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August 18, 2008 by admin.
In the name of Jesus, David’s Son yet David’s Lord, and the One in whom we still trust today, dear Christian friends,
Sometimes we think we know better. Sometimes we think our plan is better than God’s. It happened to David. The prophet Samuel had anointed him king, but there was a problem – Saul still held the office and didn’t take kindly to someone being chosen to replace him. So he made up his mind to take David out of the picture.
In a moment of weakness of faith David lost his confidence in the Lord’s protection against Saul and fled to Israel’s enemies, the Philistines, to the city of Gath. The Philistine people recognized Israel’s hero (after all, he had just struck down their champion, the giant Goliath), so they reported his presence to their king. When David realized he had foolishly put himself in danger by trying to hide himself among the Philistines, he stooped to acting as if he were insane in order to escape. The Philistine king then dismissed him as a madman, being all too eager to get him out of his territory.
David’s foolish decision to seek refuge among the enemies of Israel brought on the fears and troubles mentioned in Psalm 34. But David also learned a valuable lesson, one he shares with us this morning through this same psalm:
“Fear the LORD, and You’ll Have Nothing to Fear!”
Trust in his deliverance
Tell of his deliverance
Once David had come to his senses and came back to the Lord, he was quickly reminded of how his God was always there to deliver him from danger. He acknowledges the Lord’s role in his deliverance in verses 4-7. As I read these verses, take note of how the word “fear” is used with two different meanings. “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them” (vv 4-7).
When David says that the LORD “delivered me from all my fears,” that word is used to describe those things that make us afraid. Later when he says that “the angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,” then the word means to have awe or reverence for someone – yes, to have faith in someone. So now you should understand our theme: Fear the Lord (have faith in him), and you’ll have nothing to fear (nothing to be afraid of).
David learned what the Lord meant when he said through the psalmist (Ps 50:15), “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” David was delivered and now he honors his Lord by encouraging others to also turn to him for deliverance. And so he writes (vv 8-10), “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” David wants others to see for themselves the blessings that come when people trust in the Lord for his deliverance. Put your faith in him (“fear”), experience his power and protection, and you’ll understand why you have nothing to fear. This applies for both our physical and spiritual welfare. In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us (Mt 6:33), “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things (food, clothing, shelter, etc.) will be given to you as well.” Peter reminds us that our spiritual needs are covered as well (2 Pe 1:3), “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him.”
David’s right: “those who fear [the Lord] lack nothing.”
That’s because our God is an interactive God. He doesn’t tree us as his ant farm, simply gazing down from above and watching us run around, getting in and out of our little messes, without ever attempting to intervene. No, David tells us the Lord’s not only watching, but he listens and cares and delivers (vv 15-20), “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”
Did you catch that last part? “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.” Make no mistake about it, Christians are not immune to troubles. But we do have the solution to them – “the LORD delivers.” He does this in different ways. He keeps some troubles out of our lives completely. Don’t believe me? Raise your hand if you’ve ever been bitten by a bear. I rest my case. He’s delivered you from bear bites by keeping such a threat out of your life. Other times he delivers us from troubles by taking them away. We recover from an illness or things improve at work or school – the trouble is removed. If he doesn’t take the trouble away, he promises to give us the strength to endure it. Think of chronic pain some bear or the loss of a loved one. That hurt is always there, but God “delivers” us by carrying us through it. Our final deliverance David mentions in the last verses of this psalm, described also by Paul when he wrote to Timothy (2 Ti 4:18), “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.”
We’re delivered from all evil for all eternity when our Lord takes us to heaven. Hears how
David describes it (vv 21,22), “Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.” David assures us that the wicked won’t prevail, that they will face judgement. But for those who take refuge in the Lord – those who trust in him for deliverance – they will not be condemned because they have been redeemed – bought back and brought back into God’s kingdom – through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. When afflictions and troubles rain down upon us, we can take refuge under the umbrella of our Savior’s righteousness. We can trust in him to take care of our temporal troubles, knowing full well that he has already delivered us from sin, from death, and from the devil himself. Just look to the cross – the symbol of our Lord’s greatest deliverance!
Fear the Lord – trust in him and his Word – and you’ll have nothing to fear. If you’re still a bit skeptical, let me show you how God’s Word has the answer for all your fears. I went online and found a site that listed “people’s ten greatest fears.” I’m saving fear #10 for later, but let’s look at the other nine.
Fear #9 = heights. That’s an easy one, for in Romans 8:39 we’re told, “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Fear #8 = insects. Some people see spiders and other creepy-crawlers and instantly freak out. Even if others don’t understand the effect such a phobia may have on you, God does, and he has the solution (1 Pe 5:7), “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” They might still creep you out, but now you know God cares and will help you overcome your anxiety.
Fear #7 = loneliness. If you realize you’re never truly alone, you can overcome loneliness. In Hebrews 13:5, God assures us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” And Jesus himself promised (Mt 28:20), “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Fear #6 = financial problems. Rewind to what I mentioned earlier from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Mt 6:33), “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” God promises to take care of your needs!
Fear #5 = sickness. Remember Paul’s thorn in the flesh? God didn’t take it away, and he may not take all our sicknesses or diseases away, but as he told Paul (2 Co 12:9), “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” No earthly sickness can rob us of God’s grace. And that’s all we need.
Fear #4 = flying. Scripture may not address this phobia directly, but I think Paul covers it with what he says in Philippians (4:6,7), “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Fear #3 = deep water. Moses faced the deep water of the Red Sea when Pharaoh and his army seemingly had cornered him and the Children of Israel. Not a problem, though, for the Lord. David tells us in Psalm 18 (16), “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.” No matter how deep the water may be, God can still reach us.
Fear #2 = dogs. I’ll speak from personal experience here. In grade school I had a paper route which was loaded with dogs that wanted to tear me apart. Somehow, I survived. Psalm 91:11 tells us how, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” God had his angels watching over me!
Fear #1 = death. Jesus has even this fear covered (Jn 11:25,26), “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” If the grave can’t hold us, then the fear of death shouldn’t either.
Fear the LORD, and you’ll have no reason to fear. If we’ve learned this lesson, then let’s teach it to others. If we trust in the Lord’s deliverance, then let us be eager to tell of his deliverance as well.
David was anxious to sing his Lord’s praises (vv 1-3), “I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.” Notice that David encourages us to praise the Lord even when we are “afflicted” – even during the bad times. The prophet Habakkuk had this in mind when he wrote (Hab 3:17,18), “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Those who fear the Lord, who trust in his deliverance, will also be able to rejoice and praise his name even while waiting for his deliverance. In faith we can pass on this blessed assurance to others (v 11), “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”
But that’s not easy for many people to do, to share their faith and to speak openly about their Savior. That’s where fear #10 comes in = public speaking. In reality, sharing our faith with “the public,” with other people, can be quite nerve-wracking. But again, Scripture has the solution to our fears. What Jesus said to his disciples of his time applies to us still today (Lk 12:11,12), “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” When it comes to telling others of the Lord’s deliverance, don’t be afraid – he’ll give you the words to say and the strength to say them!
So how can we possibly be afraid of anything with the Lord at our side? “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Ro 8:31)? We have a God who loves us, who listens to us, who answers us, who is working for our eternal good, and who one day promises to deliver us to heaven. And yet our sinful nature wants us to forget that at times. So we need to stay in the Word! Use the insert, “God’s Yellow Pages,” to help you find the answers you’re seeking for any fears that may still haunt you. And commit to memory God’s promise from Isaiah (41:10), “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.”
Amen
–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
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August 10, 2008 by admin.
