  The only people who have never failed when it comes to sharing their faith are those who have never tried.  Don’t be discouraged by rejection.  Remember, the angels in heaven rejoice over just one sinner who repents and is added to the fold.  And even though we may not always see visible results for our efforts, that doesn’t mean that God isn’t using us.  His Word always brings results – seen and unseen!  All we’re told to do is to go.  God promises to take it from there.

 

Knowing that God will bless us as he sends us out gives us every reason to rejoice.

 

Luke jumps ahead to when the 72 who had been sent out returned from their mission (vv 17-19), “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’  He replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.’”  The disciples were pretty excited about the power they had been given.  Even the demons had to yield to them!  Jesus pictures this as the beginning of Satan’s tumble from power, a fall which would be brought to completion once Jesus uttered those life-saving words (Jn 19:30), “It is finished.”  The reason these men had such awe-inspiring power?  Jesus had given it to them.  That’s why they had nothing to fear.  “Nothing will harm you,” Jesus told them.  The enemy was powerless against the almighty God!

 

And yet Jesus didn’t want these men treasuring the miracles they did more than what Jesus had already done for them (v 20), “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  That’s the real miracle – having the knowledge that already the Lord had reserved a place for them in his kingdom!  This was the message they were to continue to share with the world.  This is the message that brings results that count!

 

Jesus wants us to stay focused here on this earth, to remember why we’re here.  Perhaps you’ve heard the saying that the problem with Christians is that we are so heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good.  Actually, the opposite is true.  Unless we’re heavenly minded, we can’t be any earthly good.

 

When it comes to what brings us joy, we have to have a spiritual agenda in mind as we go about our daily routines.  We find joy in so many things here on this earth – our favorite sports team wins a championship; we get a week of wonderful weather; we’re able to pay off some of our bills; we get some vacation time to spend with family and friends, and so on.  But all these pale in comparison to the ultimate joy of being able to see someone come to know their Lord and Savior because the Holy Spirit used you to reach out to them.  Think of it – God wants to use you to change someone’s eternity!  He wants to use you to help someone see that their name is also written in heaven!  That’s true joy!  That’s lasting joy!  That’s the result that awaits each of us when we go out to bring in the Lord’s harvest!

 

So what’s keeping us?  We recognize the need.  We’ve received the instructions.  And we know there will be joyous results awaiting us.  Pray for workers!  Support those workers with your offerings!  Be the workers in whatever way the Lord may choose to use you!

 

We can’t wait any longer.  The light’s green.  It’s time for us to go!

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Liberty or License?

6. July 2010 by admin.

Galatians 5

Freedom in Christ

¹It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:13-25

¹³You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. ¹⁴The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Life by the Spirit

¹⁶So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ¹⁷For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. ¹⁹The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Summary:  Paul boldly proclaimed our Christian freedom in Christ.  He reminds us of what we surely know B that it is not freedom to live as we may please.  Rather, it is a case of being freed from our sinful natures to please our Lord.  Living by the Spirit, we will display the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

Dear followers of Christ, freed by him from our sins to live by the Spirit,

 

Judging by the number of fireworks being set off in my neighborhood the past few days, what we’re celebrating today must be a big deal.  Thirteen British colonies must have felt so 234 years ago when they had finally had enough and went about declaring their independence.  Ever since we’ve celebrated our freedom every 4^th of July, thankful to live in a land of liberty.

 

It’s also important for us to be sure we understand the responsibility that comes with our freedom.  Just because we’re free doesn’t mean we can do anything we want.  For example, freedom of speech does not allow us to yell “fire” in a crowded movie theater.  Freedom can be abused.  That’s why it’s important to appreciate it and to use it for the common good.

 

Back in 1776 the Declaration of Independence celebrated freedom from political tyranny.  But such freedom is far surpassed by what Christ has won for us – freedom from spiritual tyranny.  As we celebrate the freedom we have as a nation today, let us focus this morning on what is now ours in Christ, asking ourselves if it’s:

 

“Liberty or License?”