In the book of James we find the words, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) Throughout the Bible we see many examples which back up that assertion. Moses cried to God, and the Red Sea parted. Hannah prayed, and the Lord gave her a son. King Hezekiah prayed, and God gave him 15 extra years to live. Elijah prayed, and a drought came to an end. Jesus prayed, and dead people came back to life, crowds were fed with little or no food, and people with fatal diseases were healed. “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” So why don’t people make use of this powerful tool more often? Why do people go through anguish and turmoil, trying everything they can think of before settling on prayer as a last resort? Perhaps it’s the survival instinct that we have which says that I have to take care of myself. Or maybe it’s a lack of experience. Those who never try it never realize how powerful it is. Or it may be a lack of confidence in the power of prayer.
Our Lord today wants to show us just how powerful the prayers of a righteous man are. By doing so he will invite us to
“Be a Bold Believer”
I. Confidently Confessing Christ
II. Persistent in the Privilege of Prayer
A number of recent events had prompted Jesus to seek some time alone. His cousin and faithful friend, John the Baptist, had been beheaded by King Herod. The Pharisees were pushing to have Jesus put away. And the people were pressing to make Jesus their earthly king. Setting out from Capernaum, Jesus and his disciples went north-west to an area known as Phonecia. There Mark says that Jesus “…entered a house and did not want anyone to know it.” (7:24) But word soon got out that the Galilean miracle worker was in town, and the crowds began to come to Jesus once again. Matthew writes, “Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.’”
I doubt that this was the only request Jesus received while in Phonecia. And yet, it is recorded for us because it stands out above the others for several reasons. First of all, it stands out because of the person who brought it. She is referred to as “…A Canaanite woman from that vicinity…” That is not so unusual, considering that Jesus was in a town full of Canaanites. But what makes it unusual is how this particular Canaanite woman came to Jesus. She addressed him as “…Lord, Son of David.” Although not a member of God’s chosen people, the Israelites, the woman had heard about the promised Messiah, and truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah. Jeremiah had prophesied that the Messiah would come from the family of David, writing in 23:5, “’The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.” By her reference to Jesus as the “…Son of David…” this woman was confidently confessing that Jesus was the true Messiah and only Savior of the world.
It is equally important to note that this woman did not come to Jesus looking for help for herself. She came looking to Jesus for help for her daughter, who was suffering from demon-possession. How refreshing her prayer must have been in the context of the many selfish prayers Jesus had been hearing recently!
If we were asked to list people from the Bible that we considered to be role models for our own lives, I don’t think many of us would initially list this Canaanite woman. More likely we would rattle off the names of David, Paul, Peter, or some of the other more well-known characters presented in God’s Word. And yet, the confession of faith that this woman made about her Savior could not have been better made by anybody. It didn’t matter to her that she was a Gentile, someone who didn’t have a long family history of Christianity. It didn’t matter to her that she lived among a people who openly worshipped idols instead of the “Son of David.” This woman had heard the gospel that proclaimed Jesus as the Savior of all nations, and she recognized that that meant Jesus was her Savior too. Based on her knowledge of those facts, she came confidently confessing Christ as her Savior and seeking his help with her problem.
What a perfect example for us and all people to follow! Sadly, though, it is an example that too many people overlook or ignore. Jesus is the true “Son of David,” the almighty Son of God who came from David’s family to “…take away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29) He is a Savior that we can all boldly confess as our own and approach with confidence. And yet, for a variety of reasons, we don’t come confidently to our Savior, and, as a result, we suffer more than we would have to.
A story is told about a native Indian who straggled into a western settlement begging for food. He was near the point of starvation and desperately in need of a meal. One of the men he came to noticed a pouch around his neck and asked the man what it contained. He said that it was just a piece of paper, a charm he had received when he was just a boy. He opened the pouch and gave it to the man to read. The paper proved to be a regular discharge from the Federal Army which entitled the man to a pension for life. It was signed by the Commander-in-Chief, George Washington.
Here was a man who had at his fingertips a promissory note that would have given him everything he needed for the rest of his life. Yet he was wandering around, homeless, hungry, and helpless, begging for food to keep from starving. If he had only realized what that piece of paper meant to him, his life would have been completely different.
How many people in our world today are wandering around spiritually homeless, hungry, and hopeless because they don’t recognize the rights they have through faith in Jesus Christ? The credit card of faith that we have been given by our Lord has no credit limit, is accepted in all situations, and is backed up by the treasures and storerooms of heaven itself. Those who believe the promises that the Lord has made to them can come confidently confessing Jesus as their Lord and can rely on him to meet all of their needs. Matthew would later write, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matt. 21:22) The writer to the Hebrews adds, “…he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Heb. 11:6b) And in his first epistle, John writes, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (I Jn. 5:14)
I’m sure you’ve heard the excuse that is often given as to why some people don’t come confidently to Christ in prayer. “I tried prayer once,” they will say, “but it didn’t work.” Matthew continues in our text to show us that as the Canaanite woman shows us in our text, we need to
II. Be Persistent in the Privilege of Prayer
When the request came to Jesus, Matthew tells us, “Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’” To the disciples, this woman was nothing more than a pest. They may have been embarrassed by the woman, or they may have just wanted to preserve Jesus’ privacy. Whatever it was, the disciples just wanted Jesus to get rid of her.
It seemed at first that Jesus agreed with them. Our text says, “He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.’” Since this woman was a Gentile, she knew that she was not a part of the chosen nation of Israel. She understood what Jesus had said. He had been sent to the Jews, born “King of the Jews.”
But this woman’s faith told her that Jesus wasn’t only the Savior of Israel. Perhaps she remembered God’s words to Abraham in which God said “…through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.” (Gen. 22:18) Compelled by her daughter’s need and her strong faith, the Canaanite woman persisted in prayer. “The woman came and knelt before him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said.” Now Jesus wanted to see just how strong her faith was, and, in the process, strengthen the faith of his own disciples. “He replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.’” Jesus, whom John calls the “Bread of Life,” had been sent to the Jews. To take what belonged to them and give it to someone else would have been wrong.
But the woman understood the picture Jesus was using. She didn’t want to take Jesus away from the Jews and his work of saving them. But that shouldn’t stop her from receiving some of the “crumbs,” the blessings that Jesus could give without depriving the “children” of Israel. She said, “’Yes, Lord,’ she said, ‘but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.’” Finally the Canaanite woman’s persistent faith was rewarded. Jesus replied to her, “’Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”
This woman reminds us of Jacob, who wrestled with God at the stream of Jabbok. Refusing to quit even when his hip was dislocated by the Lord, Jacob said to God, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (Gen. 32:26) On that day, the Lord answered Jacob’s prayer saying, “…you have wrestled with God and with men and have overcome.”
Everyone who comes to the Lord in faith is promised to be blessed by him. As his dear children, we will not be turned away by our heavenly Father. We will not be overlooked, mistreated, forgotten, or neglected. When we boldly come to our Lord with confident persistence, the Lord will answer our prayers. The Canaanite woman believed that promise from God and her daughter was healed. When we believe God’s promise, then our prayers will be answered.
As many of you know, I came here about 2 ½ years ago, not really knowing what lay ahead. There were many nights when I prayed that God would show me what he had planned. As the days went by, I knew that God had heard my prayers, and I knew that he would show me, in his own way and in his own time, what he had planned. Today that plan is becoming quite clear. I thank God for listening to me, for blessing me with a new family and a new ministry opportunity in Gainesville, and for the chance to spend these last 2 ½ years with all of you, and with my brother, Deb, and Thomas. I will miss Messiah and its members, but I know you are in good hands, and I know that you will continue to be blessed because of your faithfulness to the Lord, his word and his work.
God wants you to Be a Bold Believer. He wants you to come to him confidently and pray to him persistently. Follow the example of the Canaanite woman and God will bless you always. Amen.
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July 27, 2008 by admin.
It was one of those mornings for Mrs. Smith. First of all her husband came rushing downstairs frantically trying to find his blue dress shirt and matching tie. Apparently he had an important business meeting that morning, and that was the only shirt and tie that he could wear that day.
Then, Sally, her 6th grade daughter casually mentioned that she had volunteered her mom to bake 4 dozen cookies for the school play that night. She had “forgotten” about it until that morning, but she figured that her mom would have plenty of time to get them done by 2:00 that afternoon.