 

                                                              I. Christ has set us free

                                                             II. Free to sin?

                                                            III. Free to serve!

 

The founders of our country felt that they were being held captive by England because they didn’t have a say in how they were being governed.  The captivity of the human race is much more severe.  Sin has shackled us, and we don’t have the key to get loose.  Thank God for sending his Son (v 1), “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”  No manmade revolution could free us, so a divine plan was necessary (Gal 4:4,5), “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law.”  Jesus removed the handcuffs from us and placed them on his own wrists, taking our place under the law so that he could do what we failed to do.  He set us free from the curse of the law “by becoming a curse for us” (Gal 3:13), taking our place on Calvary’s cross to pay for our sins.  When it comes to any obligation for us to fulfill for our place in eternity, there’s nothing left to do.  All has been accomplished!  Christ has set us free!

 

And yet too often we allow ourselves to think that we still have to do something to be saved.  But if Christ has set us free, we dishonor him by placing ourselves back under the law in a vain attempt to do what he’s already done for us.  So Paul tells us (v 1), “Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”  Think of the unnecessary pressure, the needless guilt, under which so many live today, believing that they have to appease an angry God by what they can do.  But deep down there is no way to prove ourselves worthy before God, not outside of Christ.  We “stand firm” in him alone for our salvation, casting aside the burden that was ours when enslaved by the curse of the law.

 

Now comes the confusing part of today’s message.  As Christians we are free only by being slaves.  Truth is, no one is ever free.  Either you’re a slave to sin, or you’re a slave to God.  Jesus tells us (Jn 8:32), “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin,” while Paul reminds us (Ro 6:22), “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God.”  So, either way, you’re going to be a slave.  The only question remaining is, whose slave are you going to be – God’s or the devil’s?

 

It’s all how we look at the freedom won for us by Christ.  Paul continues (v 13), “You, my brothers, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature.”  In other words, we have not been set free to sin!  The liberty acquired by our Savior does not give us license to sin and do whatever we please.  But some are led to think that way, that if Christ has removed all our sins already, then what does it matter if we sin, since we’re already forgiven?  Such ignorant and sinful indulgence is obvious in our world today – and not just among unbelievers!  Christians are also guilty of abusing the freedom given to us by our Lord.  See if any of the items on Paul’s list apply to you – and be honest (vv 19-21), “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.”  Do you have a lot of checkmarks on your scorecard?  Me, too.  Paul tells us that living as if we have been given a license to sin brings nothing but self-destruction (v 15), “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”  No wonder we say that we’re living in a “dog-eat-dog” world!  If you’re living with such an attitude and with such a lifestyle, then take to heart the words of Paul (v 21), “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  Such living only puts in jeopardy our eternal welfare.

 

“Do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature.”  We haven’t been given a license to sin.  To think that way is a misuse – yes, an abuse – of the liberty we have in Christ.  If you think you can keep on sinning with no consequences, that somehow you’re protected under an umbrella of forgiveness no matter how much you intentionally go against God’s will, then take to heart the very sobering words of Hebrews 10:26,27, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”

 

When I read those words, I can’t help but feel like Paul when he laments in Romans (7:24), “What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?”  But my despair is quickly overcome with hope and joy when in the very next verse Paul tells me (Ro 7:25), “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  That’s where we find our hope and joy, because in Christ we have been forgiven!  We’ve been set free – but not to sin.  Now we’re free to serve!

 

Christ has freed us from the burden of the law so that we can now live as people set free.  Our lives will change from the selfish pursuit of the sinful nature to the Spirit-led desire to produce fruits of faith.  Paul tells us what to look for (vv 22,23), “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  That’s what freedom is – the ability to live the way you were created to live!  And who can find fault with someone bearing such fruit?  Paul adds the somewhat humorous comment (v 23), “Against such things there is no law.”  No one will ever accuse you of being too patient or too kind or too gentle.  You can never have too much fruit when it comes to serving the Lord and each other.

 

If you want to keep it simple when it comes to serving, go back to verse 14, “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” That first fruit of the Spirit, “love,” really sums up all the rest.  We show our love for the Lord for freeing us from sin by showing love to others.  And, as you’ve heard me say many times, the best way to show your love for someone is to share what Jesus has done for them.

 

That’s how you’ll show people that you’re different from the rest of the world.  Instead of looking only to serve yourself and your sinful nature, the world will see you serving others.  That’ll make you stick out in this world, but in a good way.  The world will know to whom you belong (v 24), “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”  Instead of claiming a license to sin, we stand out by using our liberty to serve.

 

But don’t ever think it’s going to be easy.  We need the Spirit’s help, because there’s a daily battle being waged between the Old Adam and the New Man inside each of us.  Paul describes it this way (vv 16-18), “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.”  The key to living by the Spirit is really quite simple.  Let me use a story I read recently to illustrate.  There was once a missionary on an Apache reservation in Arizona.  Keep in mind that many in this Native American group are corrupted with a great deal of substance abuse, violence, and immorality.  The missionary was speaking to one of the recent converts, when the man made a rather profound spiritual statement.  It was common for the Apaches to speak in metaphors, so he used one while speaking to the missionary.  “You know, Pastor, fighting temptation is so hard,” he said.  “It’s like there are two dogs fighting in my heart.  There’s an evil dog (which he referred to as the “black” dog) that only wants me to do bad.  There’s also a good dog (which he referred to as the “white” dog) that only wants me to do good and obey God’s commands.”  Understanding the conflict between the old self and the new self, the missionary asked the man, “Well, which dog wins the fight?”  The Apache answered, “Oh, that’s easy – whichever one I feed the most.”

 

Which “dog” are you feeding, the black one or the white one?  How are you responding to what Christ has done for you?  Do you see the freedom he won for you as a license to sin or as the liberty to serve?  Paul concludes our text this morning with these words of encouragement (v 25), “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”  Since we’ve been set free and made alive in Christ, let’s look alive as we strive to live by the Spirit.  Feed the right dog!  Do so by letting  the Spirit fill you with the Word and Sacrament often!

 

Then we’ll be truly free, and for us not just the 4^th of July but every day can be called “Independence Day”!

                                                 Amen

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Dealing with Death

14. June 2010 by admin.

Luke 7:11-17

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

 ¹¹Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called
Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. ¹²As he approached the town
gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother,
and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. ¹³When the Lord saw her, his
heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

 ¹⁴Then he went up and touched
the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I
say to you, get up!” ¹⁵The
dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his
mother.

 ¹⁶They
were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared
among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” ¹⁷This news about Jesus spread
throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

 

Summary:  By raising a young man from the dead Jesus shows us
his compassion and power over the grave, teaching us how to deal with
death.

 

In Christ Jesus, the Lord of life and death, dear Christian
friends,

 

“Mommy, why is my pet fish floating on the top of the water?” 
“Teacher, why do the flowers I picked for you yesterday look so
bad today?”  And a question I received from my young son
some 14 years ago, “Say, Dad, what did you do with our dog Sadie after
you hit her with the car?”  Some tough questions, aren’t
they!  They’re not difficult because we don’t know the
answers.  They’re difficult because they force us to
explain to little ones something with which we ourselves may not be all
that comfortable.  We’re forced to talk about
death.

 

Just the mere mention of death can bring forth a multitude of
feelings.  We’re reminded of loved ones we’ve lost, of some
we may lose in the near future, or even of our own mortality.  We
can’t help but squirm a bit, try to change the subject, or just ignore
the topic altogether.  We know what God’s Word says about
the subject:   “The wages of sin is death” (Ro 6:23);
“Death came to all men, because all sinned” (Ro 5:12); “The last enemy
to be destroyed is death” (1 Co 15:26).  Ask people today
what they fear the most, and at the top of their list will be
death.

 

But death doesn’t belong there, at least not for the Christian! 
That’s because, when it comes to death, we’ve got nothing to
fear.  Why not?  Luke answers that question
for us today as we explore God’s Word under the theme:

 

“Dealing with Death”

 

                                                                    
I. The scene

                                                             
      II. The solution

                                                                  
III. The sequel

 

In last Sunday’s
Gospel lesson we heard how Jesus displayed his almighty power over
disease and sickness by healing the centurion’s servant by just saying
the word.  This morning our text follows right after that
event, beginning with the words “soon afterward.”  Perhaps
as early as the very next day Jesus would show that he had power over
not only sickness and disease, but also over death itself.

 

From Capernaum
Jesus and his disciples traveled southwest about 25 miles to the little
town of Nain, a name which means “lovely” or “pleasant.”  But
the scene which greeted them was anything but lovely or pleasant (vv
11,12), “Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his
disciples and a large crowd went along with him.  As he
approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out ‑‑ the
only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the
town was with her.”  Two processions met that day. 
One, led by Jesus, was made up of not only the 12 disciples, but
also a rather large crowd of people.  Many, no doubt, had
just seen or been told about his great healing miracle in Capernaum. 
The other procession, the one heading out of the city, had as
its focal point the lifeless body of a widow’s only son.  Simply
a coincidence that Jesus would come upon this scene?  Hardly! 
Jesus knew all about this woman with special needs, and he knew
what he would do to help her.