Finally, Mikey, her 5 year old came down with huge chunks of his hair missing. He had found a scissors on the bathroom counter and had decided to give himself a haircut. Mrs. Smith patched it up as well as she could and sent him on his way. The day was only ½ hour old, and already she was ready to collapse.
Have you had any of those days lately? You finally just want to throw up your hands and ask, “How am I suppose to do all of this?” Imagine how you would have felt if you were Jesus on that day on the shore of the Sea of Galilee as he looked out at the 10,000-12,000 hungry people who had followed him. Our text for today shows us how he reacted, trusting in his heavenly Father to meet their needs. We’ll see today that all who put their trust in the Lord will always be able to face life’s challenges. We’ll learn from these words today that we can–
The people in our text were in a bit of an unusual situation. Matthew tells us that Jesus had gone across the Sea of Galilee by boat to a “A solitary place.” John the Baptist had just been murdered by King Herod, and Jesus’ disciples had just returned from an evangelism outing and were excited to tell Jesus what had happened. Jesus went across the lake to rest and talk to his disciples.
But by this time, Jesus was well-known throughout Israel. Word got out that Jesus had crossed the lake, and a large crowd quickly followed. By the time Jesus landed, the people had already arrived. Matthew says, ”When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
As we know, that is only the beginning of the story. Dinner time came and went and the people, who had been out all day, had had nothing to eat. Matthew wrote, “As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
Although Jesus had come to this place to take care of his own needs, he never forgot about the needs of the people. And when he saw the people, he put aside his own needs and concentrated on helping them. And we shouldn’t find that unusual. Jesus’ own family once tried to drag him away from the people, fearing that he wasn’t getting enough rest for himself.
But I’m sure you know how difficult it is to leave someone who needs help. It’s hard to watch someone who is suffering or trying to do something. You naturally want to go and help them. But sometimes you aren’t able to and it makes you feel bad. When I was young and my family would go on a trip, I remember my dad pulling over to help others who were having car trouble. But today, you don’t know if it’s safe, and you may have to drive past without stopping to help. I’ve done that quite a few times and always kind of wonder whether I should have stopped or not.
Our text says that when Jesus saw the people “…he had compassion on them.” This story is recorded by all four gospel writers, and Mark says that Jesus thought of these people as “sheep without a shepherd.” (Mk. 6:34) Jesus knew that many of these people were only here to have him help them with their earthly problems. They brought their sick friends and relatives to Jesus, and he healed them. But Jesus also saw the spiritual needs of these people, and he used this opportunity to reach out to their souls too.
When Jesus sees people, he sees more than what we see. He is omniscient, all knowing. He sees beyond the brave fronts that we put up to the insecurities that we have. He sees past the smiles we force to the hurt and pain beneath. He knows better than we do what dangers we face and what troubles lie ahead. And Jesus knows that these dangers and trouble threaten more than just our bodies. He sees the dangers and troubles that threaten our souls every minute of every day.
On the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus looked out at the 10-12,000 people who had come to see him. He saw their needs, and, we are told, he met their needs.
As the sun began to set, Jesus called his disciples together to see what they thought about feeding the people. The disciples suggested that Jesus just send them home so they could find their own food. But Jesus had a different plan. He said, ”They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” The disciples didn’t think that was possible since they had found only 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish among the people. What could so little do among so many?
Jesus said to his disciples, “Bring them here to me.” He directed the people to sit down, and, after saying a prayer to thank God for the food that he had, he “gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.” Matthew then reports that “They all ate and were satisfied…” In fact, the verb used to describe the people eating is the verb that is used to describe how a cow is fattened, almost force-fed, before it is butchered. It implies that everyone had more than enough to eat, with leftovers that filled twelve baskets.
This story is so familiar to most of us that we might overlook its message. Think about the details of what took place that day. 10-12,000 people sat down and had dinner on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Imagine trying to feed that many people in a restaurant or cafeteria! And when everyone had eaten what they wanted, more food was left than what they had started with! Now add to that the fact that Jesus had healed those who had been brought to him who were sick!
We might find ourselves in situations where we don’t know exactly what to do. We might not have all the answers to the questions that we have in our lives. Maybe we’ve been struggling with something for a long time and haven’t been able to find an acceptable solution. The disciples put their heads together to try to figure out how to feed the people, and they came up empty. They stood before Jesus with a blank stare on their faces.
But Jesus has the solutions. He had the solution on that day at the Sea of Galilee, and he has the solutions to our problems. He has said through his Word, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you.” (Ps. 50:15) King David wrote with confidence, “Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him.” (Ps. 4:1) What needless worry we endure and problems we bear because we forget the invitation of our Lord!
Each one of us can listen to this story and hear our Savior talking to us. He who sees each sparrow that falls from the sky sees each of us just as clearly. He who provides food and shelter for the little animals of the forest has shown us that we are much more important than they are. He came down from heaven and offered his own life to save us. He took away our sins and secured eternal life in heaven for us. And he has promised to give “all these things as well” to those who “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” (Mt. 6:33)
And listen to the prayer of Paul for the Christians in Ephesus: “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17-19) The power and love and mercy and grace of our Savior stretch far beyond our understanding. He knows our problems and he has the solutions. Let this familiar story encourage you to rely more confidently on the Lord. In his name. Amen.
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July 21, 2008 by admin.
In the name of Jesus, our souls’ delight and our treasure, dear fellow-redeemed,
Last month on our way to my brother’s wedding in Wisconsin, my family and I stopped in Stanton, Missouri to tour the Merrimac Caverns. One piece of information that I found rather interesting was that the caverns were used by Frank and Jesse James and their gang as a hideout. They even had one spot marked where they found some old guns and a chest – believed to be the spot where they stopped to count their loot after one of their robberies.
Even more intriguing to some are the stories of loot buried by the James brothers – some of which are yet to be found. One such legend has to do with the loot taken in a payroll robbery at Dodge City, estimated at $180,000. According to the story, the money was buried in Cutthroat Gap, down in the northwest corner of Comanche County in Oklahoma. There were three maps which led to the treasure. Frank and Jesse James each had one. The other was given to a man named Conley, a friend of the James brothers and one who claimed to be a lookout for them during some of their robberies.
The map showed the treasure hidden in a sealed cave near an old log cabin where many outlaws use to hide. Pictured was a Winchester rifle mounted in the fork of a tree – a sign to show the way to the treasure. On the map was a long black streak on the summit of Mount Pinched. Somewhere between this streak and the rifle was the sealed cave, which held the buried treasure.
Treasure-seekers have come across the cabin, they’ve identified the black streak, and they’ve discovered the Winchester, but the mysterious cave has never been discovered. Some claim that Frank James may have retrieved some of the money, but others like to believe that the treasure remains buried to this day.
Before you make vacation plans to head to Oklahoma, this morning I want to tell you about an even greater treasure that was once hidden, but now has been revealed as a blessing for all people. Today let’s listen to Jesus tell us four parables to encourage us to:
“Treasure the Gospel!”
Today Jesus speaks to us about “the kingdom of heaven.” Some like to think this kingdom is to be understood as some type of millennial reign of Christ here on this earth. And yet other portions of Scripture tell us his return will not be to reign but to judge. Here it’s important for us to understand the kingdom of heaven as simply God’s activity of proclaiming the gospel during our time of grace here on this earth. It’s his work of calling sinners to faith and salvation through his Word and sacraments. In short, the kingdom of heaven is the gospel.
The first two parables are rather easy to understand. Let’s look at the first one (v 44), “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Hidden treasures may have been a bit more common back at that time. Understand that there was no Bank of Jerusalem or First Mediterranean Credit Union to protect people’s savings. Instead, wealthy people would often divide their wealth into three parts: 1/3 would be kept for daily use; 1/3 would be converted into precious stones or jewels, making them easy to carry if forced to flee; and 1/3 was often buried somewhere for safekeeping. If something happened to the owner, the treasure would remain buried until someone stumbled across it, such as the man in the parable.
The man was so impressed with what he found that he “went and sold all he had and bought that field.” He truly appreciated the value of this buried treasure. The gospel’s message of salvation is like such a treasure. Once hidden by sin from mankind, God has revealed its saving message through his Word in the form of our Savior Jesus Christ. Nothing is more precious to a person with a burdened conscience than to hear the good news, “Your sins are forgiven.” You heard that same wonderful message again this morning and will experience it personally later through the Lord’s Supper. Treasure that gospel message!
Parable #2 is similar but offers a slightly different perspective (vv 45,46), “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Here you have a man looking for treasure. He’s a buyer of pearls, making daily trips down to the docks to inspect the pearls coming in from the Red Sea or the Mediterranean Sea. He’s acquired some dandies over the years, but now he comes across the perfect pearl – “one of great value.” Like the man in the first parable, he also liquidates all that he has to purchase this treasure. He gives up his search, truly appreciating how unique and precious this treasure is.
In both parables we have men who truly appreciate the treasure they’ve found. The first man stumbles upon his treasure. That doesn’t make it any less valuable, but the man was clueless as to where this treasure was. Sin makes us clueless and blinds us to the hidden treasure of the gospel. But then, by God’s grace, he leads us to it. We can’t find it on our own. But God takes us to it. For many, it came to us first in the miracle of baptism. Others may have had parents or friends bring it to us. Even though we weren’t looking for it, God knew we needed it.
The second man was looking for that “treasure of treasures.” He represents mankind’s emptiness when it comes to spiritual answers. We may search the world over for “pearls of wisdom,” for what’s missing in our lives, but nothing will suffice until God leads us to the gospel. There we find eternal answers and lasting peace. There is no need to look further. The gospel is the “pearl of great value,” the only message that guarantees heaven. Only in the gospel do we find a true treasure!
Treasure the gospel with true appreciation! You’re doing that right now by having gathered in God’s house around his Word. You do that when you spend less time with the newspaper and searching the Internet so you can have some personal time for reading your Bibles at home. You show your appreciation for the gospel when you don’t let anything else become more important – your job, your hobbies, or even just a morning to sleep in. Continue to treasure the gospel with true appreciation!
And when you fail at times to show that appreciation, don’t despair. That same gospel that we treasure offers us forgiveness when we sin. That’s why we treasure the gospel in true repentance.
Not everyone who hears the gospel treasures it. Jesus said there are “people [who] honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Mt 15:8). There might be some who are members of a church and appear very pious as they rarely miss a Sunday, and yet they come only to satisfy Mom and Dad, or their one hour of piety is rarely duplicated in the rest of their lives as they live only for themselves and their sinful natures. Others may come because it’s good for them and their reputation and for business to be “church people.” Others may give the impression that they’re servants of Christ on the outside, but their repentance is hollow when they continue to be slaves to sin in their hearts and in their lives.
No one will get away with “faking” their appreciation of the gospel. That’s the point of the third parable (vv 47-50), “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad fish away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Just like fishing with a dragnet, the gospel draws many people. But not everyone who comes to hear the gospel really believes it. Some are hypocrites – unrecognizable now, but on Judgment Day the angels will expose them for who they are. And even though only 59% of Americans believe it exists (according to yesterday’s paper), hell is real. Those faking their appreciation of the gospel and offering a sham repentance will hear Jesus say (Mt 25:41), “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
This parable encourages you and me to make use of the time of grace that God has given us. Paul tells us (2 Co 6:2), “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” Now is the time for us to admit we can’t save ourselves, to confess ours sins, to truly repent and trust in Jesus for forgiveness and salvation. Repent and look to Jesus, not as a lifeguard who tries to save us from drowning by giving us quick swimming lessons so we can save ourselves, but as the Savior who saves us by diving in after us and swimming us to shore. In true repentance, treasure the gospel – the message that proclaims all that our Savior has done for us!
Finally, there’s a reason why Jesus told these parables. In the last parable he explains why. He wants us to treasure the gospel and use it for true service in his kingdom.
Jesus wanted to make sure his disciples were learning the lesson he was teaching (vv 51,52), “‘Have you understood all these things?’ Jesus asked. ‘Yes,’ they replied. He said to them, ‘Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.’” Think of what the disciples learned from Jesus! Added to all the “old” things they had already learned from the Old Testament were now these “new” truths that were coming to them in the age of fulfillment, with Jesus himself as their teacher. They were hearing and seeing things never heard or seen before – and it was all being done in preparation for their lives of service as the Lord’s ambassadors. Jesus was teaching them so that they might teach others. He was teaching them to treasure the gospel so that they might lead others to do the same.
Simple applications here, right? You’re are not here just for yourselves. You are not gathered around God’s Word to have your own faith strengthened simply to then hoard the gospel and keep it to yourselves. You are being taught to treasure the gospel for true service – to serve others with the “one thing needful.” Here you are being equipped from God’s Word for Christian living, for Christian witness, and for Christian service. And God wants you to keep digging into the “storeroom” of his Word. He has lots more for you to learn – more treasures for you to discover. And he wants you to serve him and others by sharing the treasures you find.
Today we’ve learned that we’re surrounded by treasures – and we don’t have to have an outlaw’s treasure map to find it! We have before us today examples of the gospel in its three forms – in the Word of God, the sacrament of Holy Baptism, and the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. What wonderful blessings! What a treasure the gospel is! May it always remain our most treasured possession!
Amen
–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
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July 16, 2008 by admin.
Romans 8:26,27 In the name of him who sent the Spirit of life into our hearts, dear fellow recipients of God’s grace,
With all the advances in technology over the last few years comes the need for people who can bail us out when our technological devices don’t work as they should. These people come with the rather generic label of “tech support.” They are the men and women you call and get hooked up to for help when your computer or cable TV or iPod suddenly stops working the way it should. Who hasn’t experienced one of these phone calls? You feel rather humble as you try to explain just what happened, even though in reality you really don’t know what happened. But then you hear the tech on the other line surprise you by saying, “OK, I think I know what happened. We should be able to fix that rather quickly.” All of a sudden you let out a sigh of relief. Your troubles are gone – all because you were hooked up to someone who understood your problem and was willing to lend a helping hand.
We also have some “tech support” when it comes to our spiritual struggles, someone with whom we can get “hooked up” to who listens to our problems and sorts through our inadequate and frustrated attempts to explain what’s wrong. In the words before us this morning from the apostle Paul, we have a fascinating section of Scripture that gives us comfort and reassurance in times of trouble – especially as we live out our years on this earth with our eyes fixed on our heavenly destination. This morning let’s discuss our prayer life while learning that as Christians we all are assisted by God the Holy Spirit:
“A Helping Hand from Our Heavenly Hook-Up”
Today’s Scripture is a continuation from our readings in Romans. Last week Paul told us how we are in a time of waiting, a time in which we suffer along with the creation surrounding us, but still we’re able to do so patiently because of the hope we have – the hope of our redemption to life everlasting. “In the same way” that this hope helps us be patient, Paul goes on to tell us there’s even more help out there for us (v 26), “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” And what is that “weakness”? “We do not know what we ought to pray for” (v 26). Let’s take a look back even further. So often our weakness may be that we don’t pray enough! How often do you pray? Inventory your prayer life for one day (no fair using Sunday!). Hopefully there are the mealtime prayers, even though they may often be said in a robotic, rhythmic chant without a lot of thought put into them. Bedtime prayers? One in the morning when you get up? Any times during the day when you take time to talk to God? Now put an imaginary stopwatch on those prayers and estimate how much time you spend. Anyone out there spend more than 15-20 minutes, tops, in prayer each day? When it comes to prayer, weakness #1 may simply be that we don’t do it enough.