 

The scene in the
town of Nain that day some 2000 years ago is repeated daily around our
world today.  Funeral processions may cause us to pull over
while driving, but other than that, we may not give them much thought. 
Why not?  Because death is nothing new to us. 
It comes into every town, every family, to every person.  It
came to the town of Nain, making a second visit to this particular
family.  Death had already claimed this woman’s husband,
the father of their only child.  Now it came calling for
her son, her only support emotionally and
financially.  Imagine the pain she must have felt to not
only lose her spouse but now to be forced to bury her child.  The
pleasant memories and the words of sympathy from those around her could
do little to lighten the burden she must have felt.  Death
had made its mark on her, the same way it’s marked so many of us today. 
Whether it’s been a close family member or just an acquaintance,
to some extent we can put ourselves in this woman’s place and feel the
pain delivered to her that day by death.  The scene is a
familiar one, for in some way we’ve all had to deal with death.

 

Try as we might,
it’s impossible to avoid it.  We can exercise, eat right,
and get our eight hours of sleep each night, but sooner or later death
will still come calling.  But for the Christian, death’s
victory is short-lived.  Death is a powerful source, but
it’s not undefeated.  We can deal with death, because we’ve
been given the solution to death.  We see that
solution on display in the midst of this young man’s funeral procession
in Nain.

 

When Jesus saw
death’s latest victim coming his way, his attention was drawn to the
widowed mother.  He was moved by her loss (v 13), “When
the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’” 
Notice that Luke refers to Jesus here as “the Lord.” 
From the very beginning, Jesus was Lord of the entire situation. 
He was in complete control.  He would soon take
charge of the situation by showing that he was Lord of all, even Lord
over death itself.

 

“His heart went out to
her.”  Luke uses a
word which means “his whole being” went out to her over her loss. 
Jesus felt her sting of death in his own heart.  And
yet he could still gently say to her, “Don’t cry.”  She
could dry her tears, because Jesus was about to remove the cause of
those tears.

 

“Then he went up and
touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still.  He
said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’  The dead man sat
up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother” (vv 14,15).  The funeral was called off! 
Why?  Because there was no body to bury!  Jesus
made sure of that!  He had the solution to death!  With
just his word, he was able to push death aside and bring life back to
the widow’s son.  For Jesus, it was as easy as waking a
person up from sleep.  Now he was able to present to this
woman her son, her living son!  Jesus had dealt with
death and had come out victorious!

 

What does this all
mean to you and me?  I see two lessons which we can take
to heart.  First of all, let’s take comfort in the fact
that we have a Savior who truly cares about what we go through.  Remember,
he came down to this earth to be one of us.  In Hebrews
we’re told that he was not one who was “unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as
we are — yet was without sin” (Heb 4:15).  When we suffer
the loss of a loved one, Jesus knows how we feel.  Remember
how he wept after hearing the news of Lazarus’ death?  At
times when death enters into our lives, we may feel all alone.  But
we’re not!  Jesus is there,  and he knows our
fears, our pains, and our losses.  And, above all, he can
help!

 

Does that mean we
should go to funerals and watch for the dead to come alive again? 
Not exactly.  But it does mean that the tears we
shed should never be for loved ones who die in the Lord.  The
love of God has changed the outcome of death for us.  When
Jesus came to this earth, he came to defeat death.  To do
so, he would first have to defeat the devil.  He would have
to strip Satan of his greatest weapon by giving up his perfect life in
exchange for every sin mankind would ever commit.  That’s
where we see our Savior’s love, for “greater
love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”
(Jn 15:13).  Jesus knows what death is all about, because
he went through it and came back to talk about it!  “The
last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Co 15:26), but death has been
destroyed!  “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Co
15:54).  Now death is no longer a dead end, but just a
beginning.  Remember what Jesus tells us (Jn 11:25), “I am
the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will
live, even though he dies.”  Death now simply marks the end
of our sin-marred existence here on this earth and the beginning of our
sin-free eternity in
heaven.  This is the second lesson to take home with you
this morning — Jesus Christ has power over death!