And that’s sad. Jesus told us to pray and even taught us how with the Lord’s Prayer. In Proverbs we’re told that “the prayer of the upright pleases [the LORD]” (15:8). But we still don’t make use of this privilege enough. Sad to say, from my confirmation classes I’m learning that we’re not doing a very good job of teaching our kids how to pray – and it might be because we’re forgetting how to pray ourselves. Perhaps it’s because we let doubt creep in, making us wonder if God even listens or has time to listen to us. Maybe we let guilt get in the way, thinking that we don’t deserve to bring our requests to God. We’ve forgotten that Christ won that privilege for us. Or maybe we’re afraid that we can’t put together a “proper” prayer, that we can’t come up with the right words, that we just can’t pinpoint what’s bothering us, and that it’s useless for us to even try. No wonder our prayers are often found lacking!
At times we all fall victim to what could be called the “Charlie Brown syndrome.” Remember the old Peanuts comic strip? It often featured “good ol’ Charlie Brown” being frustrated once again – either by throwing another home run pitch, getting his kite caught in the tree, or having Lucy pull the football out from under him yet again. The next strip would show him with his head tilted back, mouth opened wide, shouting out a single word: “AARRGGHH!” We don’t know what that word means – but, then again, maybe we do. It’s the same word – the same feeling – that we frustrated, disappointed, disillusioned, weak Christians have when we don’t know how to express what’s bothering us. It’s a constant reminder to us of how much our prayer life is lacking.
That’s why we need help. That’s where the Spirit comes in, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” We’re not left by ourselves to figure out how to fix things. God the Holy Spirit is there. He “helps” us. It’s an interesting Greek word that we translate “helps.” It’s a long word that actually breaks down to mean to “stand on the other side of a problem and lay hold of it along with us.” To simplify it we might say that the Holy Spirit is the one who “lends a helping hand” to us when it comes to our prayer life. When “hooked up” to him, we find the help we need.
And what is that help? “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (v 26). In other words, he translates our “AARRGGHH’s” and makes them make sense. He gets behind the meaning of what we’re trying to say, sorts out our confusion, and presents our requests to God the Father. Isn’t that amazing? The inner feelings that we can’t put into words are straightened out by the Holy Spirit, whose power goes beyond the limits of human speech. While our burdens here on earth can only leave us groaning and sighing, the Holy Spirit picks up our burdens and carries them to the throne of grace – in the same way that our Savior Jesus carried our burden of sin to the cross for us and took it all away. In distressing situations when we feel that we don’t have a clue what to pray and may not even be sure what God’s Word would tell us to pray, the Spirit steps in for us. He sees our tears, hears our stress-filled sighs, and rushes to our side. He lends a helping hand as our heavenly hook-up when our prayers are found lacking, speaking the feelings and thoughts which we are not able to put into words.
And he does even more! The Holy Spirit helps keep our prayer-life focused. He’s there for us with a helping hand when our prayers are lacking, but he’s also there when our prayers need direction.
All too often we’re guilty of treating God like some kind of divine pizza delivery boy. We call him up, tell him exactly how we want our order, and then expect him to deliver our “pizza” exactly how we ordered it in 30 minutes or less. When we don’t get what we want, we’re quick to get back on the phone with God and say, “Hey, where’s my pizza?” Or, “how come it’s not exactly what I ordered?” Left unchecked, our frustrations may build and ultimately cause us to stop “phoning in” our orders altogether. Then our connection – and our faith – is lost.
The problem isn’t on God’s end. The problem lies with our misdirected prayers. Not that we’re praying to the wrong person – God invites us, even commands us, to pray to him and guarantees he’ll hear us. The problem is we’re often praying for the wrong things – we’re ordering from the wrong menu. We have our shopping list in front of us, but God has a much better list he wants us to use. Our will doesn’t naturally correspond with God’s will, so we find ourselves focused in on too many earthly things, too many worldly concerns, too many temporal problems. We get too hung up with this life that we overlook the life that is to come. Again, your own personal inventory of the content of your prayers will betray you as much as I’m betrayed by mine. We may think we know what to pray for, but then we realize our prayers are selfish and short-sighted. We realize they need direction!
Once again, heaven hooks us up with a helping hand (v 27), “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit . . .” The one who searches our hearts is God the Father. He “knows the mind of the Spirit.” God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are on the same page – after all, they’re part of the same Trinity. As such we’re told (v 27), “. . . the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” First of all, notice the precious title we’re given here – “saints.” Just another perk of being connected to Jesus Christ, the one who washed us clean in his blood and gave us our saintly status. As such, we are now assured of the fact that as the Spirit intercedes for us, he does so “in accordance with God’s will.” Literally, the Greek says “according to God.” Here’s what this means: The more the Holy Spirit works in your heart, the more pleasing to God your prayers will become. The more prominent a place the Holy Spirit has in your heart, the more your prayers will be found to be “in accordance with God’s will.” The more your life is guided by the Holy Spirit, the more clearly you will see and understand how God is working in your life – and the more trusting you will be when you can’t understand everything that he’s doing. Only the Holy Spirit can give our prayers the direction that they require. Only he can help us in our weakness.
It makes sense, then, for us to take advantage of every opportunity we have to be more “Spirit-filled.” The Spirit comes to us by working and then strengthening faith in our hearts. And Scripture tells us how we get that faith (Ro 10:17), “Faith comes from hearing the message.” Let’s line up the dominoes: Position yourself around the Word of God with regular church attendance, Bible Class, Sunday School, and your own personal devotional life at home. Then watch the Holy Spirit work his wonders in your heart as he waters that faith and causes it to grow. Finally, your prayer life will bloom and become more and more in step with God and his will, reaping many blessings to comfort and guide you in this life and giving you a sure and lasting hope for the life that is to come.
We really have no excuses left when it comes to prayer. Even if we feel we’re not “good” at it, we have a helping hand offered from heaven by the Holy Spirit. He fills in the gaps when our prayers are lacking, and he straightens them out when they’re misdirected. So, Christians, get on your knees and pray! And remember the words we sang earlier this morning (CW 189:4):
For he can plead for me with sighings
That are not speakable by lips defiled.
He bids me pray with earnest cryings,
Bears witness that I am your precious child,
Joint heir with Christ, and thus may dare to say:
O heav’nly Father, hear me when I pray!
Amen
– Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
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June 30, 2008 by admin.
In the name of our God, whose presence is always with us, dear fellow believers,
It’s taken many months of campaigning, but we finally have our two candidates for this fall’s presidential election. No doubt over the next few months we’ll continue to hear Senator Obama and Senator McCain debate about key issues that they feel will influence people and how they vote. These issues will include health care, gas prices, the economy, and the like. Another hot topic is sure to be the war in Iraq and our involvement in the affairs of the Iraqi people. It’s a pretty polarizing issue. Either you feel that we don’t belong there and should pull our troops, or you’re of the opinion that we should stay put until we accomplish our objectives. Either way, it appears as if we will be “at war” for up to and possibly beyond a decade once all is said and done.
Even though the battlefield is miles away, the reports of casualties remind us that this battle is very real and affects many people in our country. And yet there’s another battle closer to home, a war that is being engaged in every human being. We’re not facing an army from another country. But we are up against a very real and a very dangerous adversary — three of them, in fact. We’re battling the devil, the sinful world around us, and an enemy who’s all too close for comfort — the sinful nature that lives in each of us. On the other side of the confrontation is what we call our “New Man,” the part of us that desires to please our Lord, given to us and supported by God the Holy Spirit. The battle these combatants wage is hard, and the battle is long. As St. Paul reminds us this morning, every day, every hour, every minute of our lives:
“We Are at War”
I. The cause
II. The conflict
III. The victory
Our enemy didn’t invade from another country. We were born with it. It’s our inheritance from Adam (Ro 5:12), “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” There’s no way of avoiding this fate. Earlier Paul describes us all as “slaves to sin” (Ro 6:20). We’re at war because we were born with sin.