 

A pastor once
entered a coffee shop in a Chicago hotel.  While he was
finishing his breakfast, a man sat down on the stool next to him and
nervously ordered a roll and a cup of coffee.  He turned to
the pastor and said, “Did you see the headlines?”  Then he
pointed to the front page of the morning paper.  The
headline read: “Air Crash Kills 52.”  The man said, “I’m
supposed to catch a plane for Los Angeles this noon, and I’m scared
stiff!  If I didn’t have to be there for a meeting, I’d
cancel my reservation and take a train.” 
They talked a little more about the safety of travel by air and
by train.  Then the pastor mentioned that he too had a
plane reservation for that afternoon, and he intended to keep it. 
The man said to him, “Well, I guess it’s all in the way you look
at it. When your number’s up — it’s up.”  The pastor just
smiled and said to him, “Yes, I suppose that’s true.  But I
happen to know the Man who puts the numbers up.”

 

Should we be
afraid when our number comes up?  Not at all, because we
know who puts the numbers up!  We know that when death
comes calling, it’s simply our Lord’s way of telling us that he’s ready
for us in heaven!

 

We can deal with
death, because our Lord has conquered death for us.  We
know this, and it changes how we look at death.  But what
about the rest of the world?  What about those who still
live each day, dreadfully afraid of death and what it brings?  We’ve
seen Jesus bring a man back from the dead.  Let’s see what
happened next.  There’s a sequel to what happened at Nain
which directs us and our response today.

 

The crowd was
stunned, but the word got out (vv 16,17), “They were all filled with
awe and praised God.  ‘A great prophet has appeared among
us,’ they said.  ‘God has come to help his people.’  This
news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.” 
It’s not every day that these people had a funeral called off
for lack of a dead body!  They were stunned, and yet they
recognized that God was responsible for such a miracle.  Scholars
debate as to whether they now saw Jesus as the promised Messiah, the “prophet”
 spoken of by Moses, or as simply another of God’s
spokesmen.  We hope that such a display of power was enough
proof that standing before them was the very Son of God.  In
either case, there was no way the news of this event would die down. 
The people wouldn’t let it.  If you had been there,
you wouldn’t have been able to keep quiet either.  They
had witnessed a man who had the solution to death!  Such
news was too good to contain! “God has come to help his people.”

 

You and I have
found the solution to death.  You and I know that death is
no longer terminal, that death doesn’t have to be fatal.  We
know that the real cure for death has been found.  It’s
found in Jesus (Ro 6:9), “For we know that since Christ was raised from
the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.” 
And if death can no longer master Jesus, it can no longer master
us.  Scripture assures us (Ro 6:8), “Now if we died with
Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”  Or,
as Jesus himself tells us (Jn 14:19), “Because I live, you also will
live.”

 

By God’s grace, we
know all this.  So what are we going to do with it? 
Sit on it?  Shame on us if we do!  Can
you and I live our lives with the knowledge that death is no big deal
and let the rest of the world live in fear?  How fair is
that?  How loving is that?  How dare we be so
selfish!  Let the world in on what was never meant to be a
secret!  Tell the world why you can boast with the Apostle
Paul (1 Co 15:55), “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where,
O death, is your sting?”  Let them in on the solution (1
Co 15:57), “Thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

It’s so simple,
isn’t it?  It is, when you know the answers.  It
is, when you have the solution.  By God’s grace, we have
those answers.  Jesus has given them to us.  Now
it’s time to share them with others.  It’s time to let the
world know what we know, that because of Jesus we can deal with death!

 

Both my parents
were called home over the past 18 months.  Someone once
said to me that it must be hard to “lose” both my parents in such a
short period of time.  I’m sure they meant well, but what
they said really wasn’t accurate.  You see, I didn’t “lose”
my parents.  Someone is lost only when you don’t know
where to find them.  I know where my parents are.  I
know they’re with their Savior in heaven.

 

Those who die in
the Lord are never lost.  We know where to find them. 
Because of Jesus, we know how to deal with death. 

 

                                                             
Amen

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The LORD Bless You and Keep You – Always!

1. June 2010 by admin.

Numbers 6:22-27

The Priestly Blessing

²² The LORD said to Moses, ²³ “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ²⁴ ” ‘ “The LORD bless you
and keep you;

²⁵ the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

²⁶ the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.” ‘

²⁷ “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Summary:  Moses receives from the Lord the blessing Aaron is to speak, putting the Lord’s name on the Israelites. We surely see the three-Personal nature of God that Jesus enunciated foreshadowed already in this Aaronic Benediction.