The New Man in us is frustrated having to coexist with the enemy we call sin. Sin causes problems (v 15), “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Earlier Paul reminds us that as Christians we “have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God” (Ro 6:22). And yet our sinful nature still brands us as sinners and slaves to sin. The New Man in Paul wouldn’t acknowledge what his sinful nature did. He wanted to do only what was pleasing to his Lord, and yet when he takes inventory of his life, Paul sees just the opposite. It would be like working on an automobile assembly line, watching a car creeping down the line take shape. Doors, fenders, windows, the engine, and the transmission are all in place. Workmen have applied the last coat of lacquer. All that’s left is the final step of rustproofing. But what comes off the assembly line is covered with a bunch of dents and scratches, displaying areas of rust and erosion. What could have happened? What went wrong? That’s what Paul must have been asking himself when he took inventory of his life.
The problem wasn’t with Paul’s New Man or with God (v 16), “And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.” The war within us isn’t God’s fault. As Christians we recognize the benefits of having God’s law to guide us and to show us our sins. The real culprit is sin itself (v 17), “As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.” Sin is the intruder, the trespasser who doesn’t belong in us. And yet we appear virtually powerless to expel him from our lives. It’s as if we’ve become puppets, with Satan controlling the strings. Sin takes over, and since sin is still a part of us, we are responsible when our sins win out over our New Man.
The cause of our warfare goes deep beneath the surface. It’s like the old clock in the church that no longer kept the proper time. It usually went too fast, causing the people to think the pastor was keeping them too long. Finally the pastor made a little sign and posted it by the clock. It read, “Don’t blame the hands. The problem lies deeper.” The problem wasn’t the hands pointing out the wrong time. The problem was with the inner mechanism and springs. So it is with us (Mt 15:19), “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” That’s what causes us to go to war with God, for “the sinful mind is hostile to God” (Ro 8:7).
And yet God’s grace brings to our side a worthy opponent for sin. In 1 Corinthians we’re told (1 Co 6:19), “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you?” We’ve always got company, because through baptism we’ve gained an ally. Just like the Lord assured Moses of his constant presence, so also we aren’t fighting alone. We know the cause of the battle — sin. Now let’s take a look at the conflict between sin and our New Man, supported by our ally, God the Holy Spirit.
On the one side you have the desire for good. On the other side we find the failure to carry out that good (vv 18,19), “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing.” Our sinful nature is rotten to the core. We want to do good, but our sinful nature overrules us. It’s like wanting to put up beautiful shining Christmas lights to adorn our lives, only to have sin keep pulling the plug.
It seems that even our best efforts are always overcome by sin (vv 20,21), “Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” Sin is responsible for turning “all our righteous acts . . .[into] filthy rags” (Isa 64:6). Sin taints everything we do. It’s like the sleeping dog lounging alongside us. It may seem harmless enough, but as soon as we make our move to do something good, that dog awakens and attacks, destroying any good intentions we might have had. Such is the conflict we face.
And yet our New Man continues to do battle, even though it appears to be a losing one (vv 22,23), “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.” As Christians we, like Paul, take pleasure in finding ways to please God. And yet we, too, find “another law” that often leads us instead to do things that are pleasing to the devil. It often seems as if our entire body is under the devil’s control, as he infiltrates our minds and takes us prisoner. In the end we might say that we feel like a boxer knocked out in the opening seconds of the fight — we’re defeated before we ever get a chance to fight! It seems as if our demise is inevitable.
Our conflict against sin and Satan is never-ending. It’s like pulling weeds in your garden — they keep coming back, no matter how many you pull. Satan keeps coming back, no matter how often we try to “pull” him out of our lives. When we go to war with him, be assured that there will be no cease-fires, no days off, no vacations from the battle. Peter tells us (1 Pe 5:8), “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” He keeps tempting us into those pet sins that we find so hard to resist, and we end up giving in so many times. The worst thing we could ever do would be to underestimate our opponent. So let’s recognize the battle we’re in and the enemy we’re up against. If you don’t feel the heat of the battle, then you’re really in trouble because Satan has tricked you into a false sense of security. You sense a peace that you can’t obtain on your own. With Satan there is no such peace. We’re always in for a fight, battling for our eternal soul.
Yes, we may lose many of these battles, but there’s still some great news. We’ve won the war! It wasn’t our doing. But the victory has been achieved for us — all by the grace of God in Christ Jesus!
First of all remember your own inability to overcome sin (v 24), “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” When we see the losses brought on by sin, we’re dejected, but let us never despair. That’s because even though we may lose some battles, we’ve won the war. We know that eventually our conflict will end, and it will end in victory. That’s why we share Paul’s desire (Php 1:23), “I desire to depart and be with Christ.” We long for the day when the fighting will be done and we will be at peace for all eternity.
That day will be possible, not because of what we’ve done, but only because of our Lord (v 25), “Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Why do we say “thanks be to God”? Because “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8). God gave us the victory over sin and Satan, just as he had promised way back in Eden when he told the devil (Ge 3:15), “He [the Savior] will crush your head.” The Lord kept his promise and sent his Son: “Jesus,” the God-man, the one who mediates between us and our Father in heaven; “Christ,” the one anointed by God to fulfill all the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament; “our Lord,” the one who’s always in complete control, before whom “every knee should bow” (Php 2:10). That was Paul’s Savior. He is our Savior as well.
We are at war, but remember (1 Jn 4:4), “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Our enemy is tough, there’s no denying that fact. He’s impossible to defeat by ourselves. It’s foolish to even try. Many still do, as they attempt to moralize, rationalize, or even sympathize their sins away. But ignoring the battle won’t make it go away. The only solution is to repent and believe — believe that even though your enemy is strong, your Savior is stronger! He carried the entire weight of the world’s sins to Calvary, and there he disposed of them for all eternity. Now that same Savior picks us up and carries us through our daily battle with all our enemies. With him we know that the victory has already been won. Because ours is guaranteed to be a winning battle, we have the strength to keep at it. As we shall soon sing, (CW 537:1), “Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before.” And as we march on, we do so as winners, because with Christ in the lead, we can’t lose! Amen
–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
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June 24, 2008 by admin.
Peer Pressure is one of the more powerful influences that we have in our world. Almost everyone wants to be accepted in their social peer groups. Nobody likes to be the “odd man out”. Nobody likes to be singled out as “different” or “unusual”. Rather, people make every effort to be accepted, to be like the others in the group.
This is OK until it happens that what the group is doing is wrong. Other people in your office may help themselves to stamps, staplers, pens, and other equipment that belongs to the company. Our faith demands that we NOT join them, that we not participate in the sin, even though it may seem somewhat insignificant. In fact, our faith tells us that weshould try to prevent people from doing what is wrong.
I imagine that you would be a bit unpopular if you confronted your fellow employees. It would be easier for you to mind your own business, or perhaps even join in doing what the others are doing. At the time of our text, God had sent a prophet named Hananiah to warn the people of Judah about what they were doing. But Hananiah knew that if he did that, it wouldn’t make him very popular with the people. And Hananiah wanted to be accepted. Hen wanted to be liked. So rather than do what God sent him to do, Hananiah patted the people on the back and told them to keep up the good work.
Our text today describes the reaction of Jeremiah when he heard the words of Hananiah. He wasn’t afraid of confronting him, and he didn’t worry about how his rebuke would sit with the people of Judah. He had a responsibility that he had been given by God, and he knew that it was more important for him to
“Be True, Not Popular”
1. The World’s Sinfulness Demands It
2. God’s Love Demands It
Jeremiah wrote, “Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD. He said, ‘Amen! May the Lord do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you h ave prophesied by bringing the articles of the LORD’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.’” God selected men through whom He would reveal His will to His people. When Hananiah was chosen by God, it was his responsibility to relay the message from God accurately. Hananiah was commissioned by God to speak a harsh message to the people, a message of captivity and destruction. Such a message would make Hananiah unpopular with the people. So he changed it. He told the people that they would soon be free from the enemy and that good times were just around the corner.