Dear Christian friends, privileged to have hearts filled with the Holy Spirit,

Have you ever noticed how most statements in which the word “always” is used end up being false? For example, you may have heard your children grumble on more than one occasion, “Why do we always have casseroles for supper?” After another sweltering day we may be prone to proclaim, “It’s always so hot in Kansas!” A long day at work or school may lead us to lament, “I’m always so tired when I get home that I can barely stand!” If “always” means “all the time, without exception,” these statements and many like them just can’t be taken too seriously because they’re just not true.

This morning we hear the Lord telling Moses (v 23), “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites.’” God wants his children to be blessed. What follows is the formula the Lord wants us to use to bestow his blessing, one with which we’re quite familiar since it’s used at the end of many of our worship services.

But do you know that we could be accused of leaving a word out of the blessing? Today I’m going to teach you a little Hebrew to prove my point as I share with you the blessings our Lord bestows upon us. Today we receive our God’s blessing as Moses proclaims to the Israelites and to us:

“The LORD Bless You and Keep You – Always!”

I. With fatherly protection

II. With saving grace

III. With spiritual peace

Here’s your Hebrew lesson for today: The verb forms used here in these verses in the original Hebrew language are what we call the “imperfect” tense. When this tense is used, it means that the actions mentioned are actively being fulfilled both in the present and in the future. In other words, it’s appropriate to add the word “always” to the verb being used! So let’s do that as we take a look at the Lord’s blessing.

“The LORD [always] bless you and keep you” (v 24).

It is the Lord’s will for us that we be prosperous and happy as he guards us from all danger and harm with his fatherly protection. He provides for us and preserves us “richly and daily” as we confess in Luther’s Explanation to the First Article, acknowledging that we have far more than we need and we’re taken care of every day. When was the last time you went hungry for an entire day? When was the last time you truly had nothing to wear? The Israelites would learn of God’s fatherly protection as they traveled through the desert. The daily miracles of manna and quail provided them with food for 40 years. And they didn’t have to stop at the mall for new clothing, because the Lord miraculously refused to let their clothes wear out. I read once that the average person needs to take 2400 steps to walk a mile. By spending 40 years of walking in the wilderness, God’s people piled up the miles, but their shoes never ripped out or wore through. How many pairs of 40-year old shoes do you have in your closet?

The Lord’s fatherly protection is still evident today in the fact that he’s kept us safe on our journey through life. No, we may not have magic clothing and shoes to wear, but is it any less a miracle how often we’ve “just missed” hitting that car that suddenly stopped in front of us? Earlier this month a tornado heading straight for Mid-Continent airport suddenly lifted and dissipated. Just a lucky break? The psalmist tells us otherwise (Ps 121:5-8), “The LORD watches over you – the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” In other words, the LORD will always bless you and keep you!

Keep in mind that the greatest protection he provides is spiritual. How many times hasn’t he shielded us from temptation! How many times, when we are tempted, hasn’t he blessed us with strength to resist! We have Scripture’s promise (1 Co 10:13), “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” As a shepherd cares for his sheep, so the Lord always blesses and keeps those who belong to his flock with his fatherly protection.

Why does our heavenly Father bless us in such a way, when we do nothing to deserve such wonderful care? We read on to learn that his saving grace in Christ is what motivates all the blessings we receive.

You’ll recognize part two of the Lord’s blessing (v 25), “The Lord [always] make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.” This might be my favorite part of the Lord’s blessing. I just love the picture of his face shining down upon me. David prays in the psalms (Ps 31:16), “Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.” Picture it as the sunshine finally breaking through the clouds on an overcast day. That’s what it’s like to have God’s shining – or smiling – face always on us, lighting and lightening our day with his continuing grace in Christ. Another way to think of it would be to have the Lord “always being favorably inclined toward us.” Wow! Wouldn’t that be something, to have God always looking at us in that way?

It would be something, and it is something, because that’s how God does look at us now – all because of the grace he showed to us in sending his Son to be our Savior. Just as the sun shines down on us from the sky without us doing anything to make it happen, so also the Lord’s face shines upon us apart from anything we do to deserve it. That’s because he’s always “gracious” to us. Grace can be defined as God refusing to give us what we have coming. Instead of punishment, he’s chosen to give us love. He sent Jesus, who John says came into our world “full of grace” (Jn 1:14). He stepped in for us and squared things with our heavenly Father by living and dying in our place. So now, when God looks our way, his face is always shining – he’s always smiling! We’re blessed because of his saving grace!

Don’t expect the world to understand this part of the Lord’s blessings. People are used to getting only what they deserve. They’re taught that everything has a price, and nothing is free. Grace is a concept that’s so different, it can only be accepted by faith. Scripture is clear when it comes to how our Lord blesses us with salvation (Eph 2:8,9), “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”

If this is the case, then let’s be careful we don’t try to take credit for the blessings God has given us. The devil would have us do so, as he has wiggled his way into so many churches today, convincing people that salvation is a “tag-team” effort between man and God. Even at Messiah there are times when we may find ourselves tempted to boast and take credit for what God has done for our congregation. Right now we are rejoicing to have 75% of our membership in church every week, with an average attendance of 116 – the highest in Messiah’s history! Our delinquent list is almost non-existent. Our child care center has reached an enrollment of 70 children – also an all-time high! And now we once again have a vicar coming to assist in ministry next year. Things are going good, and Satan would love for us to pop our shoulders out of joint as we try to pat ourselves on the back. But we dare not do so, because the blessings we’ve experienced are just that – they’re blessings! God has enabled us to serve him and has blessed our efforts, not because we deserve to be blessed, but only because of what Christ has done for us. That’s what the blessing of saving grace is all about!

Fatherly protection, saving grace – how do we receive such blessings? They’re brought to us by the Holy Spirit as he works in our hearts, giving us blessing #3 — spiritual peace.

The last part of the Lord’s blessing is similar to having his face shine on us but still adds another thought (v 26), “The LORD [always] turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Sin often makes us feel as if God has turned his face away from us in disgust. David felt that way when he prayed (Ps 13:1,3), “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? . . . Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.” Later David also adds (Ps 30:7), “O LORD, . . . when you hid your face I was dismayed.” We’re shamed so much by our sins that we’re led to ask, “How could a holy God even look at such a sinful creature as me?” Remember Adam and Eve trying to hide from God after they sinned in Eden? Our response is no better.

When we feel the weight of our sins, remember who bore that weight so we don’t have to. Jesus turned the Father’s anger into mercy. Even though we try to hide from him, the Lord never hides his face from us. He didn’t hide or hold back his love from Adam and Eve. When they disrupted his plan for the world, he simply came up with a new one that involved sending his Son to straighten everything out. And now with his face always turned toward us, we have peace.

There are many definitions for this peace. One that I ran across recently: Peace is “a positive state of rightness, well-being, and wholeness that encompasses both body and soul and comes only from the Lord.” To simplify, the peace with which God blesses us is knowing that no matter what’s going on in our lives, everything’s going to be O.K. It’s the sigh of relief that is ours once we hand over all our worries and concerns to the Lord. It’s the heartfelt smile that comes to our face when we’re reminded that because of Christ our Lord always turns his face toward us. And, because of that, everything’s going to be O.K.

Pastors today share in the joy of Aaron and his sons as we, too, are privileged to place the Lord’s blessing upon his people. That blessing is God’s mark of ownership (v 27), “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” Some of the children in our child care center come with their names written on the tags of their clothing to let the teachers know who the clothes belong to so they won’t get mixed up. Growing up with three brothers, it wasn’t uncommon for us to write our names on our possessions so our evil brothers would keep their grubby little hands off. It was clear, then, who the owner was.

That’s what God has done to each of us. His name was imprinted on each of us when we were created, but Satan came along and tore the tag off. But God has come back with a permanent marker, and in big red letters he claims us as his own by writing his name in the blood of his Son. That reality is echoed every time we hear the Lord’s blessing – we are the Lord’s! Paul puts it this way (Ro 14:8), “Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” God has sealed his promise to us by placing his very own name on us, proclaiming his eternal ownership. That’s why we can always rejoice in the blessing of spiritual peace!

I hope today’s section of God’s Word leads you to appreciate all the more the wonderful blessing first given by the Lord to Moses for his Old Testament people but also meant today for you and me. It isn’t true that you always have casseroles for supper or that it’s always so hot in Kansas or that you’re always so tired after work or school that you can barely stand. But it is true that the Lord always wants to bless you and keep you! Since he’s the all-powerful God, he usually gets his way.

And isn’t that good news for us?

Amen

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