Jeremiah immediately confronted Hananiah. Before the priests and the people who were at the temple, he challenged the message of Hananiah. But he did so in a pretty unique way. “Amen! May the LORD do so!” he said. Jeremiah had prayed that the exile into Babylon would not be necessary. He had hoped that the people would confess their sins and repent. If so, God would forgive them and, perhaps, spare them from the Babylonians.
But Jeremiah knew that the people had not turned from their sinful ways. They had not repented and were not going to be spared from God’s punishment. The message of Hananiah only led the people to continue along their path of sin. If Jeremiah did not stand up and confront Hananiah and the sin of the people, they would soon meet the full wrath of God. He called the message of peace that Hananiah proclaimed “the words you have prophesied.” Hananiah had failed the LORD. He did not proclaim God’s message. He proclaimed a message that would make him more popular with the people.
While confronting people with their sins may be difficult, it is vital. God tells us that when a person sins against us we are to “go and show him his fault…” (Mt. 18:15) In the Old Testament Moses wrote, “Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.” (Lev. 19:17) What God wants us to do is clear. But doing it won’t make you the most popular person at the time. Unfortunately, the devil has misled people into believing that a harsh rebuke of sin isn’t so necessary. Misapplied Bible verses about God’s love and mercy have been used to downplay seriousness of sin and its consequences. We are surrounded by churches and religions that do not hold people accountable for sin, but rather preach a message of tolerance so that they do not offend anyone.
In our text, Hananiah took that route and was challenged by Jeremiah. He wrote, “Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms.” Pointing to the prophecies of the other men whom God had sent, Jeremiah noted a warning far different from the sugarcoated pat on the back spoken by Hananiah. So who was right? Jeremiah wrote, “But, the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true.” While Hananiah meant to bring joy and relief to the people, all he really did was lead them further away from God’s love.
II. God’s Love Demands It
When Adam and Eve fell into sin, God searched them out to offer them His help. When King David fell into sin, God sent Nathan to bring him His love. Jesus Himself reached out to a woman whom He met at a well who was spiraling toward hell because of her adulterous life. But in each case, the love was first shown by leading the person to recognize his or her sin. God said to Adam and Eve, “Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (Gen. 3:11) Nathan spoke to David in a picture story describing a rich man who stole a poor man’s only sheep to lead David to realize what he had done with Bathsheba. And Jesus made a simple, but leading, request of the woman He met at Jacob’s well, “Go, call your husband and come back.” (Jn. 4:7)
The justice of God demands that He punish sin. He is not able to ignore it or close His eyes to it. Sin will be punished, and the sinner will pay eternally. But only the unrepentant sinner. For those who confess their sins and turn to God for mercy, the blood of Jesus will set them free. God’s great love moved Him to punish His son in our place. Those who trust the words of the Lord and the forgiveness He promises will be set free from their sins.
And that is what leads us to preach God’s law, even when it is not a popular message. While a parent or doctor does not enjoy telling a child or patient that they are sick, it is necessary so that the problem can be confronted. If God had allowed the people of Judah to go about their lives misled by the sugarcoated message of Hananiah, they would have lived comfortable while on earth, but faced a horrible verdict on Judgment Day. God’s love demanded that He send Jeremiah, and His love demands that He send us to preach the whole will of God.
And, yes, that includes His love and mercy. We will never hesitate to assure a grieving sinner of God’s love for him. But it also includes God’s wrath and anger against sin. It means holding the guilty accountable. In love, we will need to do that without sounding condescending or arrogant. We will have to be careful about how we approach someone who has sinned. A parent can use each day to establish God’s will in the heart of his child. Other times we need to work slowly to win the confidence of a friend or neighbor so that they understand our intentions when it is necessary for us to speak with them. And in a world that wants to soften the message, we must hold firm to the unchanging will of God.
Peer pressure can be used to prevent us from doing what God calls us to do. We don’t want to be unpopular. We don’t want people to be angry with us. But imagine how angry they will be as God convicts them of their sins and sends them away into hell if you don’t help them. God calls on us to be true to Him, not popular with the world. Sometimes you can be both. Pray the people will follow the will of God and turn to Him in repentance and true faith. Amen
–Rev. Roger Rockhoff
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June 3, 2008 by admin.
In Christ Jesus, the only Way that leads to our salvation, dear fellow-redeemed,
The statement is so straightforward and simplistic, we’re often tempted to just slide by it (v 9), “‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.” Was this some kind of mind control being displayed by Jesus, some divine power that caused Matthew to drop everything and follow after our Lord? No doubt Matthew had heard about Jesus and the gracious words of forgiveness that he had spoken, but those words wouldn’t have meant anything to Matthew unless he had first realized the tremendous burden he had been carrying in his heart.
Matthew was a tax collector, a Jewish man chosen by the Romans to gather in taxes from his fellow Jews. And the Romans loved to tax everything — clothing, food, land, slaves — you name it! You can imagine that these tax collectors weren’t local favorites, working for “the enemy” and taking their hard-earned dollars. Add to it that many of these tax collectors were crooked individuals known for inflating the price of merchandise and taxing it accordingly, just to line their own pockets with extra profit, and you see why they’re often lumped together with “pagans” in Scripture.
Like all tax collectors, Matthew suffered shame and disgrace because of his vocation. He wasn’t allowed into the synagogue for worship, in addition to being treated as an outcast by his own people. We’re not told that Matthew personally was a shady character known for taking advantage of people, but you have to wonder what else was weighing on his conscience that day. What led him to so quickly take Jesus up on his offer? We may not know the specifics, but what we do know is this: Matthew realized that he was a sinner. He knew he needed help. He knew he had no answers of his own, and here before him was the one sent “to seek and to save the lost” (Lk 19:10). His was an invitation Matthew couldn’t pass up.
This morning we rejoice, not only for Matthew, but also for ourselves, because we also have received our Lord’s invitation. This morning he says to each one of us:
“Follow Me!”
I. An invitation meant only for those sick with sin
II. A call meant only for those saved from sin
The account before us this morning occurred early in Jesus’ ministry. While up in Galilee, he had been giving evidence of his divine authority by healing a great number of people. He had just finished taking care of a paralyzed man, the one whom his friends had lowered down through the roof to get close to Jesus. Not only did Jesus make it possible for this man to walk again, but he offered him something even more important. He said to him (Mt 9:2), “Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven.” What a happy day, right? Not in the eyes of the Pharisees! These self-proclaimed religious “know-it-all’s” rained on the parade by accusing Jesus of blasphemy, of making himself out to be God! Keep this in mind when we come back to these same Pharisees a bit later as they continue to stick their noses in Jesus’ business.
Jesus wasn’t about to let a little opposition deter him from his mission. That’s why he goes on to issue his invitation to Matthew, the tax collector. He knew that Matthew was sick – sick with sin – and only he as the Savior had the antidote. And there was enough to go around for everyone who needed it.
Good thing, too, because Matthew had some friends for Jesus to meet who were as sick as he was. So he issues an invitation of his own to Jesus, inviting him over for dinner (v 10), “While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and ‘sinners’ came and ate with him and his disciples.” A motley crew indeed! You might say it was a whole houseful of Matthews! Here the word “sinners” has the connotation of social degenerate. This designation could have included everyone from prostitutes and thieves to those who were just guilty by associating with tax collectors and other social rejects. Even with various backgrounds and their own unique stories to tell, they still had one thing in common – they were all sinners.
It didn’t take long for the Pharisees to log their complaint (v 11), “When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and “sinners”?’” In those days sharing a meal with someone was one of the closest expressions of fellowship you could make. The Pharisees wouldn’t be caught dead in the company of such lowlifes, and they wanted to know how Jesus could lower himself to such a level. Even though they couldn’t stand Jesus, still they were miffed because he was wasting his time with these “sinners” while neglecting to hold an audience with them.
Why didn’t Jesus spend time with these Pharisees? Why didn’t he invite them to follow him? Because his was an invitation meant only for sinners, and the Pharisees didn’t think they fell into that category. They didn’t think they were sick. So Jesus explains why they were left out (v 12), “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Jesus’ invitation was meant only for sinners. Matthew and his friends knew they were sick. The Pharisees claimed otherwise. Jesus came with a cure – in Matthew’s case, he even made house calls! He came calling with the medicine of his blood and righteousness, through which he could heal all people with the balm of forgiveness. But the Pharisees rejected the cure. In their eyes they were just fine, able to save themselves from the cancer of sin. Little did they know, they erred in their self-diagnosis, and the result would be deadly.
Jesus still comes calling today with his invitation, “Follow me.” And, just as in Matthew’s day, that invitation is meant only for those who know they are sick with sin. Unfortunately, the world around us is intent on convincing people that they’re not sick, that there’s nothing wrong with them, and that anyone who would tell them otherwise is out-of-line and judgmental. What’s even worse, this faulty and fatal perception is also being perpetuated in the religious realm, even among many Christian churches. No one wants to talk about the sickness of sin, choosing instead to ignore such negative thinking in light of offering more of a “feel good” message instead. Just check out the sermons of the popular TV preachers today, and let me know how often you hear self-esteem being promoted and sin being ignored. No one likes to hear they’re sick. No one wants to hear they’re a sinner.
But unless we know how sick we are, we’ll never appreciate how precious our Savior’s cure is. Until we realize how helpless we are in producing a cure, we’ll never long for the cure found only in the blood of Jesus. Unless we take a long, hard look at the x-ray of God’s law and see how terminally ill we are, we’ll never treasure the antidote of God’s grace. So don’t be surprised when you come here to Messiah and you get a dose of reality in all its ugliness dumped on you every Sunday by hearing over and over again that you’re a sinner. Then and only then will you appreciate the joy of hearing Jesus say to you, “Follow me.”
Jesus’ invitation to Matthew actually served a twofold purpose. Not only was he inviting him to receive the solution to his sinfulness, but he was also issuing him a call – a call meant only for those saved from sin.
Take note again of how Matthew responded to Jesus’ invitation, “Matthew got up and followed him.” The verb tense used in the original Greek language indicates that his following of Jesus began at that moment and continued uninterrupted into the future. In his account, Luke adds the information that Matthew “left everything” to follow Jesus (Lk 5:28). He left his counting table and everything else behind to serve his Savior, no longer collecting taxes but now eager to collect souls for his Lord!
Matthew started his ministry at home with a little “friendship evangelism,” inviting his friends and coworkers over to meet Jesus. We can just picture how elated he was, realizing what a difference Jesus had made in his life and now being so anxious to share his joy with those around him! So it works with us too. We know what we were and what we are now because of Jesus. We’re satisfied customers, and everyone knows that satisfied customers make the best salesmen. Just like Matthew, we know that we’ve been called to share our Lord’s cure with the world!
This is where the Pharisees got it all wrong. Jesus concludes by telling them (v 13), “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” You heard me read those words earlier as part of the First Lesson for today. They were first spoken by the Lord to the hypocritical Israelites in the Old Testament who continued to make sacrifices and carry out other outward signs of worship even though their hearts weren’t in it. That’s the same pit the Pharisees had fallen into. On the outside they prided themselves in keeping God’s laws, but their sacrifices were empty of mercy, as evidenced in the fact that they protested Jesus’ healing of the paralyzed man along with many others. They had refused mercy to sinners. They refused to heed Jesus’ invitation to forgiveness and his call to service. In their own eyes they considered themselves “righteous.” Jesus only wanted sinners – saved sinners – to serve in his kingdom.
Today I want you to take home with you the positive example of Matthew in heeding the Lord’s call, while recognizing the error of the Pharisees and their attitude towards worship. Sometimes we tend to think that our service to God only has to do with attending church, reading the Bible on occasion, saying some prayers, and plunking a few dollars into the collection plates each week. But the Lord wants more than our outward sacrifices. He once told his prophet Ezekiel (Eze 33:11), “My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.” Lip service is just pharisaical hypocrisy. God wants more – he wants our hearts! He wants us to take to heart what we’ve learned, to appreciate our Savior’s forgiveness, to abandon our sinful lives, to make changes in line with his will, and to seek out ways to serve him by reaching out to others. We’re all equipped to do so, because Jesus’ call was meant only for those saved from sin, and we all fall into that category.
So did Matthew. While recognizing his sinfulness, by the power of the Holy Spirit, he also recognized his Savior and heeded his call to “follow me.” Tradition has it that, in addition to writing the Gospel that bears his name, Matthew ended up doing mission work in Ethiopia where he was either burned to death, stoned, or beheaded – just for following Jesus! For Matthew it was all worth it, for as sick as he was with sin, he was healed by Jesus, and he considered it a privilege to serve him. May we also heed his invitation and his call, always considering it a joy and a privilege to hear our Savior say to each of us, “Follow me.”
Amen
–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff
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May 26, 2008 by admin.
In the Name of Him Whose Blood Sets Us Free, Dear Friends in Christ,
“If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” So says the supervisor at work when the presentation isn’t what it should be; or the frustrated parent whose child leaves half the chores undone; or the man who notices a few missed spots on his vehicle after the workers at the car wash are done wiping it down. There tends to be a general rule of thought that somehow when faced with a problem or challenge, the best person to fix or solve it is ME! “I can do it better than anyone else.” “I can handle things on my own.” “I got myself into it, I can get myself out of it.” Even though we may fail, still our attitude of self-reliance seems to urge us to try and fight so many of our battles completely by ourselves.
Unfortunately, this same attitude prevails in our sinful nature when it comes to our salvation. The temptation is so strong to believe that our status in eternity somehow depends on what we do, on our ability to fix what we messed up. Yes, when it comes to making things right with God, we hear our sinful nature’s constant reminder, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”
There’s only one problem with this way of thinking – you can’t do what’s already done! And this problem for our sinful nature proves instead to be a blessing for each of us, because no matter how much we tried to win our own salvation, we could never pull it off. We needed someone else to do it for us. We needed a Savior!
Today I have wonderful news for you from God’s Word. The words before us from the Book of Romans is the beginning of what has been called “one of the most wonderful gospel sermons that you can find anywhere in Scripture” (Becker). Today we’re going to talk about:
“Righteousness: A Done Deal”
I. From God
II. Through Christ
III. By faith
This month marks the end of the school year for most children, which also means that the last report cards had to be handed over to parents. Perhaps some children did so with a little fear and trepidation, knowing that their grades may not have reflected their abilities or reached their parents’ expectations. Imagine the fear that would be ours if we had to present our report card to God in order to get into his heaven – especially when it would be filled with nothing but F’s! In the verse preceding our text, Paul points out that we cannot get a passing grade here on this earth by ourselves (Ro 3:20), “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” God’s law only shows us where we’ve gone wrong. It does not provide a solution.
So what the law could not do, God did instead (v 21), “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.” Trying to make ourselves right with God is useless. We’re like a man sinking in quicksand: Insist on saving yourself, and you’ll only quicken your demise. In order to survive, you have to find something to cling to. So it is with righteousness. We have to cling to someone other than ourselves in order to be saved. Our righteousness comes “from God,” and he revealed it to us in his Word, “the Law and the Prophets.” Way back in the Garden of Eden God told Satan that he would be the one to make things right (Ge 3:15), “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Throughout the Old Testament God’s spokesmen proclaimed this righteousness that came from God (Ac 10:43), “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Do you see what great news this is? The perfection, the righteousness that you and I could never accomplish on our own, God provided for us! We couldn’t keep God’s law. We failed miserably. There’s no righteousness of our own to present at God’s throne. So we have to look outside ourselves, “apart from law.” That’s where we find hope, for we’ve been given “a righteousness from God.” So now our salvation is secure! We have what it takes to enter our Lord’